1
What's the vibe like in the hallways at Mervyn M. Dymally High right now?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
654
High
DISTRICT 676 · STATE 838
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·LOS ANGELES UNIFIED·NCES 062271013079
Mervyn M. Dymally High
8800 South San Pedro St., Los Angeles, CA 90003 · (323) 565-4600 · Los Angeles County
GRADES 09–12HIGH11-CITYTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL654 STUDENTS
C
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 33% of California public high schools
- DTest scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- BBeats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
- A+Three-year trend Change in reading and math proficiency over the last three test years.
Grades compare a school only with schools in the same state, because every state gives its own test. How grades work · Top-graded California public high schools
Student : Teacher
14.8:1
44 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 16.3:1 · STATE 18.2:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
98%
643 students
DISTRICT 84% · STATE 65%
Community
6
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other high schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 9 | 169 | 26% |
| Grade 10 | 150 | 23% |
| Grade 11 | 167 | 26% |
| Grade 12 | 168 | 26% |
Student demographics
34%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 45% · STATE 62% · US 70%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
Test scores
CAASPP 2024-25 . % met or exceeded standardEnglish Language Arts
40.1%
CA avg 49.1% . +17.1pp since 2014
Math
14.2%
CA avg 37.7% . +9.2pp since 2014
What this means: On the CAASPP, California's statewide test, about 40 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 14 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all California schools, those numbers are about 49 and 38. Reading and writing scores are up about 17 points since 2014, while math scores are up about 9 points.
Performance levels, 2024-25
| Subject | Standard Exceeded | Standard Met | Standard Nearly Met | Standard Not Met |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| English Language Arts | 14.8% | 25.4% | 26.1% | 33.8% |
| Math | 2.8% | 11.3% | 26.2% | 59.6% |
Share of tested students at each CAASPP level. Each student counts in one level, so a row adds to about 100%.
CAASPP results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 40.1% | 14.2% |
| 2023-24 | 31.4% | 7.6% |
| 2022-23 | 31.0% | 4.9% |
| 2021-22 | 20.6% | 4.8% |
| 2020-21 | 21.4% | 8.3% |
| 2018-19 | 23.0% | 5.6% |
| 2017-18 | 19.7% | 4.4% |
| 2016-17 | 30.7% | 5.4% |
| 2015-16 | 16.0% | 6.0% |
| 2014-15 | 23.0% | 5.0% |
% met or exceeded standard, all students and all tested grades.
Source: CAASPP. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
23.3%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
21.9%
based on CA schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+1.4pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 23% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 22% typical for California schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations measures results against demographically similar schools rather than by raw scores, and this school falls within the typical range, neither among California's top nor bottom 10%.
BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →
Schools most like Mervyn M. Dymally High
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mervyn M. Dymally High this school | 654 | 98.3% | 23.3% |
| Animo South Los Angeles Charter Los Angeles | 585 | 96.4% | N/A |
| Jordan High Los Angeles | 797 | 97.9% | 28.2% |
| Stella High Charter Academy Los Angeles | 555 | 95.5% | N/A |
| Alliance Renee and Meyer Luskin Academy High Los Angeles | 525 | 94.1% | N/A |
| Augustus Hawkins High Los Angeles | 1,122 | 98.5% | 21.4% |
Matched among California high schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.
Where Mervyn M. Dymally High ranks
Among high schools| Measure | This school | In California | In Los Angeles County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 23.3% | #954 of 1,052 | #205 of 228 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 14.2% | #861 of 1,056 ▲ 123 | #189 of 229 ▲ 21 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 40.1% | #897 of 1,056 ▲ 73 | #194 of 229 ▲ 13 |
| 3-year test score change ranked biggest gain first | +14.5pp | #46 of 1,044 | #17 of 229 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 654 | #913 of 2,093 | #205 of 486 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 14.8:1 | #91 of 1,352 | #25 of 358 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 34.1% | #933 of 1,351 | #174 of 359 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 98.3% | #24 of 1,575 | #11 of 396 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -7.5% | #542 of 802 | #170 of 227 |
Ranked against other public high schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
654
-18 (-3%) vs 2020
Student : Teacher
14.8:1
was 19.8:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 654 | 44.1 | 14.8:1 | 98% (643) |
| 2023-24 | 720 | 44.2 | 16.3:1 | 98% (708) |
| 2022-23 | 751 | 38.5 | 19.5:1 | 98% (737) |
| 2020-21 | 672 | 34 | 19.8:1 | 98% (660) |
| 2017-18 | 707 | 29.8 | 23.7:1 | 94% (663) |
| 2015-16 | 703 | 28 | 25.1:1 | 92% (647) |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Mervyn M. Dymally High.
