Is Cowan Avenue Elementary a good school?

Cowan Avenue Elementary ranks 1832 nd of 5862 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Cowan Avenue Elementary?

In the 2023-24 school year, 391 students attended Cowan Avenue Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Cowan Avenue Elementary?

Students at Cowan Avenue Elementary are 63% African American, 19% Hispanic, 16% Two or more races, 3% White.

Cowan Avenue Elementary

Summary:

Cowan Avenue Elementary is a public elementary school in Los Angeles, California, serving 390 students in grades K-6. This school is part of the Los Angeles Unified School District, which is ranked 871 out of 1,568 districts in the state.

Cowan Avenue Elementary consistently outperforms the district and state averages in standardized test scores, with 54.84% of students proficient or better in English Language Arts/Literacy, compared to 43.06% for Los Angeles Unified and 47.04% for California. In Mathematics, 51.61% of Cowan Avenue students are proficient or better, compared to 32.83% for the district and 35.54% for the state. The school also performs well for its African American, Hispanic, and low-income student populations, ranking in the top 5%, top 25%, and top 25% of California elementary schools, respectively, in these subgroups. However, Cowan Avenue has seen a significant increase in chronic absenteeism, rising from 7.8% in 2017-2018 to 30.6% in 2021-2022, which is higher than the district and state averages.

Compared to nearby traditional public schools like Playa del Rey Elementary and Kentwood Elementary, Cowan Avenue's academic performance is generally stronger. But the school's chronic absenteeism rate is higher than these nearby schools. The nearby charter schools, such as Goethe International Charter and WISH Community, tend to have even stronger academic performance than Cowan Avenue Elementary.

Detail:

Public K-6

7615 Cowan Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90045-1206

(310) 645-1973

District: Los Angeles Unified

SchoolDigger Rank:
1832^nd of 5,862 California Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $13,989

Student/teacher ratio: 19.5

Number of students: 391

Racial breakdown:

African American:

63.2%

Hispanic:

18.7%

Two or more races:

15.6%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 59.6%

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Performance Trends

Compare Details Cowan Avenue Elementary ranks better than 68.7% of elementary schools in California. It also ranks 109^th among 486 ranked elementary schools in the Los Angeles Unified School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 64.75. (See more...)

Chronic absenteeism in a school refers to a situation where students repeatedly miss school, with the threshold often defined as missing 10% or more of school days for any reason, excused or unexcused.

Student Body

Compare Details Student population at Cowan Avenue Elementary is diverse. Racial makeup is: African American (63.2%), Hispanic (18.7%), two or more races (15.6%). (See more...)

Compare Details 59.6% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Cowan Avenue Elementary is 19.5, which is the 210^th best among 486 elementary schools in the Los Angeles Unified School District. (See more...)

Compare Cowan Avenue Elementary employs 20 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Cowan Avenue Elementary is $13,989, which is the 87^th highest among 486 elementary schools in the Los Angeles Unified School District.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Cowan Avenue Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Cowan Avenue Elementary 1832^nd of 5862 California public elementary schools. (See Cowan Avenue Elementary in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Male students:

African American students:

Hispanic students:

Los Angeles Unified:

SchoolDigger ranks Los Angeles Unified 871^st of 1568 California school districts. (See district ranking list.)

Average Parent Rating:

Read all reviews and ratings detail for Cowan Avenue Elementary.

