Andres and Maria Cardenas Elementary

Set in Van Nuys, California, Andres and Maria Cardenas Elementary is a middle-of-the-pack primary school, operated by Los Angeles Unified. It teaches 423 students across grades K through 5.

Across the 784 schools in Los Angeles Unified (406,887 students total), Andres and Maria Cardenas Elementary accounts for its share of the district's footprint.

On demographics, Andres and Maria Cardenas Elementary reports that 88% of students identify as Hispanic, making the school strongly Hispanic-majority. Beyond that, the school lists 4% White, 4% Asian, 3% multiracial. By comparison, Los Angeles County as a whole is about 48% Hispanic, so the school skews noticeably more Hispanic than its surroundings.

On the resource side, The school lists 19 full-time-equivalent teachers, for a student-teacher ratio near 22.9:1. The state averages about 22.3:1, putting this campus right in line with peers. Roughly 97% of students at Andres and Maria Cardenas Elementary qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, often used as a Title I proxy. Set against Los Angeles County (around 70%), the school's rate is somewhat above typical.

After controlling for student poverty, Andres and Maria Cardenas Elementary sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 21.8%; this one delivers 28.8%.

In the broader community, Los Angeles County reports that the typical household earns roughly $90,112 per year, roughly 36% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and roughly 10% of residents live below the federal poverty line. In all, Los Angeles County runs 2244 public schools (combined enrollment of about 1,265,907 students), of which Andres and Maria Cardenas Elementary is one.

CHAMPS - Charter HS of Arts-Multimedia & Performing is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.3 miles from this campus. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts Andres and Maria Cardenas Elementary at 4th of 5; the average score across the group is 33.5%.

Andres and Maria Cardenas Elementary operates from a metropolitan location.

Five-year trend. Over the past 7-year window, the student count declined 10%: 470 students in 2018 compared to 423 in 2025. Class-load math has tightened: from 24.1:1 in 2018 to 22.9:1 in 2025.

On the community side, the feed for Andres and Maria Cardenas Elementary typically covers science fair prep, picture-day reminders, and bus-route questions. Contributors range from current parents to recent graduates and teachers.