A traditional view of school performance in Los Angeles County suggests schools located in and near the downtown core of Los Angeles are failing to close the achievement gap.

This view rests on the premise that all schools should be judged similarly, regardless of their student population. The data strongly suggest otherwise.

The traditional view also fails to account for barriers to learning that many of LAC's students face outside of the classroom - in their neighborhoods and at home.

However, a closer look at the data reveals a handful of positive outliers in Los Angeles County - schools with high proficiency rates where high proficiency rates are not expected.

We used a three-step process to confirm the outlier schools in Los Angeles County.

• Step 1: Fit regression models to predict 2014-15 and 2015-16 ELA and Math CAASP proficiency rates for all public schools in California.
  
• Step 2: Calculate the difference between each school's predicted and actual proficiency rates.
• Step 3: Use this new measure - each school's proficiency against expectations - to identify the schools that consistently beat steep odds.

After adjusting for each school's context, a different truth emerges about school performance in Los Angeles County. There is actually plenty to celebrate.

Primary School Spotlight: NAME

Middle School Spotlight: NAME

Secondary School Spotlight: James A. Garfield Senior High School