Among West Valley districts, the Arcadia Unified School District had the highest percentage of English-proficient students. 64% of the district's English learners scored at the "proficient" level on the English Language Development Test. That compares to 36 percent of English learners statewide who scored proficient on the test.
Area school districts did better than average on the 2004 California English Language Development Test of English learning students. Sixty-six percent of students tested in Arcadia Unified School District scored in the advanced categories.
A study released today by the Public Policy Institute of California found students' progress toward English proficiency is linked to their native language and socioeconomic status more than the length of time they've been in the country. A comparison chart of San Gabriel Valley schools is included.