Elementary Schools in Long Beach Unified

Long Beach Unified School District serves a diverse urban community with 53 elementary and K-8 schools, ranging from high-performing academies to schools facing significant academic and attendance challenges.

The district features standout schools like Newcomb Academy, Gant Elementary, and Naples Elementary, which consistently rank in the top 5% of California schools with exceptional test scores and low chronic absenteeism. In contrast, schools such as Edison Elementary and Robinson Academy are in the bottom quartile statewide, struggling with very low proficiency rates and high absenteeism. A clear pattern emerges where schools with lower rates of students qualifying for free/reduced lunch generally perform better, though some schools like Alvarado Elementary achieve middle-quartile results despite high poverty rates.

Chronic absenteeism is a major district-wide issue, averaging 26.2%—well above the state average—with schools like Jenny Oropeza Elementary and Hudson experiencing rates near 40%. Science proficiency lags behind English and Math across all schools, and there is no clear link between higher per-student spending or smaller school size and better academic outcomes. For parents, this means the Long Beach Unified landscape is varied, with performance closely tied to attendance and socioeconomic factors, highlighting the importance of examining individual school data beyond just overall rankings.