Los Angeles Unified: english learners

This chart follows students who are still learning English. Each dot shows how close the typical English learner was to fluent that year, on the state's English test for English learners.

More about this chart

Who is in it

When a student starts school in California and their family speaks another language at home, the student takes an English screening test. Students who aren't yet fluent are English learners. Every spring, every English learner, kindergarten through grade 12, takes the English Language Proficiency Assessments for California (the ELPAC) until they are fluent. Students who are already fluent in English are never on this chart.

What it measures

English itself: listening, speaking, reading and writing. Not math, not science. The test sorts students into four levels:

Level 1: Minimally Developed
Level 2: Somewhat Developed
Level 3: Moderately Developed
Level 4: Well Developed, close to fluent

What a dot means

How far the typical English learner's score was from the Level 4 mark that year. Zero means right at Level 4; below zero means short of it. A dot at −80 means the school's English learners averaged 80 points below Level 4.

The catch

This group keeps changing. When an English learner becomes fluent (reaching Level 4 is a big part of that), they are reclassified as fluent and stop taking the test. Each year the strongest students leave and new beginners arrive. So a school doing a great job can still look flat, because its successes keep leaving the chart.

Two smaller things

The small numbers under each year count English learners only, not the whole school.
The houses show the free or reduced-price meal share for the whole school. The state doesn't publish it for English learners separately.

What a change would look like

Dots climbing above the upper limit would mean English learners are reaching fluency faster than the current system "wants". Because the students who succeed keep leaving the group, a rise here understates the improvement behind it, which makes this one of the hardest charts to move.

The shaded band is this district's normal range. If nothing about how it works changes, nearly every future year should land inside it. Zero means the typical English learner's score is right at Level 4, "Well Developed". The small numbers under the years are how many students were tested.

Step 1 · Each year's result

For each grade tested, take the average (mean) scale score from the California Department of Education's results file, and subtract the lowest score that counts as "Level 4" for that grade. That is the grade's distance from standard. Weight each grade by its share of the students tested, then add the grades up. Grades where the state hides the average because ten or fewer students tested are left out entirely.

2018 from sa_elpac2018_all_csv_v1.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Level 4	Distance	Students	Weighted
K	254,019	1442.5	− 1474	−31.5	× 22381 / 103699	−6.8
1	253,631	1479.7	− 1507	−27.3	× 16124 / 103699	−4.2
2	253,661	1475.6	− 1532	−56.4	× 10077 / 103699	−5.5
3	253,691	1478.8	− 1535	−56.2	× 9381 / 103699	−5.1
4	253,721	1492.2	− 1549	−56.8	× 9030 / 103699	−4.9
5	253,751	1502.8	− 1560	−57.2	× 7582 / 103699	−4.2
6	253,781	1488.3	− 1567	−78.7	× 4753 / 103699	−3.6
7	253,810	1490.2	− 1576	−85.8	× 4489 / 103699	−3.7
8	253,840	1485.7	− 1590	−104.3	× 3869 / 103699	−3.9
9	253,870	1466.2	− 1606	−139.8	× 5477 / 103699	−7.4
10	253,900	1487.6	− 1606	−118.4	× 4610 / 103699	−5.3
11	253,930	1494.2	− 1615	−120.8	× 2820 / 103699	−3.3
12	253,959	1407.8	− 1615	−207.2	× 3106 / 103699	−6.2
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−64

2019 from sa_elpac2019_all_csv_v2.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Level 4	Distance	Students	Weighted
K	294,218	1434.8	− 1474	−39.2	× 19054 / 97261	−7.7
1	293,796	1452.6	− 1507	−54.4	× 11520 / 97261	−6.4
2	293,828	1478.5	− 1532	−53.5	× 11066 / 97261	−6.1
3	293,861	1477.9	− 1535	−57.1	× 8721 / 97261	−5.1
4	293,894	1501.7	− 1549	−47.3	× 9157 / 97261	−4.5
5	293,926	1510.9	− 1560	−49.1	× 8242 / 97261	−4.2
6	293,960	1500.0	− 1567	−67	× 5323 / 97261	−3.7
7	293,992	1495.9	− 1576	−80.1	× 4393 / 97261	−3.6
8	294,023	1504.4	− 1590	−85.6	× 4110 / 97261	−3.6
9	294,055	1468.3	− 1606	−137.7	× 5802 / 97261	−8.2
10	294,087	1501.2	− 1606	−104.8	× 3824 / 97261	−4.1
11	294,119	1506.0	− 1615	−109	× 2914 / 97261	−3.3
12	294,151	1426.9	− 1615	−188.1	× 3135 / 97261	−6.1
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−67

