Estrella Elementary

Estrella Elementary is a K-5 public school serving 453 students in the Los Angeles Unified district, located in a community where nearly all students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.

Academically, the school faces significant challenges, with student test scores in English, math, and science well below both district and state averages, placing it in the bottom quarter of all California elementary schools. Performance varies dramatically between grades, with a notable drop in math proficiency from 3rd to 4th grade, and there is a concerning performance gap where female students rank lower than male students. However, the school has one standout strength: it has successfully reduced chronic student absenteeism to 15.8%, which is notably better than the district, state, and most nearby schools like Main Street Elementary and represents a major improvement from a few years ago.

When compared to other local schools, the picture is mixed. Sixty-First Street Elementary, which serves a very similar student population less than a mile away, performs significantly better academically, suggesting school-level practices make a difference. Nearby charter schools show varied results, with Aspire Juanita Tate Academy Charter outperforming Estrella while Aspire Slauson Academy Charter performs worse. Estrella's per-student spending is higher than some higher-performing neighbors, raising questions about how resources are used to directly support classroom learning and address the inconsistent achievement across grades and student groups.