Lucille J. Smith Elementary

Lucille J. Smith Elementary, a tight-knit elementary school in Lawndale, California, run under Lawndale Elementary, serves 331 students, covering grades K through 5. Compared to the state average of about 465 students per school, that is 29% leaner than typical.

Within Lawndale Elementary, which oversees 8 schools and 4,314 students, Lucille J. Smith Elementary is one campus in the system.

On demographics, Lucille J. Smith Elementary reports that 71% of the student body identifies as Hispanic. Beyond that, the school reports 15% Black, 7% Asian, 5% White. That is noticeably more Hispanic than the county at large, where the share is closer to 48%.

Looking at the economic backdrop, The school reports having 13 full-time-equivalent teachers, for a student-teacher ratio near 25.5:1. The state averages around 22.3:1, so this campus is higher than the state norm typical. About 84% of enrolled students meet the income threshold for free or reduced-price lunch, which schools and policymakers use as a rough income-mix signal. Set against Los Angeles County (around 70%), the school's rate is noticeably above typical.

After controlling for student poverty, Lucille J. Smith Elementary ranks in the top 10% of California public schools. The BeatsExpectations model, a per-state regression of composite proficiency on FRL share, predicts schools with this student profile to land around 29.3%; Lucille J. Smith Elementary posts 49.1%, +19.8 points above that line.

Zooming out to the county, Los Angeles County reports that median household income runs about $90,112, 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 Lucille J. Smith Elementary is one.

The closest other public school is Billy Mitchell Elementary, roughly 0.3 miles away. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools. On composite proficiency, Lucille J. Smith Elementary comes 1st of 7 in the immediate cluster, above the nearby-schools average of 39.0%.

The school occupies a bedroom-community site.

Looking at the recent track record. Over the past 7-year window, the student count edged down 22%: 425 students in 2018 compared to 331 in 2025. Class-load math has rose: from 23.6:1 in 2018 to 25.5:1 in 2025.

On the community side, members of the Lucille J. Smith Elementary community share and discuss open house dates, ride-share offers, and field-trip permission slips. Posting is open to anyone connected to the school.