Is Denker Avenue Elementary a good school?

Denker Avenue Elementary ranks 2701 st of 5862 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Denker Avenue Elementary?

In the 2023-24 school year, 668 students attended Denker Avenue Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Denker Avenue Elementary?

Students at Denker Avenue Elementary are 63% Hispanic, 16% Asian, 10% Two or more races, 8% African American, 3% White.

What schools do graduates of Denker Avenue Elementary attend?

Students who attend Denker Avenue Elementary usually go on to attend: Middle : Robert E. Peary Middle High : Gardena Senior High

Denker Avenue Elementary

Summary:

Denker Avenue Elementary is a public elementary school located in Gardena, California, serving 672 students in grades K-5. The school is part of the Los Angeles Unified School District, which is ranked 871 out of 1,568 districts in the state.

Denker Avenue Elementary consistently outperforms the district and state in academic assessments, with 45.68% of students proficient or better in English Language Arts/Literacy and 39.51% in Mathematics, compared to 43.06% and 32.83% for the district, respectively. The school also has strong performance among specific student groups, with Asian students ranking 382 out of 1,203 California elementary schools and African American students ranking 77 out of 662. However, the school faces a concerning trend of increasing chronic absenteeism, reaching 28.6% in 2022-2023, higher than nearby schools like One Hundred Fifty-Third Street Elementary and Gardena Elementary.

Denker Avenue Elementary serves a student population with a high percentage (76.64%) of students eligible for free and reduced-price lunch, indicating significant socioeconomic challenges. While the school outperforms its nearby Los Angeles Unified School District counterparts, it lags behind higher-performing schools in the Torrance Unified School District, such as Lincoln Elementary and Arlington Elementary. Addressing the chronic absenteeism and socioeconomic challenges could help Denker Avenue Elementary continue to improve and better serve its students.

Detail:

Public K-5

1620 West 162nd St.
Gardena, CA 90247-3734

(310) 327-9420

District: Los Angeles Unified

SchoolDigger Rank:
2701^st of 5,862 California Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $10,066

Students who attend Denker Avenue Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Robert E. Peary Middle
High:	Gardena Senior High

Student/teacher ratio: 20.2

Number of students: 668

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

63.2%

Asian:

16.5%

Two or more races:

9.6%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 79%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Denker Avenue Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Denker Avenue Elementary ranks better than 53.9% of elementary schools in California. It also ranks 183^rd among 486 ranked elementary schools in the Los Angeles Unified School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 47.45. (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 Racial makeup is: Hispanic (63.2%), Asian (16.5%), two or more races (9.6%). (See more...)

Compare Details 79% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Denker Avenue Elementary is 20.2. 272 elementary schools in the Los Angeles Unified School District have better student/teacher ratios. (See more...)

Compare Denker Avenue Elementary employs 33 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Denker Avenue Elementary is $10,066. 391 elementary schools in the Los Angeles Unified School District spend more per student.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Denker Avenue Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Denker Avenue Elementary 2701^st of 5862 California public elementary schools. (See Denker Avenue Elementary in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

English Language Learner students:

Special Education students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Male students:

Asian 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:

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Rank History for Denker Avenue Elementary

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Rank History for all students at Denker Avenue Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2004	52.41	2039^th	4809	57.6%
2005	38.70	2794^th	4822	42.1%
2006	44.65	2459^th	4818	49.0%
2007	39.94	2908^th	5113	43.1%
2008	43.19	2769^th	5113	45.8%
2009	44.83	2761^st	5193	46.8%
2010	44.85	2854^th	5314	46.3%
2011	58.56	2111^th	5377	60.7%
2012	57.27	2192^nd	5390	59.3%
2013	54.08	2442^nd	5530	55.8%
2015	50.42	2418^th	5611	56.9%
2016	49.86	2497^th	5614	55.5%
2017	52.12	2435^th	5692	57.2%
2018	51.33	2498^th	5662	55.9%
2019	55.98	2257^th	5789	61.0%
2022	56.47	2215^th	5883	62.3%
2023	49.58	2557^th	5874	56.5%
2024	47.45	2701^st	5862	53.9%

See the entire list of California Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Denker Avenue Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	40.89	1719^th	3246	47.0%
2019	67.05	610^th	3275	81.4%
2022	49.21	1239^th	3311	62.6%
2023	34.55	2199^th	3250	32.3%
2024	62.30	639^th	3160	79.8%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for English Language Learner Students!

