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Alvarado Elementary

Q: Is Alvarado Elementary a good school?

Alvarado Elementary ranks 1555 th of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-5

1555^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,857 California Elementary Schools

Better than 73% of California elementary schools

Summary

Alvarado Elementary is a K-5 public school serving 390 students in Signal Hill, California, as part of the Long Beach Unified School District, and it stands out for its strong academic performance, particularly in serving students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds.

The school consistently outperforms both district and state averages in English and math, ranking first in English proficiency among ten comparable schools in the district and second in math, trailing only Lincoln Elementary. This is notable given that it serves a high-needs population similar to nearby schools like Robinson Academy and Whittier Elementary, which rank significantly lower. Alvarado has shown remarkable stability in its performance, maintaining high rankings even as some neighboring schools have seen their scores drop in recent years.

While Alvarado excels academically, it faces a challenge with chronic student absenteeism, though its rate is still better than most nearby schools with similar demographics. An interesting point of comparison is that Signal Hill Elementary, located less than half a mile away, achieves a lower absenteeism rate. The school receives higher per-student funding than its peers, which may contribute to its success, though Lincoln Elementary achieves similar math results with less funding, indicating that effective use of resources is key.

390

Students ?

26.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$24,970

Per pupil spending ?

78.5%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1900 East 21st St.
Signal Hill, CA 90755-5858

(562) 591-7477

District: Long Beach Unified

Students who attend Alvarado Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Jessie Nelson Academy
High:	Wilson High

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

49.0%

Asian:

25.6%

African American:

12.6%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Alvarado Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 69th percentile in 2015 → 73rd in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the California average (53% vs 41% meeting standards)

✓Above the California median (73rd percentile)

Worth a look

!High chronic absenteeism (30% vs 19% California)

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

!Large classes — about 26 students per teacher

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school53%

District avg42%

California avg41%

1,555^th of 5,857

California public elementary schools ?

Top 27%▲ up 4 pts since 2015

From top 31% (2015) to top 27% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

20^th of 53Elementary Schools in the Long Beach Unified

606^th of 1,543Long Beach Unified among California districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	70.9	1555 of 5857	73.5%	★★★★☆
2024	75.3	1355 of 5869	76.9%	★★★★☆
2023	65.4	1785 of 5859	69.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	62.0	1946 of 5883	66.9%	★★★☆☆
2021	54.6	582 of 1417	58.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	68.5	1675 of 5789	71.1%	★★★★☆
2018	78.6	1197 of 5662	78.9%	★★★★☆
2017	76.6	1266 of 5692	77.8%	★★★★☆
2016	57.6	2101 of 5614	62.6%	★★★☆☆
2015	64.6	1724 of 5611	69.3%	★★★☆☆
2013	58.3	2222 of 5530	59.8%	★★★☆☆
2012	50.7	2572 of 5390	52.3%	★★★☆☆
2011	55.2	2277 of 5377	57.7%	★★★☆☆
2006	64.0	1579 of 4818	67.2%	★★★☆☆
2005	64.4	1566 of 4822	67.5%	★★★☆☆
2004	60.5	1687 of 4809	64.9%	★★★☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	43.8	807 of 1203	32.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	47.9	783 of 1205	35.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	31.7	904 of 1190	24.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	28.1	912 of 1154	21.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	40.2	819 of 1149	28.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	57.9	578 of 1071	46.0%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2023	83.9	210 of 3245	93.5%	★★★★★
2022	60.1	753 of 3311	77.3%	★★★★☆
2019	62.0	761 of 3275	76.8%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	75.0	1287 of 5597	77.0%	★★★★☆
2024	70.9	1455 of 5612	74.1%	★★★★☆
2023	62.4	1836 of 5609	67.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	53.0	2264 of 5635	59.8%	★★★☆☆
2021	34.9	778 of 1267	38.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	59.9	1970 of 5492	64.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	76.0	1241 of 5413	77.1%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	79.0	786 of 5107	84.6%	★★★★☆
2024	87.4	456 of 5107	91.1%	★★★★★
2023	70.5	1164 of 5087	77.1%	★★★★☆
2022	69.4	1185 of 5084	76.7%	★★★★☆
2019	69.3	1206 of 4963	75.7%	★★★★☆
2018	80.7	661 of 4830	86.3%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	82.1	691 of 5460	87.3%	★★★★☆
2024	86.0	592 of 5517	89.3%	★★★★☆
2023	81.8	702 of 5363	86.9%	★★★★☆
2022	84.5	565 of 5264	89.3%	★★★★☆
2021	86.3	94 of 1110	91.5%	★★★★★
2019	78.9	771 of 5173	85.1%	★★★★☆
2018	88.2	356 of 5084	93.0%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	61.5	1909 of 5628	66.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	75.9	1245 of 5643	77.9%	★★★★☆
2023	66.5	1664 of 5638	70.5%	★★★★☆
2022	69.9	1531 of 5663	73.0%	★★★★☆
2021	71.7	327 of 1272	74.3%	★★★★☆
2019	74.1	1343 of 5510	75.6%	★★★★☆
2018	78.6	1119 of 5431	79.4%	★★★★☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

