LEUSD's Poor, Latino, And African-American Students Outperform, Reports Find

Out of 147 of California’s largest unified school districts, the Lake Elsinore Unified School District is outperforming all others when it comes to how well it serves its low-income, Latino and African-American students, according to new report cards out this week from The Education Trust – West.

The advocacy organization, which works to close gaps in achievement and opportunity for students of color and students in poverty, released its latest annual report cards and the LEUSD was the top-performing district with its B+ grade – the highest-overall mark handed out.

The rankings were based on 2011 API score performance and score improvement over a five-year period among low-income and students of color. The reports also weighed the achievement gap between white students and students of color, and looked at college readiness among Latino and African-American students.

With the exception of the college category, the LEUSD received an overall A grade in all areas.

Digging into the numbers, highlights of the reports show the district came out on top in API score improvements among economically disadvantaged students, with a 151-point uptick over the period 2007 through 2011.

The district was also No. 1 in narrowing the achievement gap between African-American and white students. Based on 2011 API scores, there was a 30-point spread between the two student groups. The district ranked fifth in closing the gap between Latino and white students, with a 38-point spread.

The district also placed in the top 10 for API score performance among economically disadvantaged students with an overall 812 score for this group.

However, the reports also analyzed how many students of color are graduating “college ready,” and here the LEUSD fell very short with an overall D grade. ( for a related story on college and LEUSD kids.)

According to a news release from The Education Trust – West, the statewide numbers dispel “the myth that poverty and low performance are inexorably connected.” Four of the top 10 overall districts – the LEUSD, Corona-Norco Unified, Covina-Valley Unified and Baldwin Park Unified -- serve large numbers of low-income students and students of color, the news release stated.

Stats from The Education Trust – West show that the LEUSD student population is 54 percent low income, 52 percent Latino, and 6 percent African-American.