Rank History for Special Education students at Denker Avenue Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2024	28.11	1934^th	2634	26.6%

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

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

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	58.12	1855^th	5084	63.5%
2019	61.71	1654^th	5173	68.0%
2022	65.63	1387^th	5264	73.7%
2023	54.22	2084^th	5374	61.2%
2024	55.72	2025^th	5511	63.3%

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

Rank History for Female students at Denker Avenue Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	50.71	2449^th	5413	54.8%
2019	52.81	2342^nd	5492	57.4%
2022	52.49	2283^rd	5635	59.5%
2023	47.90	2528^th	5617	55.0%
2024	46.99	2591^st	5605	53.8%

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

Rank History for Disabled students at Denker Avenue Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2018	14.63	2127^th	2128	0.0%

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

Rank History for Male students at Denker Avenue Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	50.98	2386^th	5431	56.1%
2019	57.53	2061^st	5510	62.6%
2022	58.79	2018^th	5663	64.4%
2023	50.08	2448^th	5650	56.7%
2024	47.39	2608^th	5636	53.7%

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

Rank History for Asian students at Denker Avenue Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	58.41	572^nd	1071	46.6%
2019	76.68	215^th	1149	81.3%
2022	73.45	313^th	1154	72.9%
2023	74.77	279^th	1190	76.6%
2024	71.56	382^nd	1203	68.2%

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

Rank History for African American students at Denker Avenue Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	63.19	195^th	700	72.1%
2019	65.39	198^th	747	73.5%
2022	92.54	29^th	663	95.6%
2023	81.81	77^th	662	88.4%

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

Rank History for Hispanic students at Denker Avenue Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	49.21	2279^th	4830	52.8%
2019	58.33	1785^th	4963	64.0%
2022	60.04	1643^rd	5084	67.7%
2023	45.73	2512^th	5098	50.7%
2024	46.41	2512^th	5102	50.8%

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: 1)

100%

Reviews:

by a parent
Wednesday, September 26, 2018

My kids are mixed race and wow kids are super racist towards them. Certain teachers turn a blind eye to the bullying and the principal is a joke. She "investigates" claims and either never gets back to you or always takes the other child side even if proof is presented. She needs to be fired for being such a hypocrite. Close Quote

Enrollment information for Denker Avenue Elementary

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	187	61	397	309	2	n/a	n/a	0	956
1989	183	76	387	302	1	n/a	n/a	0	949
1990	180	70	417	310	7	n/a	n/a	0	984
1991	153	73	410	365	0	n/a	n/a	0	1001
1992	122	81	367	339	1	n/a	n/a	0	910
1993	100	84	346	390	1	n/a	n/a	0	921
1994	102	102	323	373	1	n/a	n/a	0	901
1995	81	157	310	456	1	n/a	n/a	0	1005
1996	81	157	310	456	1	n/a	n/a	0	1005
1997	84	184	318	487	2	n/a	n/a	0	1075
1998	70	174	309	510	4	n/a	n/a	0	1067
1999	66	149	298	515	2	n/a	n/a	0	1030
2000	61	140	273	563	0	n/a	n/a	0	1037
2001	49	113	250	574	3	n/a	n/a	0	989
2002	34	90	223	569	2	n/a	n/a	0	918
2003	34	90	223	569	2	n/a	n/a	0	918
2004	35	85	210	570	1	n/a	n/a	0	901
2005	39	87	207	555	2	n/a	n/a	0	890
2006	31	91	196	530	3	n/a	n/a	0	851
2007	25	91	161	517	3	n/a	n/a	14	811
2008	24	74	160	514	2	n/a	n/a	0	774
2009	16	67	159	494	3	9	12	0	760
2010	17	69	164	512	2	11	9	0	784
2011	23	78	172	486	2	10	0	0	771
2012	21	84	161	495	1	10	2	0	774
2013	23	97	156	500	2	8	0	0	786
2014	34	92	151	498	2	6	0	0	783
2015	34	86	143	468	1	7	11	0	750
2016	32	102	135	477	1	5	16	0	768
2017	34	84	154	487	1	2	18	0	780
2018	31	106	137	470	0	2	21	0	767
2019	39	111	149	480	1	2	1	0	783
2020	21	97	147	475	1	1	25	0	767
2021	21	75	144	436	0	1	23	0	700
2022	14	63	122	411	0	1	45	0	656
2023	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	672	672
2024	17	54	110	422	0	1	64	0	668

