Los Angeles Unified School District | The Schott 50 State Report

Inequities in Graduation Rates

Lo Angeles Unified School District's Black male students graduate at rates below the national average for Black male students, as do the district's White, non-Hispanic male students. The district's graduation gap is below national averages because the graduation rate of the district's White male students is further below that of the national average than the graduation rate of the district's Black male students.

The Benchmark for graduation rates of Black male students for school districts enrolling more than 10,000 Black male students is 82% (Fort Bend, Texas).

Male Students		Graduation Rate 2005/6 (est.)			Graduation Rate 2004/5
	Black Males	Black	White	Gap	Black	White	Black Change	White Change
USA	4.3 mil.	47%	75%	28%	47%	74%	0%	1%
California	252,704	54%	75%	21%	55%	76%	-1%	0%
LAUSD	41,598	41%	58%	17%	42%	57%	-1%	1%

National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) Evidence of Inequities

NAEP Grade 4 Reading results for Los Angeles are above those for the nation and state for White, non-Hispanic male students and considerably lower for Black male students, more than three quarters of whom score Below Basic.

Percentages Of White and Black Non-Hispanic Male Students At Each Achievement Level (USA and State—2007, Urban—2005), Reading, Grade 4

Race	Jurisdictions	Below Basic	At Basic	At Proficient	At Advanced
White	USA	26	36	29	9
	California	31	35	27	7
	Los Angeles	27	29	32	12
Black	USA	59	30	10	1
	California	65	26	8	1
	Los Angeles	77	17	5	1

At Grade 8 two thirds of the district's Black male students read at less than the Basic level, which is below state and national averages.

Percentages Of White and Black Non-Hispanic Male Students At Each Achievement Level (USA and State—2007, Urban—2005), Reading, Grade 8

Race	Jurisdictions	Below Basic	At Basic	At Proficient	At Advanced
White	USA	22	46	30	2
	California	27	45	23	1
	Los Angeles	38	39	22	2
Black	USA	53	39	8	#
	California	55	37	8	#
	Los Angeles	66	27	6	1

More than half of Los Angeles' Black male Grade 4 students score below the Basic level in Grade 4 Mathematics, which is below state and national averages and five times the rate for the district's White, non-Hispanic male students.

Percentages Of White and Black Non-Hispanic Male Students At Each Achievement Level (USA and State—2007, Urban—2005), Mathematics, Grade 4

Race	Jurisdictions	Below Basic	At Basic	At Proficient	At Advanced
White	USA	9	38	44	9
	California	12	34	44	10
	Los Angeles	14	33	43	10
Black	USA	38	47	14	1
	California	45	40	14	1
	Los Angeles	59	34	6	#

By Grade 8, nearly three-quarters of Los Angeles' Black male students score below the Basic level in Grade 8 Mathematics and two percent reach the Advanced level.

Percentages Of White and Black Non-Hispanic Male Students At Each Achievement Level (USA and State—2007, Urban—2005), Mathematics, Grade 8

Race	Jurisdictions	Below Basic	At Basic	At Proficient	At Advanced
White	USA	18	39	33	10
	California	23	36	31	10
	Los Angeles	30	35	25	10
Black	USA	54	35	10	1
	California	64	25	10	1
	Los Angeles	73	20	5	2

Discipline, Special Education, and Advanced Placement Inequities

The number of out-of-school suspensions given to Black male students in Los Angeles was equivalent to fifteen percent of Los Angeles's Black, non-Hispanic male student population and the percentage of out-of-school suspensions given to the White male students in Los Angeles was equivalent to less than half that in the 2004/5 school year, as reported to the Office of Civil Rights of the U. S. Department of Education.

Approximately a fifth the proportion of Los Angeles' Black male students were admitted to district Gifted and/or Talented programs as White male students, while nearly twice as many were classified as Mentally Retarded, in proportion to enrollments. The percentage of White, non-Hispanic male students classified as Gifted/Talented in Los Angeles is quite remarkable. If Black male students had been admitted to Gifted and/or Talented programs at the same rate as White male students, at least 7,000 more would be in those programs.

Black male students in the Los Angeles public schools in 2004/5 participated in Mathematics and Science Advanced Placement courses at a rate of about one-quarter that of White, non-Hispanic male students.