Is Carlos Santana Arts Academy a good school?

Carlos Santana Arts Academy ranks 3564 th of 5862 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Carlos Santana Arts Academy?

In the 2023-24 school year, 379 students attended Carlos Santana Arts Academy.

What is the racial makeup of Carlos Santana Arts Academy?

Students at Carlos Santana Arts Academy are 86% Hispanic, 8% African American, 3% White, 2% Asian.

What schools do graduates of Carlos Santana Arts Academy attend?

Students who attend Carlos Santana Arts Academy usually go on to attend: Middle : Francisco Sepulveda Middle High : James Monroe High High : Northridge Academy High High : Valley Academy of Arts and Sciences

Carlos Santana Arts Academy

Summary:

Carlos Santana Arts Academy is an elementary school located in North Hills, California, serving 389 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 and has a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Despite its arts-focused curriculum, Carlos Santana Arts Academy has consistently ranked in the bottom half of California elementary schools, with a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger. The school's performance varies significantly across different student groups, with Hispanic students and English Language Learners performing relatively better than female students, male students, and those from low socioeconomic backgrounds. Notably, the school has experienced a sharp increase in chronic absenteeism, rising from 13.0% in 2017-2018 to 37.6% in 2022-2023, which is significantly higher than the state and district averages. Academically, the school's performance on Smarter Balanced Assessments and CAST Science tests is consistently below the Los Angeles Unified School District and California state averages across all grade levels and subject areas.

When compared to nearby schools within the same district, Lassen Elementary and Gledhill Street Elementary perform significantly better than Carlos Santana Arts Academy, while the Vintage Math/Science/Technology Magnet, located about 1.13 miles away, outperforms the school by a wide margin. These comparisons highlight the potential impact of specialized programs and magnet school status on student outcomes. Additionally, the extremely high rate of free and reduced lunch recipients at Carlos Santana Arts Academy, coupled with its low academic performance, suggests that the school faces significant socioeconomic challenges that may be impacting student learning and achievement.

Detail:

Public K-5

9301 Columbus Ave.
North Hills, CA 91343-2229

(818) 920-4060

District: Los Angeles Unified

SchoolDigger Rank:
3564^th of 5,862 California Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $11,275

Students who attend Carlos Santana Arts Academy usually attend:

Middle:	Francisco Sepulveda Middle
High:	James Monroe High
	Northridge Academy High
	Valley Academy of Arts and Sciences

Student/teacher ratio: 18.9

Number of students: 379

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

86.3%

African American:

7.7%

White:

3.4%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 86.5%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Carlos Santana Arts Academy to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Carlos Santana Arts Academy ranks worse than 60.8% of elementary schools in California. It also ranks 293^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 34.36. (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 (86.3%), African American (7.7%), White (3.4%). (See more...)

Compare Details 86.5% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Carlos Santana Arts Academy is 18.9, which is the 156^th best among 486 elementary schools in the Los Angeles Unified School District. (See more...)

Compare Carlos Santana Arts Academy employs 20 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Carlos Santana Arts Academy is $11,275. 261 elementary schools in the Los Angeles Unified School District spend more per student.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Carlos Santana Arts Academy:

SchoolDigger ranks Carlos Santana Arts Academy 3564^th of 5862 California public elementary schools. (See Carlos Santana Arts Academy in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

English Language Learner students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Male students:

Hispanic students:

Los Angeles Unified:

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

Average Rating:

Read all reviews and ratings detail for Carlos Santana Arts Academy.

What do you think?

Your rating for Carlos Santana Arts Academy?

