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GreatSchools Rating

Towne Avenue Elementary School

Public | K-5 | 374 students

Last modified
Community Rating

4 stars

Community Rating by Year
2013:
No new ratings
2012:
No new ratings
2011:
No new ratings
2010:
Based on 4 ratings

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Principal leadership

Parent involvement

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14 reviews of this school


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Posted November 2, 2010

Towne Ave. has made phenomenal progress over the pass five years and meeting the state's high standards for a high academically performing school. Towne is an urban impacted school that is succeeding in educating all students!


Posted November 2, 2010

Towne Ave is one of the best schools. The principal and teachers are wonderful.
—Submitted by a parent


Posted November 2, 2010

Very caring, supportive teachers and parents


Posted November 1, 2010

Towne is a wonderful place to work at and is surrounded by a great community. We have made great gains at our school with our test scores and working with all of our stakeholders. Towne is a high achieving school and I am proud to be a member of such a wonderful place. Our next goal is to obtain more technology that we currently lack and to push forward in making more gains in instruction with all of our students.
—Submitted by a teacher


Posted November 1, 2010

Towne Ave. Elementary is a great school!
—Submitted by a teacher


Posted April 30, 2010

You have some really exceptional teachers then you have some that are the complete opposite. I had to pull my daughter out of kindergarten in order to save whats left of the love for school.
—Submitted by a parent


Posted October 1, 2009

I really like the principal he seems to really care about the students but one of the kindergarten teachers has a eally dirty classroom and the rpincipal really seems to do something about it. It was nice to see a principal who is as concerned with health and wellbeing of children especially the youngest of them all who can't really speak up for themselves.
—Submitted by a parent


Posted May 21, 2009

Towne Ave is an exceptional school. My son is going into the 4th grade next year and every year he has had wonderful teachers. Every staff member, that is including, the facility staff, cafeteria staff, teachers, office stam staff, and especially the principal, have made us feel very comfortable. Every issue, maybe positive or negative, the staff members have responded very efficiently in resolving the matter for us. I am very satisified. I am definitely sending my other son to this elementary.
—Submitted by a parent


Posted September 1, 2008

Towne Avenue is a great school esp. the Principal, teachers and staff. My 4 kids went to Towne Ave school and they grew more knowledge and became great kids.
—Submitted by a parent


Posted September 3, 2007

Towne Avenue is an exceptional elementary school. The teachers and staff members are caring and supportive. Most parents are satisfied and happy to have their child attend Towne Ave. because we strive in helping students become successful in life.
—Submitted by a teacher


Posted May 31, 2007

Extremely unhappy with Mr.Hirata's leadership as a principle. He allows the office staff to be unprofessional. He is very slow at returning calls no matter how urgent the matter. A school needs to have a good leader and Mr.Hirata is not. There are several elementary schools in Carson, I would caution parents to explore those other options.
—Submitted by a parent


Posted June 16, 2005

My son has been fortunate enough to have Ms. Harrison two years in a row and he has done exceptionally well, academically under her guidance. The music program has provided a very creative outlet for my son. I am glad he was able to participate. The school is very adamant about stressing parent involvement and feedback. My overall experience with this school has been very good. I wish I didn't have to leave.
—Submitted by a parent


Posted May 12, 2005

My little sister who is 12 years younger than me attended this school and when I was in 5th grade I attended for one year. There is such a thing as over disciplining children. At lunch, there is no talking to the other kids or putting your elbows on the table and if you do, your child will have to wash down all the lunch tables while the other kids play. Seems to me its more of a parents job to teach table manners not the lunch ladies job. There are other ridiculous punishments that I don't have enough room to write about so I will end with saying that as a mother I would rather have my childs school focus on education, not punishments. There are other very good schools in Carson to send your children, including Caroldale, Bonita, Carson Street, Del Amo, Dolores and 232nd Street.
—Submitted by a former student


Posted November 24, 2003

I believe that Towne Ave. Elementary is a wonderful school. The teachers have always express great interest in all thier students. They work hard in making sure that all their students have the skills they need to move on to the next grade. They have a wonderful stragety in preparing students for the STAR. Thank you for all your hard work, you are doing a great job.
—Submitted by Leslie del Moro, a parent


Community ratings and reviews do not represent the views of GreatSchools nor does GreatSchools check their accuracy or verify the reviewers' identities. Use your discretion when evaluating these reviews.

