Forty-Second Street Elementary

Forty-Second Street Elementary is an intimate elementary-level community in Los Angeles, California, operated by Los Angeles Unified. The school teaches 215 students in grades K through 5. Compared to the state average of about 465 students per school, that is 54% leaner than typical.

Within Los Angeles Unified, which oversees 784 schools and 406,887 students, Forty-Second Street Elementary is one campus in the system.

On the student-mix side, Forty-Second Street Elementary shows that Black students make up the majority at 61%. Beyond that, the school logs 31% Hispanic, 5% multiracial, 2% White. The wider county runs roughly 8% Black, putting the school's mix visibly more Black than the area baseline.

Looking at the economic backdrop, Forty-Second Street Elementary records 14 full-time-equivalent teachers, putting the student-to-teacher ratio at about 15.4:1. The state averages around 22.3:1, so this campus is tighter than the state norm typical. An estimated 89% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, a number frequently used as a low-income enrollment indicator. Set against Los Angeles County (around 70%), the school's rate is noticeably above typical.

On a residual basis (actual vs predicted given the student mix), Forty-Second Street Elementary tracks the demographic baseline. The model predicts 26.3% given the school's FRL share; actual proficiency is 16.5%.

In the broader community, community-level numbers for Los Angeles County indicate median household income runs about $90,112, 36% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and the poverty rate sits near 10%. In all, Los Angeles County runs 2244 public schools (combined enrollment of about 1,265,907 students), of which Forty-Second Street Elementary is one.

New Heights Charter is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.4 miles from this campus. 8 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius.

The school occupies an inner-city site.

Looking at the recent track record. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Forty-Second Street Elementary has grew 7%, going from 201 students in 2018 to 215 in 2025. Hispanic enrollment moved from 35% to 31% across the same window. The student-to-teacher ratio fell from 18.3:1 in 2018 to 15.4:1 today.

In the discussion threads here, the feed for Forty-Second Street Elementary typically covers open house dates, ride-share offers, and field-trip permission slips. Contributors range from current parents to recent graduates and teachers.