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Rank History for Cowan Avenue Elementary

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Rank History for all students at Cowan Avenue Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2004	68.32	1353^rd	4809	71.9%
2005	54.69	1967^th	4822	59.2%
2006	76.78	1075^th	4818	77.7%
2007	63.45	1659^th	5113	67.6%
2008	60.26	1840^th	5113	64.0%
2009	56.14	2114^th	5193	59.3%
2010	47.26	2735^th	5314	48.5%
2011	65.10	1737^th	5377	67.7%
2012	63.66	1854^th	5390	65.6%
2013	65.29	1818^th	5530	67.1%
2015	39.33	3053^rd	5611	45.6%
2016	58.17	2077^th	5614	63.0%
2017	74.93	1337^th	5692	76.5%
2018	84.07	938^th	5662	83.4%
2019	80.84	1132^nd	5789	80.4%
2022	73.77	1463^rd	5883	75.1%
2023	58.17	2132^nd	5874	63.7%
2024	64.75	1832^nd	5862	68.7%

See the entire list of California Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Cowan Avenue Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	94.84	131^st	5084	97.4%
2019	94.72	154^th	5173	97.0%
2022	79.49	775^th	5264	85.3%
2023	63.25	1560^th	5374	71.0%
2024	67.96	1358^th	5511	75.4%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Cowan Avenue Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	85.63	794^th	5413	85.3%
2019	73.93	1338^th	5492	75.6%
2022	70.23	1514^th	5635	73.1%
2023	52.93	2253^rd	5617	59.9%
2024	59.17	1991^st	5605	64.5%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Male students at Cowan Avenue Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	77.13	1174^th	5431	78.4%
2019	82.41	942^nd	5510	82.9%
2022	71.99	1437^th	5663	74.6%
2023	58.72	2008^th	5650	64.5%
2024	68.21	1590^th	5636	71.8%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for African American students at Cowan Avenue Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	97.45	7^th	700	99.0%
2019	98.81	4^th	747	99.5%
2022	97.38	16^th	663	97.6%
2023	88.59	38^th	662	94.3%
2024	92.23	20^th	593	96.6%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for African American Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at Cowan Avenue Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	70.63	1153^rd	5098	77.4%
2024	81.17	678^th	5102	86.7%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Hispanic Students!

Data source: test scores: California Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Data source: California Department of Education

Review counts

All ratings (Avg rating: 5)

100%

Reviews:

by a parent on FaceBook
Thursday, April 11, 2013

Great school, EXCELLENT Gifted & High Ability Magnet program. Too bad it only goes from 3rd-6th. The 6th Grade Magnet is the absolute very best class I could have ever asked for. The teacher, Mrs. Gaines-Jones, is far beyond OUTSTANDING. She inspires and motivates each of her children to strive and achieve their greatest potential. The calculation of the separate Cowan's Gifted Magnet API is actually much higher, in the mid-900s! My 2 children have been here since Kindergarten and both are performing extremely well in school and on the standardized tests. Like most a schools, you get select few parents who seem to have challenges and more personal issues, but overall I think it is a quality school with a very family oriented environment compared to most schools. Close Quote

Enrollment information for Cowan Avenue Elementary

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	175	100	23	42	0	n/a	n/a	0	340
1989	168	134	19	47	0	n/a	n/a	0	368
1990	157	150	22	63	0	n/a	n/a	0	392
1991	144	180	13	114	0	n/a	n/a	0	451
1992	132	198	8	106	0	n/a	n/a	0	444
1993	125	204	9	68	1	n/a	n/a	0	407
1994	122	263	11	50	0	n/a	n/a	0	446
1995	116	310	11	37	1	n/a	n/a	0	475
1996	116	310	11	37	1	n/a	n/a	0	475
1997	129	296	11	48	0	n/a	n/a	0	484
1998	143	292	13	43	0	n/a	n/a	0	491
1999	145	278	16	46	0	n/a	n/a	0	485
2000	138	269	18	55	0	n/a	n/a	0	480
2001	140	288	25	50	1	n/a	n/a	0	504
2002	138	284	32	29	1	n/a	n/a	0	484
2003	138	284	32	29	1	n/a	n/a	0	484
2004	137	274	38	27	2	n/a	n/a	0	478
2005	125	291	36	31	0	n/a	n/a	0	483
2006	121	267	36	28	2	n/a	n/a	0	454
2007	113	266	37	35	3	n/a	n/a	1	455
2008	116	281	29	29	2	n/a	n/a	0	457
2009	130	255	26	33	2	3	2	0	451
2010	85	197	14	32	1	6	1	0	336
2011	71	242	13	28	2	4	0	0	360
2012	51	247	8	16	2	6	1	0	331
2013	31	243	8	16	2	6	0	0	306
2014	26	228	5	18	1	7	1	0	286
2015	16	210	2	20	3	4	4	0	259
2016	10	223	2	26	2	2	4	0	269
2017	11	231	1	40	2	1	10	0	296
2018	11	255	3	41	2	1	15	0	328
2019	12	281	5	52	3	2	0	0	355
2020	9	281	4	63	1	0	21	0	379
2021	7	312	4	68	1	1	23	0	416
2022	12	295	3	61	0	0	36	0	407
2023	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	390	390
2024	10	247	0	73	0	0	61	0	391