About these ratings

The Community Rating is the school’s average rating from its community members (e.g., parents, students, and school staff). The highest possible rating is five stars; the lowest is one star.

The test results by subgroup show how the designated group of students is performing in comparison to the general population.

The API reflects year-over-year schools performance based on STAR test score results from spring 2012.

This school's
API score

848

Change from
2011 to 2012

+8

API Statewide Rank
(2011)

7 / 10

API Similar Schools Rank (2011)

10 / 10


API Growth scores over time

Did this school meet the API goal this year?
The state goal for API is 800. All schools that are below 800 are assigned an API improvement target each year.
  • This school met the state goal of 800.

API Growth scores by subgroup

In addition to schoolwide API scores, each student subgroup receives an API score.
Did this school meet all the API goals for student subgroups this year?
The state goal for the API is 800. All the student subgroups at a school that are below 800 are assigned an API improvement target each year.
  • This school met all student subgroup API targets for 2012

This school's
API score

848

What is the API?
The Academic Performance Index (API) is a single number assigned to each school by the California Department of Education to measure overall school performance and improvement over time on statewide testing. The API ranges from 200 and 1000, with 800 as the state goal for all schools.
Change from
2011 to 2012

+8

Change from 2011 to 2012
Comparing the API Growth to the Base shows whether or not this school’s test score performance improved between Spring 2011 and Spring 2012. The API ranges between 200 and 1000, with 800 as the statewide goal for all schools. Schools scoring below an 800 are given at least a 5 point target for the next year.
API Statewide Rank
(2011)

7 / 10

API Statewide Rank (2011)
The API Statewide Rank ranges from 1 to 10. A rank of 10, for example, means that the school’s API fell into the top 10% of all schools in the state with a comparable grade range. The 2011 rank is based on results from tests students took in Spring 2011.
API Similar Schools Rank (2011)

10 / 10

API Similar Schools Rank (2011)
The API Similar Schools Rank ranges from 1 to 10. It shows how the school compares to other schools with similar student demographic profiles. The California Department of Education uses parent education level, poverty level, student ethnicity and other data to identify similar schools.
English Language Arts

The state average for English Language Arts was 58% in 2012.

50 students were tested at this school in 2012.

2012

 
 
62%

2011

 
 
56%

2010

 
 
52%

2009

 
 
56%
Math

The state average for Math was 64% in 2012.

50 students were tested at this school in 2012.

2012

 
 
60%

2011

 
 
75%

2010

 
 
62%

2009

 
 
62%
Scale: % proficient or advanced

About the tests


In 2011-2012 California used the California Standards Tests (CSTs) to test students in English language arts in grades 2 through 11; math in grades 2 through 7; science in grades 5, 8 and 10; and history-social science in grades 8 and 11. Middle and high school students also took subject-specific CSTs in math and science, depending on the course in which they were enrolled. The CSTs are standards-based tests, which means they measure how well students are mastering specific skills defined for each grade by the state of California. The goal is for all students to score at or above proficient on the tests.

See California's state standards

Source: California Department of Education

English Language Arts

The state average for English Language Arts was 48% in 2012.

52 students were tested at this school in 2012.

2012

 
 
52%

2011

 
 
53%

2010

 
 
51%

2009

 
 
42%
Math

The state average for Math was 69% in 2012.

55 students were tested at this school in 2012.

2012

 
 
72%

2011

 
 
81%

2010

 
 
57%

2009

 
 
60%
Scale: % proficient or advanced

About the tests


In 2011-2012 California used the California Standards Tests (CSTs) to test students in English language arts in grades 2 through 11; math in grades 2 through 7; science in grades 5, 8 and 10; and history-social science in grades 8 and 11. Middle and high school students also took subject-specific CSTs in math and science, depending on the course in which they were enrolled. The CSTs are standards-based tests, which means they measure how well students are mastering specific skills defined for each grade by the state of California. The goal is for all students to score at or above proficient on the tests.

See California's state standards

Source: California Department of Education

English Language Arts

The state average for English Language Arts was 67% in 2012.

63 students were tested at this school in 2012.