(Ranking FAQ)

Rank History for Carlos Santana Arts Academy

Compare

Rank History for all students at Carlos Santana Arts Academy

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2013	8.41	5359^th	5530	3.1%
2015	15.96	4996^th	5611	11.0%
2016	13.37	5180^th	5614	7.7%
2017	12.80	5301^st	5692	6.9%
2018	7.73	5548^th	5662	2.0%
2019	7.62	5674^th	5789	2.0%
2022	20.97	4755^th	5883	19.2%
2023	29.22	3969^th	5874	32.4%
2024	34.36	3564^th	5862	39.2%

See the entire list of California Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Carlos Santana Arts Academy

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	16.92	3186^th	3246	1.8%
2019	20.55	3149^th	3275	3.8%
2022	18.70	3248^th	3311	1.9%
2023	23.90	2952^nd	3250	9.2%
2024	60.46	707^th	3160	77.6%

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

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Carlos Santana Arts Academy

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	10.19	4949^th	5084	2.7%
2019	10.43	5041^st	5173	2.6%
2022	31.90	3685^th	5264	30.0%
2023	38.75	3159^th	5374	41.2%
2024	37.75	3308^th	5511	40.0%

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

Rank History for Female students at Carlos Santana Arts Academy

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	6.85	5359^th	5413	1.0%
2019	7.94	5402^nd	5492	1.6%
2022	16.14	5074^th	5635	10.0%
2023	30.35	3726^th	5617	33.7%
2024	31.70	3659^th	5605	34.7%

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

Rank History for Disabled students at Carlos Santana Arts Academy

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2018	17.72	2073^rd	2128	2.6%
2019	16.85	2542^nd	2585	1.7%

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

Rank History for Male students at Carlos Santana Arts Academy

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	9.86	5277^th	5431	2.8%
2019	9.78	5358^th	5510	2.8%
2022	25.90	4140^th	5663	26.9%
2023	28.54	3918^th	5650	30.7%
2024	36.94	3275^th	5636	41.9%

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

Rank History for Hispanic students at Carlos Santana Arts Academy

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	9.70	4738^th	4830	1.9%
2019	9.38	4872^nd	4963	1.8%
2022	30.79	3640^th	5084	28.4%
2023	41.75	2776^th	5098	45.5%
2024	48.98	2336^th	5102	54.2%

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: 3)

50%

Reviews:

by a student
Tuesday, February 12, 2019

Used to go to this school back in 2009, I had fond memories of the teachers there would recomment Close Quote

Enrollment information for Carlos Santana Arts Academy

Compare

Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
2011	5	21	20	482	0	4	2	0	534
2012	18	28	21	491	3	7	0	0	568
2013	23	32	18	520	2	5	0	0	600
2014	5	28	15	525	2	5	0	0	580
2015	38	21	14	468	1	3	5	0	550
2016	34	24	17	424	1	3	5	0	508
2017	46	35	21	415	1	2	2	0	522
2018	33	33	14	389	1	2	5	0	477
2019	35	35	9	372	1	2	1	0	455
2020	39	26	9	392	2	0	6	0	474
2021	23	21	12	366	0	0	5	0	427
2022	15	26	9	309	0	0	5	0	364
2023	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	389	389
2024	13	29	7	327	0	0	3	0	379

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 Carlos Santana Arts Academy

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2011	534	n/a	n/a	87.3
2012	568	23.0	24.6	n/a
2013	600	23.0	26.0	58.3
2014	580	23.0	25.2	93.4
2015	550	22.0	25.0	95.8
2016	508	20.0	25.4	93.5
2017	522	21.0	24.8	89.3
2018	477	22.0	21.6	96.9
2019	455	20.0	22.7	93
2020	474	n/a	n/a	94.3
2021	427	21.0	20.3	95.8
2022	364	20.5	17.7	94.8
2023	389	18.0	21.6	95.1
2024	379	20.0	18.9	86.5

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 Carlos Santana Arts Academy

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2011	534	n/a	n/a	87.3
2012	568	23.0	24.6	n/a
2013	600	23.0	26.0	58.3
2014	580	23.0	25.2	93.4
2015	550	22.0	25.0	95.8
2016	508	20.0	25.4	93.5
2017	522	21.0	24.8	89.3
2018	477	22.0	21.6	96.9
2019	455	20.0	22.7	93
2020	474	n/a	n/a	94.3
2021	427	21.0	20.3	95.8
2022	364	20.5	17.7	94.8
2023	389	18.0	21.6	95.1
2024	379	20.0	18.9	86.5

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.

Kindergarten Immunization Rates