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Cowan Avenue Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	340	17.8	19.1	n/a
1989	368	18.0	20.4	n/a
1990	392	19.3	20.3	n/a
1991	451	22.1	20.4	n/a
1992	444	22.5	19.7	46.6
1993	407	18.3	22.2	42
1994	446	19.4	23.0	38.3
1995	475	20.4	23.3	35.6
1996	475	20.4	23.3	35.6
1997	484	24.5	19.8	32
1998	491	27.5	17.9	21.8
1999	485	25.5	19.0	31.8
2000	480	27.0	17.8	30.2
2001	504	28.0	18.0	24
2002	484	26.0	18.6	28.1
2003	484	26.0	18.6	28.1
2004	478	27.0	17.7	27
2005	483	25.0	19.3	29
2006	454	24.0	18.9	22.9
2007	455	24.0	19.0	25.3
2008	457	26.0	17.6	23.9
2009	451	24.0	17.3	24.4
2010	336	19.0	17.6	30.7
2011	360	n/a	n/a	30
2012	331	14.0	23.6	n/a
2013	306	12.0	25.5	39.5
2014	286	14.0	20.4	61.2
2015	259	13.0	19.9	51.4
2016	269	14.0	19.2	58.7
2017	296	15.0	19.7	65.2
2018	328	17.0	19.2	64
2019	355	17.5	20.2	66.5
2020	379	n/a	n/a	66
2021	416	20.0	20.8	65.9
2022	407	20.5	19.8	58.7
2023	390	20.0	19.5	63.8
2024	391	20.0	19.5	59.6

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Cowan Avenue Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	340	17.8	19.1	n/a
1989	368	18.0	20.4	n/a
1990	392	19.3	20.3	n/a
1991	451	22.1	20.4	n/a
1992	444	22.5	19.7	46.6
1993	407	18.3	22.2	42
1994	446	19.4	23.0	38.3
1995	475	20.4	23.3	35.6
1996	475	20.4	23.3	35.6
1997	484	24.5	19.8	32
1998	491	27.5	17.9	21.8
1999	485	25.5	19.0	31.8
2000	480	27.0	17.8	30.2
2001	504	28.0	18.0	24
2002	484	26.0	18.6	28.1
2003	484	26.0	18.6	28.1
2004	478	27.0	17.7	27
2005	483	25.0	19.3	29
2006	454	24.0	18.9	22.9
2007	455	24.0	19.0	25.3
2008	457	26.0	17.6	23.9
2009	451	24.0	17.3	24.4
2010	336	19.0	17.6	30.7
2011	360	n/a	n/a	30
2012	331	14.0	23.6	n/a
2013	306	12.0	25.5	39.5
2014	286	14.0	20.4	61.2
2015	259	13.0	19.9	51.4
2016	269	14.0	19.2	58.7
2017	296	15.0	19.7	65.2
2018	328	17.0	19.2	64
2019	355	17.5	20.2	66.5
2020	379	n/a	n/a	66
2021	416	20.0	20.8	65.9
2022	407	20.5	19.8	58.7
2023	390	20.0	19.5	63.8
2024	391	20.0	19.5	59.6

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.

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