2012

 
 
66%

2011

 
 
73%

2010

 
 
72%

2009

 
 
54%
Math

The state average for Math was 71% in 2012.

65 students were tested at this school in 2012.

2012

 
 
83%

2011

 
 
78%

2010

 
 
71%

2009

 
 
60%
Scale: % proficient or advanced

About the tests


In 2011-2012 California used the California Standards Tests (CSTs) to test students in English language arts in grades 2 through 11; math in grades 2 through 7; science in grades 5, 8 and 10; and history-social science in grades 8 and 11. Middle and high school students also took subject-specific CSTs in math and science, depending on the course in which they were enrolled. The CSTs are standards-based tests, which means they measure how well students are mastering specific skills defined for each grade by the state of California. The goal is for all students to score at or above proficient on the tests.

See California's state standards

Source: California Department of Education

English Language Arts

The state average for English Language Arts was 63% in 2012.

55 students were tested at this school in 2012.

2012

 
 
66%

2011

 
 
52%

2010

 
 
56%

2009

 
 
46%
Math

The state average for Math was 65% in 2012.

60 students were tested at this school in 2012.

2012

 
 
70%

2011

 
 
61%

2010

 
 
72%

2009

 
 
38%
Science

The state average for Science was 60% in 2012.

63 students were tested at this school in 2012.

2012

 
 
65%

2011

 
 
70%

2010

 
 
64%

2009

 
 
36%
Scale: % proficient or advanced

About the tests


In 2011-2012 California used the California Standards Tests (CSTs) to test students in English language arts in grades 2 through 11; math in grades 2 through 7; science in grades 5, 8 and 10; and history-social science in grades 8 and 11. Middle and high school students also took subject-specific CSTs in math and science, depending on the course in which they were enrolled. The CSTs are standards-based tests, which means they measure how well students are mastering specific skills defined for each grade by the state of California. The goal is for all students to score at or above proficient on the tests.

See California's state standards

Source: California Department of Education

English Language Arts

All Students62%
Females65%
Males59%
African Americann/a
Asiann/a
Filipinon/a
Hispanic or Latino59%
American Indian or Alaska Nativen/a
Pacific Islandern/a
Other Pacific Islandern/a
White (not Hispanic)n/a
Economically disadvantaged58%
Non-economically disadvantagedn/a
Students with disabilityn/a
Students with no reported disability67%
English learnern/a
Fluent-English proficient and English only62%
Migrant educationn/a
Gifted and talentedn/a
Parent education - not a high school graduaten/a
Parent education - high school graduate64%
Parent education - some college (includes AA degree)n/a
Parent education - college graduaten/a
Parent education - graduate school/post graduaten/a
Parent education - declined to staten/a

Math

All Students60%
Females52%
Males67%
African Americann/a
Asiann/a
Filipinon/a
Hispanic or Latino59%
American Indian or Alaska Nativen/a
Pacific Islandern/a
Other Pacific Islandern/a
White (not Hispanic)n/a
Economically disadvantaged58%
Non-economically disadvantagedn/a
Students with disabilityn/a
Students with no reported disability64%
English learnern/a
Fluent-English proficient and English only60%
Migrant educationn/a
Gifted and talentedn/a
Parent education - not a high school graduaten/a
Parent education - high school graduate57%
Parent education - some college (includes AA degree)n/a
Parent education - college graduaten/a
Parent education - graduate school/post graduaten/a
Parent education - declined to staten/a
Scale: % proficient or advanced

About the tests


In 2011-2012 California used the California Standards Tests (CSTs) to test students in English language arts in grades 2 through 11; math in grades 2 through 7; science in grades 5, 8 and 10; and history-social science in grades 8 and 11. Middle and high school students also took subject-specific CSTs in math and science, depending on the course in which they were enrolled. The CSTs are standards-based tests, which means they measure how well students are mastering specific skills defined for each grade by the state of California. The goal is for all students to score at or above proficient on the tests.

The different student groups are identified by the California Department of Education; if there are fewer than 10 students in a particular group in a school, the state doesn't report data for that group.