2021 from sa_elpac2021_1_csv_v1.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Level 4	Distance	Students	Weighted
K	17,313	1413.5	− 1474	−60.5	× 14718 / 85754	−10.4
1	17,300	1438.4	− 1507	−68.6	× 11048 / 85754	−8.8
2	17,301	1462.3	− 1532	−69.7	× 9706 / 85754	−7.9
3	17,302	1472.7	− 1535	−62.3	× 9440 / 85754	−6.9
4	17,303	1488.2	− 1549	−60.8	× 9142 / 85754	−6.5
5	17,304	1496.4	− 1560	−63.6	× 7459 / 85754	−5.5
6	17,305	1497.3	− 1567	−69.7	× 5439 / 85754	−4.4
7	17,306	1502.0	− 1576	−74	× 4263 / 85754	−3.7
8	17,307	1510.5	− 1590	−79.5	× 3356 / 85754	−3.1
9	17,308	1495.8	− 1606	−110.2	× 3303 / 85754	−4.2
10	17,309	1506.1	− 1606	−99.9	× 3557 / 85754	−4.1
11	17,310	1506.3	− 1615	−108.7	× 2291 / 85754	−2.9
12	17,311	1442.4	− 1615	−172.6	× 2032 / 85754	−4.1
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−73

2022 from sa_elpac2022_1_csv_v1.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Level 4	Distance	Students	Weighted
K	17,399	1420.8	− 1474	−53.2	× 15270 / 89808	−9
1	17,386	1437.9	− 1507	−69.1	× 10088 / 89808	−7.8
2	17,387	1471.9	− 1532	−60.1	× 10046 / 89808	−6.7
3	17,388	1479.2	− 1535	−55.8	× 8934 / 89808	−5.6
4	17,389	1500.9	− 1549	−48.1	× 9060 / 89808	−4.9
5	17,390	1517.6	− 1560	−42.4	× 8233 / 89808	−3.9
6	17,391	1514.8	− 1567	−52.2	× 5285 / 89808	−3.1
7	17,392	1527.4	− 1576	−48.6	× 4804 / 89808	−2.6
8	17,393	1532.7	− 1590	−57.3	× 3921 / 89808	−2.5
9	17,394	1476.9	− 1606	−129.1	× 5964 / 89808	−8.6
10	17,395	1526.0	− 1606	−80	× 3199 / 89808	−2.8
11	17,396	1530.9	− 1615	−84.1	× 2857 / 89808	−2.7
12	17,397	1536.5	− 1615	−78.5	× 2147 / 89808	−1.9
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−62

2023 from sa_elpac2023_1_csv_v1.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Level 4	Distance	Students	Weighted
K	17,261	1418.3	− 1474	−55.7	× 15717 / 88656	−9.9
1	17,248	1440.5	− 1507	−66.5	× 9485 / 88656	−7.1
2	17,249	1467.4	− 1532	−64.6	× 9527 / 88656	−6.9
3	17,250	1482.4	− 1535	−52.6	× 9251 / 88656	−5.5
4	17,251	1501.1	− 1549	−47.9	× 8558 / 88656	−4.6
5	17,252	1516.9	− 1560	−43.1	× 7820 / 88656	−3.8
6	17,253	1517.7	− 1567	−49.3	× 5359 / 88656	−3
7	17,254	1520.2	− 1576	−55.8	× 4362 / 88656	−2.7
8	17,255	1529.2	− 1590	−60.8	× 3780 / 88656	−2.6
9	17,256	1473.4	− 1606	−132.6	× 6061 / 88656	−9.1
10	17,257	1507.7	− 1606	−98.3	× 4374 / 88656	−4.8
11	17,258	1540.2	− 1615	−74.8	× 2184 / 88656	−1.8
12	17,259	1540.1	− 1615	−74.9	× 2178 / 88656	−1.8
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−64

2024 from sa_elpac2024_1_csv_v1.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Level 4	Distance	Students	Weighted
K	17,106	1407.8	− 1474	−66.2	× 15944 / 84380	−12.5
1	17,093	1434.9	− 1507	−72.1	× 8668 / 84380	−7.4
2	17,094	1465.7	− 1532	−66.3	× 9139 / 84380	−7.2
3	17,095	1475.2	− 1535	−59.8	× 8862 / 84380	−6.3
4	17,096	1498.3	− 1549	−50.7	× 8000 / 84380	−4.8
5	17,097	1512.0	− 1560	−48	× 6783 / 84380	−3.9
6	17,098	1507.9	− 1567	−59.1	× 4866 / 84380	−3.4
7	17,099	1515.3	− 1576	−60.7	× 4224 / 84380	−3
8	17,100	1518.7	− 1590	−71.3	× 3534 / 84380	−3
9	17,101	1468.2	− 1606	−137.8	× 5537 / 84380	−9
10	17,102	1505.4	− 1606	−100.6	× 4101 / 84380	−4.9
11	17,103	1524.1	− 1615	−90.9	× 2937 / 84380	−3.2
12	17,104	1549.5	− 1615	−65.5	× 1785 / 84380	−1.4
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−70

