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There are high-performing magnet programs in LA Unified, and there are also low-performing ones. Now, for the first time, you can compare them.
LA School Report just published a district database that for the first time allows parents to compare how students at all of the district’s magnet schools and programs performed on state tests last spring and the year before.
Magnets are often a “school within a school,” and test scores for these individual magnet centers aren’t posted on the state’s website, nor does LA Unified publish them. But LA School Report requested the data and made it available today.
• Read more: EXCLUSIVE: For the first time, parents can now compare student achievement at all LAUSD magnets
This year, 76,000 of the district’s 620,000 students are enrolled in 226 magnet centers and schools.
There are 49 standalone magnet schools, according to district figures. These “self-contained” schools do have their individual results posted online. Some examples are Los Angeles Center for Enriched Studies on the west side or Arroyo Seco Museum Science Magnet School in Highland Park.
The new data show results from the Common Core-aligned tests taken in the spring and the year before. They also break down the programs showing the percentage of students who took the test who are low-income, English learners, and foster youth.
The tests, known as California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress or Smarter Balanced Assessments (SBAC), are taken in grades 3 through 8 and grade 11.
The database also shows the test scores of students who attend traditional district schools and independent charter schools.
The following is an LA School Report analysis of the magnets portion of the database:
(View the entire database here and the article on the release of the data here.)
An asterisk indicates selective magnets, such as gifted and high ability.
ENGLISH LEARNERS
Top performing magnets that have a high percentage of English learners (above 50 percent proficient in math or English):
Dr. Sammy Lee Elementary Medical and Health Science Magnet (39.4 percent EL)
Broadous Elementary Math Science Technology Magnet (31.3 percent)
Flournoy Elementary Math, Science, Technology Magnet (26.4 percent)
Miles Avenue Elementary Math Science Technology Magnet (25.9 percent)
107th Street Elementary Math Science Technology Magnet (22.4 percent)
LOW-INCOME
Top performing magnets that have a high percentage of low-income students (above 50 percent proficient in math or English):
Roosevelt Senior High School Math, Science, Technology Magnet (96.6 percent free/reduced-priced lunch)
Markham Middle School Health Careers Magnet (95.9 percent)
Flournoy Elementary Math, Science, Technology Magnet (95.4 percent)
Bethune Middle School Math, Science, Technology Magnet (95.1 percent)
Fremont Senior High School Math, Science, Technology Magnet (94.6 percent)
FOSTER YOUTH
Top performing magnets with the highest percentage of foster youth (above 50 percent proficient in English or math:
Clifford Street Math and Technology Magnet (2.5 percent foster youth)
Gledhill St Elementary Science, Technology and Math Magnet (1.7 percent)
TOP AND BOTTOM SCORES
Top-performing magnets in English:
Downtown Business Magnets High School (100 percent proficient)
*North Hollywood Senior High Highly Gifted Magnet (100 percent)
*Portola Middle School Highly Gifted Magnet (99 percent)
Millikan STEM Magnet (98 percent)
*San Jose St. Elementary Highly Gifted Magnet (98 percent)
Top-performing magnets in math:
Millikan STEM Magnet (100 percent proficient)
*Portola Middle School Highly Gifted Magnet (99 percent)
*North Hollywood Senior High Highly Gifted Magnet (99 percent)
*San Jose Street Elementary Highly Gifted Magnet (98 percent)
*Wonderland Avenue Elementary Magnet (98 percent)
Low-performing magnets in English:
Tom Bradley Global Awareness Magnet (13 percent proficient)
Dorsey Senior High School Law and Public Service Magnet (14 percent)
Dorsey Senior High Math, Science, Technology Magnet (16 percent)
Hillcrest Dr. Elementary Magnet (16 percent)
Sun Valley Magnet Elementary School (21 percent)
Low-performing magnets in math:
Crenshaw Magnet Business, Entrepreneurship and Technology (0 percent proficient)
Crenshaw Magnet Visual/Performing Arts (2 percent)
Dorsey Senior High Law and Public Service Magnet (2 percent)
Crenshaw Magnet Science, Technology, Engineering, Math and Medicine (4 percent)
Washington Senior High Science, Technology, Math Magnet (6 percent)
Dorsey Senior High Science, Technology, Math Magnet (6 percent)
MOST AND LEAST IMPROVED
Magnets that were most improved from 2016 to 2017:
Cesar Chavez Learning Academies ArTES Magnet (26 percentage point increase in ELA and 20 percentage points in math)
107th Street Elementary Math, Science, Technology Magnet (24 percentage point increase in math)
Humphreys Avenue Elementary Magnet (20 percentage point increase in math)
Magnets that showed the biggest decline from 2016 to 2017:
Banning College Incentive Program B & T (declined 28 percentage points in English)
Fremont Senior High Math, Science, Technology Magnet (declined 23 percentage points in math)
Canoga Park Senior High LG Magnet (declined 22 percentage points in math)
DISTRICT AVERAGES
LA Unified’s averages on this year’s Smarter Balanced tests were 40 percent proficient in English and 30 percent proficient in math.
The average for students at magnet schools was 60 percent proficient in English and 48 percent proficient in math.