1
How has Palms Middle changed in the last five years, for better or worse?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
1,081
Middle
DISTRICT 835 · STATE 659
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·LOS ANGELES UNIFIED·NCES 062271003267
Palms Middle
10860 Woodbine St., Los Angeles, CA 90034 · (310) 253-7600 · Los Angeles County
GRADES 06–08MIDDLE11-CITYTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL1,081 STUDENTS
A-
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 75% of California public middle schools
- B+Test scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- ABeats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
- DThree-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 middle schools
Student : Teacher
19.6:1
55 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 18.2:1 · STATE 20.7:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
72%
773 students
DISTRICT 84% · STATE 65%
Community
6
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other middle schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 6 | 348 | 32% |
| Grade 7 | 361 | 33% |
| Grade 8 | 372 | 34% |
Student demographics
70%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
School pathway
Based on published attendance-zone data from Los Angeles Unified. Zones change; confirm enrollment with the district.
Test scores
CAASPP 2024-25 . % met or exceeded standardEnglish Language Arts
55.9%
CA avg 49.1% . +7.9pp since 2014
Math
42.9%
CA avg 37.7% . -7.1pp since 2014
What this means: On the CAASPP, California's statewide test, about 56 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 43 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 8 points since 2014, while math scores are down about 7 points.
Performance levels, 2024-25
| Subject | Standard Exceeded | Standard Met | Standard Nearly Met | Standard Not Met |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| English Language Arts | 25.6% | 30.4% | 23.3% | 20.7% |
| Math | 26.2% | 16.7% | 23.7% | 33.4% |
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 | 55.9% | 42.9% |
| 2023-24 | 59.0% | 40.4% |
| 2022-23 | 56.6% | 39.1% |
| 2021-22 | 63.0% | 41.8% |
| 2018-19 | 64.2% | 49.0% |
| 2017-18 | 58.6% | 47.0% |
| 2016-17 | 64.1% | 50.0% |
| 2015-16 | 64.0% | 50.0% |
| 2014-15 | 48.0% | 50.0% |
% 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
49.6%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
37.6%
based on CA schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+11.9pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 50% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 38% 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 Palms Middle
Palms Middle's state test result (49.6% proficient) is higher than 5 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Palms Middle this school | 1,081 | 71.5% | 49.6% |
| Endeavour Middle Lancaster | 805 | 81.7% | 12.2% |
| Mesa Linda Middle Victorville | 735 | 73.2% | 7.8% |
| Dallas Ranch Middle Antioch | 795 | 78.2% | 19.9% |
| Crystal Middle Suisun City | 774 | 78.0% | 22.8% |
| Ruth Musser Middle Rancho Cucamonga | 941 | 68.7% | 42.4% |
Matched among California middle 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 Palms Middle ranks
Among middle schools| Measure | This school | In California | In Los Angeles County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 49.6% | #354 of 1,224 | #75 of 248 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 42.9% | #360 of 1,227 ▲ 22 | #79 of 248 ▲ 1 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 55.9% | #379 of 1,227 ▼ 71 | #85 of 248 ▼ 17 |
| 3-year test score change ranked biggest drop first | -3.0pp | #149 of 1,214 | #17 of 247 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 1,081 | #132 of 1,377 | #43 of 317 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 19.6:1 | #415 of 1,279 | #105 of 301 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 69.7% | #143 of 1,278 | #18 of 301 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 71.5% | #705 of 1,329 | #219 of 312 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -20.1% | #338 of 930 | #98 of 213 |
Ranked against other public middle 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
1,081
-210 (-16%) vs 2020
-21% since 1990-91, when it was 1,371
Student : Teacher
19.6:1
was 23.9:1
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 | 1,081 | 55.1 | 19.6:1 | 72% (773) |
| 2023-24 | 1,195 | 57.2 | 20.9:1 | 69% (821) |
| 2022-23 | 1,244 | 56.6 | 22.0:1 | 66% (819) |
| 2020-21 | 1,291 | 54 | 23.9:1 | 60% (775) |
| 2017-18 | 1,353 | 54.3 | 24.9:1 | 62% (844) |
| 2015-16 | 1,496 | 57 | 26.3:1 | 56% (844) |
| 2010-11 | 1,746 | N/A | N/A | 45% (787) |
| 2000-01 | 1,841 | 76 | 24.2:1 | 40% (742) |
| 1990-91 | 1,371 | 58 | 23.6:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Palms Middle.
Since 2017-18: students down 20% (1,353 to 1,081); teachers up 1% (54.3 to 55.1).
About Palms Middle
Palms Middle sits in Los Angeles, California, and is classified as a middle-grades school. The grade span is 6 through 8, and enrollment is 1,081 students. Average enrollment for middle schools in California is about 659, so this school runs 64% bigger than that.
A total of 784 schools make up Los Angeles Unified, with 406,887 students enrolled.
No single group makes up more than half of enrollment at Palms Middle. The largest is Hispanic students, at 46%. The remaining shares are 25% Black, 14% White, 8% Asian, and 8% multiracial. The Hispanic share in Los Angeles County as a whole is similar, at about 48%. Pick two students at random and there is a 70% chance they belong to different racial or ethnic groups; that figure is the school's diversity index.
With 55.1 full-time-equivalent teachers in 2024-25, the ratio at Palms Middle was 19.6:1. This ratio sits 1.1 below the 20.7:1 average for middle schools in California. A measure often used for student poverty, free or reduced-price lunch eligibility, stands at 72%. That tracks the 70% average for public schools in Los Angeles County.
Measured against California public middle schools, Palms Middle receives an A-. The grade weighs proficiency most heavily, then how results compare with what the school's low-income share predicts, then the three-year change.
Predicted from its free or reduced-price lunch share, Palms Middle would score about 37.6%. It scores 49.6%, 11.9 points above that figure.
In Los Angeles County (population about 9,808,667), the median household income is $90,112, a bachelor's degree or higher is held by about 36% of adults, and the poverty rate is about 10%. There are 2,244 public schools in Los Angeles County, enrolling about 1,265,907 students in all.
The next-closest public school is Charnock Road Elementary, about 0.5 miles away. Palms Middle is one of several public schools in the area, with at least 8 others within five miles. Nearby schools average 58.2% on proficiency, and Palms Middle is below that at 49.6%.
Federal data place Palms Middle in the City: Large locale, which means it is inside a principal city with a population of 250,000 or more.
Enrollment declined 16% from its 2020-21 level of 1,291. The student-to-teacher ratio went down from 23.9:1 to 19.6:1.
The Palms Middle community page is open for posts about sports schedules, lunch menus, and spirit week. 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
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- 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
- Charnock Road Elementary0.5 mi · 281
- Palms Elementary0.5 mi · 229
- Clover Avenue Elementary0.6 mi · 468
- La Ballona Elementary0.8 mi · 531
- Overland Avenue Elementary1.0 mi · 485
- Mar Vista Elementary1.2 mi · 590
Frequently asked questions
About Palms MiddleHow large is Palms Middle?
Palms Middle enrolls approximately 1,081 students in grades 06-08.
What age range does Palms Middle serve?
Palms Middle serves students from grade 06 through grade 08.
How many teachers does Palms Middle have?
Palms Middle employs 55 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 19.6:1.
What is the racial breakdown of students at Palms Middle?
At Palms Middle, the student body is approximately 14% White, 46% Hispanic, 25% Black, 8% Asian, 8% Two or more.
Who oversees Palms Middle?
Palms Middle is overseen by Los Angeles Unified in Los Angeles County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.