Since 2017-18: students down 7% (707 to 654); teachers up 48% (29.8 to 44.1).
About Mervyn M. Dymally High
Mervyn M. Dymally High is a high school in Los Angeles, California, and it is part of Los Angeles Unified. Enrolled students number 654 students, in grades 9 through 12. Enrollment is 22% lower than the average for high schools in California, which is about 838.
Los Angeles Unified counts 406,887 students in its 784 schools, and Mervyn M. Dymally High is one of them.
Hispanic students make up a majority at Mervyn M. Dymally High, at 79%. The remaining students are 19% Black. Census figures show Los Angeles County is about 48% Hispanic. Mervyn M. Dymally High's diversity index is 34%, against a US figure of 70%.
The school has about 14.8 students per teacher and 44.1 full-time-equivalent teachers. This ratio sits 3.4 below the 18.2:1 average for high schools in California. Federal records put free or reduced-price lunch eligibility at 98%. The rate at public schools in Los Angeles County averages 70%, lower than here.
Measured against California public high schools, Mervyn M. Dymally High receives a C. The grade weighs proficiency most heavily, then how results compare with what the school's low-income share predicts, then the three-year change.
On BeatsExpectations, Mervyn M. Dymally High is 1.4 points above its prediction, a result in the middle 80% of California schools.
Recent Census Bureau figures for Los Angeles County show that the median household income is $90,112, roughly 36% of adults have a four-year degree or more, and the share of residents below the poverty line is 10%. Mervyn M. Dymally High is one of 2,244 public schools in the county.
The next-closest public school is Watts Learning Center Charter Middle, less than a tenth of a mile away. Within five miles of Mervyn M. Dymally High, there are at least 8 other public schools. Of 4 schools in the immediate area with test results, Mervyn M. Dymally High ranks 3rd on average proficiency.
Locale: City: Large. In NCES terms, the school is inside a principal city with a population of 250,000 or more.
Mervyn M. Dymally High's enrollment dropped from 672 in 2020-21 to 654 in 2024-25. Federal data show the ratio falling from 19.8:1 to 14.8:1.
If you have questions about school safety, transportation, and start times at Mervyn M. Dymally High, you can post them here. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.
Los Angeles County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
9,808,667
Census ACS
Median income
$90,112
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
36%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
10%
Below federal line
Schools in county
2,244
1,265,907 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Los Angeles Unified
- Grover Cleveland Charter HighHigh · 2,719 students
- North Hollywood Senior HighHigh · 2,444 students
- Phineas Banning Senior HighHigh · 2,422 students
- San Pedro Senior HighHigh · 2,398 students
- Venice Senior HighHigh · 2,293 students
- James A. Garfield Senior HighHigh · 2,237 students
Other schools in Los Angeles
- Venice Senior HighHigh · 2,293 students
- James A. Garfield Senior HighHigh · 2,237 students
- Alexander Hamilton Senior HighHigh · 2,055 students
- Eagle Rock HighHigh · 2,031 students
- John C. Fremont Senior HighHigh · 1,889 students
- John Marshall Senior HighHigh · 1,842 students
Nearby schools
- Watts Learning Center Charter Middle0.0 mi · 400
- South Park Elementary0.3 mi · 825
- Dr. Owen Lloyd Knox Elementary0.3 mi · 669
- Ninety-Third Street Elementary0.4 mi · 772
- Alliance College-Ready Middle Academy 40.7 mi · 486
- John Hope Continuation0.7 mi · 87
Frequently asked questions
About Mervyn M. Dymally HighHow large is Mervyn M. Dymally High?
Mervyn M. Dymally High enrolls approximately 654 students in grades 09-12.
What age range does Mervyn M. Dymally High serve?
Mervyn M. Dymally High serves students from grade 09 through grade 12.
How many students per teacher at Mervyn M. Dymally High?
Approximately 14.8:1 students per teacher at Mervyn M. Dymally High.
How diverse is Mervyn M. Dymally High?
Mervyn M. Dymally High reports a student body of 1% White, 79% Hispanic, 19% Black, 1% Two or more.
Is Mervyn M. Dymally High public or private?
Mervyn M. Dymally High is a public K-12 school, overseen by Los Angeles Unified.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.