See California's state standards

Source: California Department of Education

English Language Arts

All Students52%
Females71%
Males36%
African Americann/a
Asiann/a
Filipinon/a
Hispanic or Latino47%
American Indian or Alaska Nativen/a
Pacific Islandern/a
White (not Hispanic)n/a
Economically disadvantaged51%
Non-economically disadvantagedn/a
Students with disabilityn/a
Students with no reported disability54%
English learner27%
Fluent-English proficient and English only59%
Migrant educationn/a
Gifted and talentedn/a
Parent education - not a high school graduaten/a
Parent education - high school graduate48%
Parent education - some college (includes AA degree)n/a
Parent education - college graduaten/a
Parent education - graduate school/post graduaten/a
Parent education - declined to staten/a

Math

All Students72%
Females67%
Males77%
African American82%
Asiann/a
Filipinon/a
Hispanic or Latino67%
American Indian or Alaska Nativen/a
Pacific Islandern/a
White (not Hispanic)n/a
Economically disadvantaged73%
Non-economically disadvantagedn/a
Students with disabilityn/a
Students with no reported disability70%
English learner64%
Fluent-English proficient and English only75%
Migrant educationn/a
Gifted and talentedn/a
Parent education - not a high school graduaten/a
Parent education - high school graduate63%
Parent education - some college (includes AA degree)n/a
Parent education - college graduaten/a
Parent education - graduate school/post graduaten/a
Parent education - declined to staten/a
Scale: % proficient or advanced

About the tests


In 2011-2012 California used the California Standards Tests (CSTs) to test students in English language arts in grades 2 through 11; math in grades 2 through 7; science in grades 5, 8 and 10; and history-social science in grades 8 and 11. Middle and high school students also took subject-specific CSTs in math and science, depending on the course in which they were enrolled. The CSTs are standards-based tests, which means they measure how well students are mastering specific skills defined for each grade by the state of California. The goal is for all students to score at or above proficient on the tests.

The different student groups are identified by the California Department of Education; if there are fewer than 10 students in a particular group in a school, the state doesn't report data for that group.

See California's state standards

Source: California Department of Education

English Language Arts

All Students66%
Females75%
Males60%
African American69%
Asiann/a
Filipinon/a
Hispanic or Latino63%
American Indian or Alaska Nativen/a
Pacific Islandern/a
White (not Hispanic)n/a
Economically disadvantaged65%
Non-economically disadvantaged73%
Students with disabilityn/a
Students with no reported disability69%
English learnern/a
Fluent-English proficient and English only75%
Migrant educationn/a
Gifted and talentedn/a
Parent education - not a high school graduaten/a
Parent education - high school graduate59%
Parent education - some college (includes AA degree)71%
Parent education - college graduaten/a
Parent education - graduate school/post graduaten/a
Parent education - declined to staten/a

Math

All Students83%
Females89%
Males78%
African American69%
Asiann/a
Filipinon/a
Hispanic or Latino88%
American Indian or Alaska Nativen/a
Pacific Islandern/a
White (not Hispanic)n/a
Economically disadvantaged85%
Non-economically disadvantaged73%
Students with disabilityn/a
Students with no reported disability83%
English learnern/a
Fluent-English proficient and English only84%
Migrant educationn/a
Gifted and talentedn/a
Parent education - not a high school graduaten/a
Parent education - high school graduate90%
Parent education - some college (includes AA degree)71%
Parent education - college graduaten/a
Parent education - graduate school/post graduaten/a
Parent education - declined to staten/a
Scale: % proficient or advanced

About the tests


In 2011-2012 California used the California Standards Tests (CSTs) to test students in English language arts in grades 2 through 11; math in grades 2 through 7; science in grades 5, 8 and 10; and history-social science in grades 8 and 11. Middle and high school students also took subject-specific CSTs in math and science, depending on the course in which they were enrolled. The CSTs are standards-based tests, which means they measure how well students are mastering specific skills defined for each grade by the state of California. The goal is for all students to score at or above proficient on the tests.

The different student groups are identified by the California Department of Education; if there are fewer than 10 students in a particular group in a school, the state doesn't report data for that group.