English Language Learner (2023)94th percentile+24 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)87th percentile+14 vs school

Hispanic (2025)85th percentile+11 vs school

Female (2025)77th percentile+4 vs school

Male (2025)66th percentile-7 vs school

Asian (2025)33rd percentile-41 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy61%+13 vs state

Mathematics50%+13 vs state

Science38%+5 vs state

5.0

1 rating · 1 written review

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What people are saying

by a parent
Wednesday, April 8, 2009

As a parent of two Alvarado students and one graduate, I am very pleased with the education available at Alvarado. It is a small school FULL of caring teachers. Teachers use Columbia University's Teacher's College Reading and Writing Project to teach language arts. They also have started a math project, CGI, to teach math. Neither of the programs are complicated but I have learned how to write, right along side my daughter. I am a highly educated person, yet no one ever taught me what writers do in order to complete a story, essay, etc. As my son graduated and moved on to middle and high school, he has taken the basics he learned at Alvarado and successfully built a strong background in all academic areas. I am very pleased with my children's experience, now and in the past, at Alvarado. I hope that the new principal brings the school to even higher levels. Close Quote

Schools Near Alvarado Elementary

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Immunizations Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				CAST Science (2025)			Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy (2025)							Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics (2025)							% Completely Immunized (2022)	% Polio (2022)	% Hepatitis B (2022)	% Varicella (2022)	% DTP (2022)	% MMR (2022)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	CAST Science 5th Grade	CAST Science 8th Grade	CAST Science All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 3rd Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 4th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 5th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 6th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 7th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 8th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 3rd Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 4th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 5th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 6th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 7th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 8th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics All Grades	% Completely Immunized KG	% Polio KG	% Hepatitis B KG	% Varicella KG	% DTP KG	% MMR KG	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Alvarado Elementary	Public	K-5	1900 East 21st St.	Signal Hill	90755	Los Angeles County	Long Beach Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(562) 591-7477	390	15	26.0	78.5%	26 (6.7%)	49 (12.6%)	191 (49.0%)	100 (25.6%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	22 (5.6%)	70.9	1555^th of 5857 public elementary schools	73.5%		75.3	1355^th of 5869 public elementary schools	76.9%	200	38.1		38.1	55.9	63.3	65.1				61.4	57.6	36.7	54.0				50.3	91.2	92.7	97.1	94.1	92.7	92.7	$24,970	$5,219	$19,751
Robinson Academy	Public	K-8	1400 E. 20th St.	Long Beach	90806	Los Angeles County	Long Beach Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(562) 492-6003	708	28	24.8	83.1%	5 (0.7%)	116 (16.4%)	521 (73.6%)	36 (5.1%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (2.0%)	16 (2.3%)	20.8	4757^th of 5857 public elementary schools	18.8%		17.1	5107^th of 5869 public elementary schools	13.0%	350	5.1	24.7	15.9	23.9	15.9	24.4	35.8	44.0	43.8	32.8	23.0	10.1	19.0	35.1	21.4	30.9	24.1							$19,088	$3,965	$15,123
Signal Hill Elementary	Public	K-5	2285 Walnut Ave.	Signal Hill	90755	Los Angeles County	Long Beach Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(562) 426-8170	599	23	26.6	86.1%	10 (1.7%)	84 (14.0%)	343 (57.3%)	130 (21.7%)	2 (0.3%)	4 (0.7%)	26 (4.3%)	58	2169^th of 5857 public elementary schools	63.0%		64.2	1866^th of 5869 public elementary schools	68.2%	303	28.6		28.6	45.8	50.9	56.3				51.3	58.8	31.2	49.1				45.9	94.2				95.0	96.7	$22,451	$4,335	$18,116