2025 from sa_elpac2025_1_csv_v1.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Level 4	Distance	Students	Weighted
K	17,067	1441.5	− 1474	−32.5	× 9271 / 69640	−4.3
1	17,054	1441.0	− 1507	−66	× 7821 / 69640	−7.4
2	17,055	1468.9	− 1532	−63.1	× 7904 / 69640	−7.2
3	17,056	1484.4	− 1535	−50.6	× 8000 / 69640	−5.8
4	17,057	1506.8	− 1549	−42.2	× 6916 / 69640	−4.2
5	17,058	1522.2	− 1560	−37.8	× 5600 / 69640	−3
6	17,059	1519.6	− 1567	−47.4	× 3915 / 69640	−2.7
7	17,060	1524.9	− 1576	−51.1	× 3775 / 69640	−2.8
8	17,061	1528.6	− 1590	−61.4	× 3227 / 69640	−2.8
9	17,062	1487.4	− 1606	−118.6	× 4594 / 69640	−7.8
10	17,063	1513.8	− 1606	−92.2	× 3646 / 69640	−4.8
11	17,064	1539.7	− 1615	−75.3	× 2697 / 69640	−2.9
12	17,065	1542.7	− 1615	−72.3	× 2274 / 69640	−2.4
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−58

2026 from sa_elpac2026_1_csv_v1.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Level 4	Distance	Students	Weighted
K	16,951	1439.3	− 1474	−34.7	× 7223 / 58343	−4.3
1	16,938	1443.3	− 1507	−63.7	× 6507 / 58343	−7.1
2	16,939	1470.0	− 1532	−62	× 6691 / 58343	−7.1
3	16,940	1486.3	− 1535	−48.7	× 6635 / 58343	−5.5
4	16,941	1514.2	− 1549	−34.8	× 6534 / 58343	−3.9
5	16,942	1530.3	− 1560	−29.7	× 5199 / 58343	−2.6
6	16,943	1528.1	− 1567	−38.9	× 3331 / 58343	−2.2
7	16,944	1538.8	− 1576	−37.2	× 2894 / 58343	−1.8
8	16,945	1540.8	− 1590	−49.2	× 2793 / 58343	−2.4
9	16,946	1521.7	− 1606	−84.3	× 3201 / 58343	−4.6
10	16,947	1529.6	− 1606	−76.4	× 3069 / 58343	−4
11	16,948	1539.6	− 1615	−75.4	× 2219 / 58343	−2.9
12	16,949	1552.5	− 1615	−62.5	× 2047 / 58343	−2.2
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−51

Step 2 · The average and the normal range

Average: add the yearly results and divide by how many there are. −64, −67, −73, −62, −64, −70, −58, −51 → −63.6
Typical year-to-year change: how far the result moved from each year to the next, ignoring up or down. 2018→2019: 3 · 2019→2021: 6 · 2021→2022: 11 · 2022→2023: 2 · 2023→2024: 6 · 2024→2025: 12 · 2025→2026: 7 → average 6.7
Normal range: multiply the typical change by 2.66, then add it to the average and subtract it. 6.7 × 2.66 = 17.8. Upper limit −45.8, lower limit −81.4.

Why 2.66? It is the standard factor from quality control, the work of Walter Shewhart and W. Edwards Deming. It turns "how much the result typically changes in a year" into "how far it can wander by chance alone".

Years with no result (no state tests were given in spring 2020) are skipped: the year-to-year change runs from the last year with a result to the next one.

Step 3 · Free or reduced-price meals

The share of enrolled students eligible for free or reduced-price meals — for a district, the total across its schools. From 2014–15, 2015–16, 2016–17, 2017–18, 2018–19, 2020–21, 2021–22, 2022–23, 2023–24, 2024–25, 2025–26.

Los Angeles Unified

Who is in it

What it measures

What a dot means

The catch

Two smaller things

What a change would look like

Step 1 · Each year's result

2018 from sa_elpac2018_all_csv_v1.zip

2019 from sa_elpac2019_all_csv_v2.zip

2021 from sa_elpac2021_1_csv_v1.zip

2022 from sa_elpac2022_1_csv_v1.zip

2023 from sa_elpac2023_1_csv_v1.zip

2024 from sa_elpac2024_1_csv_v1.zip

2025 from sa_elpac2025_1_csv_v1.zip

2026 from sa_elpac2026_1_csv_v1.zip

Step 2 · The average and the normal range

Step 3 · Free or reduced-price meals

Schools in Los Angeles Unified

Elementary schools

K–8 schools

Middle schools

Middle and high schools

High schools

K–12 schools

Alternative and special schools

Other schools

Charter schools in Los Angeles Unified