See California's state standards

Source: California Department of Education

English Language Arts

All Students66%
Females59%
Males78%
African American55%
Asiann/a
Filipinon/a
Hispanic or Latino66%
American Indian or Alaska Nativen/a
Pacific Islandern/a
Samoann/a
White (not Hispanic)n/a
Economically disadvantaged69%
Non-economically disadvantagedn/a
Students with disabilityn/a
Students with no reported disability67%
English learnern/a
Fluent-English proficient and English only73%
Migrant educationn/a
Gifted and talentedn/a
Parent education - not a high school graduaten/a
Parent education - high school graduate55%
Parent education - some college (includes AA degree)86%
Parent education - college graduaten/a
Parent education - graduate school/post graduaten/a
Parent education - declined to staten/a

Math

All Students70%
Females63%
Males85%
African American64%
Asiann/a
Filipinon/a
Hispanic or Latino70%
American Indian or Alaska Nativen/a
Pacific Islandern/a
Samoann/a
White (not Hispanic)n/a
Economically disadvantaged74%
Non-economically disadvantagedn/a
Students with disabilityn/a
Students with no reported disability71%
English learnern/a
Fluent-English proficient and English only73%
Migrant educationn/a
Gifted and talentedn/a
Parent education - not a high school graduaten/a
Parent education - high school graduate65%
Parent education - some college (includes AA degree)87%
Parent education - college graduaten/a
Parent education - graduate school/post graduaten/a
Parent education - declined to staten/a

Science

All Students65%
Females63%
Males68%
African American64%
Asiann/a
Filipinon/a
Hispanic or Latino63%
American Indian or Alaska Nativen/a
Pacific Islandern/a
Samoann/a
White (not Hispanic)n/a
Economically disadvantaged66%
Non-economically disadvantagedn/a
Students with disabilityn/a
Students with no reported disability73%
English learner9%
Fluent-English proficient and English only77%
Migrant educationn/a
Gifted and talentedn/a
Parent education - not a high school graduaten/a
Parent education - high school graduate62%
Parent education - some college (includes AA degree)87%
Parent education - college graduaten/a
Parent education - graduate school/post graduaten/a
Parent education - declined to staten/a
Scale: % proficient or advanced

About the tests


In 2011-2012 California used the California Standards Tests (CSTs) to test students in English language arts in grades 2 through 11; math in grades 2 through 7; science in grades 5, 8 and 10; and history-social science in grades 8 and 11. Middle and high school students also took subject-specific CSTs in math and science, depending on the course in which they were enrolled. The CSTs are standards-based tests, which means they measure how well students are mastering specific skills defined for each grade by the state of California. The goal is for all students to score at or above proficient on the tests.

The different student groups are identified by the California Department of Education; if there are fewer than 10 students in a particular group in a school, the state doesn't report data for that group.

See California's state standards

Source: California Department of Education

Breaking down the GreatSchools Rating

GreatSchools Ratings are based on the most recent standardized test results for schools. Use the breakdown ratings below to compare types of students at this school. Learn more »


Student ethnicity

Ethnicity This school State average
Hispanic or Latino 73% 49%
African American 13% 7%
Filipino 7% 3%
Pacific Islander 3% 1%
White 2% 28%
American Indian or Alaska Native 1% 1%
Asian 1% 8%
Multiple or No Response 0% 3%
Source: CA Dept. of Education, 2008-2009

Student subgroups

  This school District averageState average
English language learners 126%N/A24%
Students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch program 286%N/A52%
Source: 1 CA Dept. of Education, 2008-2009
Source: 2 NCES, 2008-2009

Home languages of english learners

Language This school State average
Spanish 93% 85%
Filipino (Pilipino or Tagalog) 4% 1%
All other non-English languages 1% 1%
Dutch 1% 0%
Samoan 1% 0%
Tigrinya 1% 0%
Source: CA Dept. of Education, 2007-2008

Average class size

  This school District averageState average
Average class size 20N/A25
Source: CA Dept. of Education, 2007-2008

Teacher experience

  This school District averageState average
Average years teaching in district 10N/A11
Average years teaching 10N/A13
Source: CA Dept. of Education, 2008-2009

Teacher credentials

  This school District averageState average
Full credential 100%N/A96%
Emergency credential or waiver 0%N/A2%
Source: CA Dept. of Education, 2008-2009
Notice an inaccuracy? Let us know!

18924 Towne Avenue
Carson, CA 90746
Phone: (310) 329-3505

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