Whittier Elementary	Public	K-5	1761 Walnut Ave.	Long Beach	90813	Los Angeles County	Long Beach Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(562) 599-6263	526	24	22.3	87.3%	4 (0.8%)	57 (10.8%)	366 (69.6%)	79 (15.0%)	2 (0.4%)	2 (0.4%)	16 (3.0%)	24.3	4474^th of 5857 public elementary schools	23.6%		18.7	4969^th of 5869 public elementary schools	15.3%	495	17.8		17.8	32.1	30.0	33.6				32.2	28.6	24.3	20.6				24.1							$20,829	$4,365	$16,464
Olivia Nieto Herrera Elementary	Public	K-5	1620 Temple Ave.	Long Beach	90804	Los Angeles County	Long Beach Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(562) 494-5101	615	26	24.1	87.2%	6 (1.0%)	63 (10.2%)	437 (71.1%)	77 (12.5%)	2 (0.3%)	4 (0.7%)	26 (4.2%)	33.2	3706^th of 5857 public elementary schools	36.7%		32.2	3769^th of 5869 public elementary schools	35.8%	63	14.0		14.0	37.3	34.5	42.9				37.7	27.3	39.7	26.7				31.7	96.4		97.9		97.9		$19,202	$3,456	$15,746
Bobbie Smith Elementary	Public	K-5	565 East Hill St.	Long Beach	90806	Los Angeles County	Long Beach Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(562) 595-9466	635	24	27.0	85.4%	9 (1.4%)	57 (9.0%)	477 (75.1%)	75 (11.8%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.3%)	15 (2.4%)	29.1	4027^th of 5857 public elementary schools	31.2%		29.2	3997^th of 5869 public elementary schools	31.9%	30	8.3		8.3	33.0	31.7	29.0				31.2	44.0	36.8	22.2				34.4	95.1		98.4		98.4	98.4	$22,342	$4,532	$17,810
Lincoln Elementary	Public	K-5	1175 East 11th St.	Long Beach	90813	Los Angeles County	Long Beach Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(562) 599-5005	742	31	23.8	88.9%	17 (2.3%)	61 (8.2%)	595 (80.2%)	53 (7.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	15 (2.0%)	58.1	2162^nd of 5857 public elementary schools	63.1%		47.4	2707^th of 5869 public elementary schools	53.9%	545	28.3		28.3	51.3	44.0	51.8				49.1	61.5	50.4	36.6				48.6	96.5			97.2		97.9	$19,534	$3,819	$15,715
Roosevelt Elementary	Public	K-5	1574 Linden Ave.	Long Beach	90813	Los Angeles County	Long Beach Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(562) 599-3418	785	31	25.7	89.3%	10 (1.3%)	103 (13.1%)	607 (77.3%)	49 (6.2%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.4%)	13 (1.7%)	29.2	4023^rd of 5857 public elementary schools	31.3%		30	3925^th of 5869 public elementary schools	33.1%	98	15.9		15.9	19.6	30.8	48.3				34.0	24.4	26.9	33.3				28.5							$20,453	$4,257	$16,196
Willard Elementary	Public	K-5	1055 Freeman Ave.	Long Beach	90804	Los Angeles County	Long Beach Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(562) 438-9934	534	19	28.1	75.5%	12 (2.2%)	69 (12.9%)	386 (72.3%)	47 (8.8%)	2 (0.4%)	3 (0.6%)	15 (2.8%)	26.6	4260^th of 5857 public elementary schools	27.3%		35.6	3472^nd of 5869 public elementary schools	40.8%	788	13.5		13.5	24.4	36.8	38.9				33.5	31.0	32.6	19.1				27.5	91.7	97.3	97.3		94.5	95.4	$18,426	$3,900	$14,526
Burbank Elementary	Public	K-5	501 Junipero Ave.	Long Beach	90814	Los Angeles County	Long Beach Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(562) 439-0997	538	21	26.2	81.8%	29 (5.4%)	77 (14.3%)	386 (71.7%)	18 (3.3%)	1 (0.2%)	3 (0.6%)	24 (4.5%)	45.9	2838^th of 5857 public elementary schools	51.5%		47.5	2701^st of 5869 public elementary schools	54.0%	137	29.4		29.4	41.6	43.7	51.2				45.5	38.0	34.9	34.5				35.7	97.2		97.2		98.2		$20,222	$4,037	$16,185

Frequently Asked Questions about Alvarado Elementary

Is Alvarado Elementary a good school?

Alvarado Elementary ranks 1555^th of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Alvarado Elementary?

Students at Alvarado Elementary are 49% Hispanic, 26% Asian, 13% African American, 7% White, 6% Two or more races.

What district is Alvarado Elementary in?

Long Beach Unified

How many students attend Alvarado Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 390 students attended Alvarado Elementary.

What schools do graduates of Alvarado Elementary attend?

Students who attend Alvarado Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Jessie Nelson Academy
High : Wilson High

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the California Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.