McKinley

Located at 325 South Oak Knoll Ave., in Pasadena, California, McKinley is a reasonably sized elementary campus that caters to 538 students (grades K through 8), part of Pasadena Unified.

Across the 23 schools in Pasadena Unified (13,639 students total), McKinley accounts for its share of the district's footprint.

On the student-mix side, McKinley reports that 64% of the student body identifies as Hispanic. Other groups include 17% Black, 9% White, 6% Asian, 3% multiracial. By comparison, Los Angeles County as a whole is about 48% Hispanic, so the school skews considerably more Hispanic than its surroundings.

On the resource side, Staff filings list 30 full-time-equivalent teachers, which works out to roughly 18.2:1 students per teacher. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 22.3:1, putting McKinley tighter than the state norm the norm. An estimated 78% 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 somewhat above typical.

After controlling for student poverty, McKinley sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 32.8%; this one delivers 22.1%.

In the broader community, ACS estimates for Los Angeles County put 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 McKinley is one.

Nearest neighbor: Twentieth Street Elementary, around 1.0 miles off. Counting just inside five miles, 8 other public schools cluster around McKinley. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts McKinley at 7th of 8; the average score across the group is 52.5%.

Geographically, the school is in a downtown area.

Five-year trend. Over the past 7-year window, the student count declined 51%: 1,092 students in 2018 compared to 538 in 2025. Hispanic enrollment moved from 52% to 64% across the same window. The student-to-teacher ratio fell from 31.3:1 in 2018 to 18.2:1 today.

On allk12, the page collects discussion, questions, and updates around enrollment questions, classroom assignments, and PTA news. Parents, students, alumni, and staff are welcome to weigh in.