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 Denker Avenue Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	956	40.0	23.9	n/a
1989	949	40.0	23.7	n/a
1990	984	40.0	24.6	n/a
1991	1001	40.0	25.0	n/a
1992	910	40.6	22.4	41.1
1993	921	37.0	24.9	50.6
1994	901	35.0	25.7	57.9
1995	1005	37.0	27.2	60.8
1996	1005	37.0	27.2	60.8
1997	1075	44.0	24.4	56.5
1998	1067	51.0	20.9	44.4
1999	1030	54.0	19.1	50.2
2000	1037	52.0	19.9	57.1
2001	989	52.0	19.0	59.8
2002	918	46.5	19.7	72.9
2003	918	46.5	19.7	72.9
2004	901	46.0	19.6	70
2005	890	45.0	19.8	66.5
2006	851	43.0	19.8	72.9
2007	811	42.0	19.3	70.6
2008	774	45.0	17.2	64.5
2009	760	41.1	17.2	66.3
2010	784	35.0	22.4	63.9
2011	771	n/a	n/a	63.7
2012	774	31.0	24.9	n/a
2013	786	32.0	24.5	70.7
2014	783	33.0	23.7	76.6
2015	750	32.0	23.4	69.5
2016	768	32.0	24.0	77.6
2017	780	35.0	22.2	75.9
2018	767	34.5	22.2	76.1
2019	783	33.0	23.7	75.4
2020	767	n/a	n/a	73.4
2021	700	33.0	21.2	65.3
2022	656	31.5	20.8	73.8
2023	672	33.0	20.3	76.6
2024	668	33.0	20.2	79

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 Denker Avenue Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	956	40.0	23.9	n/a
1989	949	40.0	23.7	n/a
1990	984	40.0	24.6	n/a
1991	1001	40.0	25.0	n/a
1992	910	40.6	22.4	41.1
1993	921	37.0	24.9	50.6
1994	901	35.0	25.7	57.9
1995	1005	37.0	27.2	60.8
1996	1005	37.0	27.2	60.8
1997	1075	44.0	24.4	56.5
1998	1067	51.0	20.9	44.4
1999	1030	54.0	19.1	50.2
2000	1037	52.0	19.9	57.1
2001	989	52.0	19.0	59.8
2002	918	46.5	19.7	72.9
2003	918	46.5	19.7	72.9
2004	901	46.0	19.6	70
2005	890	45.0	19.8	66.5
2006	851	43.0	19.8	72.9
2007	811	42.0	19.3	70.6
2008	774	45.0	17.2	64.5
2009	760	41.1	17.2	66.3
2010	784	35.0	22.4	63.9
2011	771	n/a	n/a	63.7
2012	774	31.0	24.9	n/a
2013	786	32.0	24.5	70.7
2014	783	33.0	23.7	76.6
2015	750	32.0	23.4	69.5
2016	768	32.0	24.0	77.6
2017	780	35.0	22.2	75.9
2018	767	34.5	22.2	76.1
2019	783	33.0	23.7	75.4
2020	767	n/a	n/a	73.4
2021	700	33.0	21.2	65.3
2022	656	31.5	20.8	73.8
2023	672	33.0	20.3	76.6
2024	668	33.0	20.2	79

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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