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Stephen Foster Elementary

Q: Is Stephen Foster Elementary a good school?

Stephen Foster Elementary ranks 1882 nd of 5817 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-6

1882^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,817 California Elementary Schools

Better than 68% of California elementary schools

Summary

Stephen Foster Elementary is a K–6 school in Lakewood serving 501 students in Bellflower Unified. Its results show a clear split: students are doing well in English and math compared with state and district results, but science is a significant weakness. Most importantly, science proficiency is well below both state and district levels and has dropped sharply in recent years.

Compared with the state, Stephen Foster had higher 2025–26 proficiency in English language arts (58% versus 49%) and math (51% versus 38%), but lower science proficiency (19% versus 36%). It also exceeded district results in English (58% versus 47%) and math (51% versus 30%), while trailing in science (19% versus 26%). Among ten nearby schools, it ranked third in English and math but eighth in science; the nearby-school averages were 47%, 42%, and 37%, respectively. Sixth grade stands out: the school had the highest English and math results among the five nearby schools serving that grade, while fourth-grade English was below the state rate.

Over time, English proficiency slipped from 60% in 2022–23 to 58% in 2025–26, and math rose from 48% to 51%; science fell from 41% to 19%, a 22-point drop. Chronic absenteeism improved from 34% to 18% over the same period, close to the state rate. SchoolDigger gives the school a 68th statewide percentile and 3 stars, down from the 76th percentile and 4 stars in 2022–23. Its 2024–25 student-teacher ratio was 20.6, the lowest among the nearby schools with reported ratios; 66% of students were free/reduced lunch eligible that year. SchoolDigger’s measure of how well the school serves Military Connected Students ranked it at the 18th statewide percentile in 2025–26, down 30 points from the prior year. For Special Education Students, its percentile was 47, compared with 77 in 2024–25.

501

Students ?

20.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

$20,068

Per pupil spending ?

66.3%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

All students in California receive free school meals.

≥ 98%

Kindergartners with all required immunizations (2024-25)

5223 East Bigelow St.
Lakewood, CA 90706-2023

(562) 804-6518

District: Bellflower Unified

Students who attend Stephen Foster Elementary usually attend:

High:

Mayfair High

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

55.1%

White:

13.8%

Two or more races:

11.4%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Stephen Foster Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 76th percentile in 2015 → 68th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the California average (50% vs 42% meeting standards)

✓Among the top-ranked schools in Bellflower Unified

✓Above the California median (68th percentile)

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 8 percentile points since 2015

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

!Science scores 17 pts below the California average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school50%

District avg36%

California avg42%

1,882^nd of 5,817

California public elementary schools ?

Top 32%▼ down 8 pts since 2016

From top 24% (2016) to top 32% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 10Elementary Schools in the Bellflower Unified

734^th of 1,530Bellflower 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
2026	63.9	1882 of 5817	67.6%	★★★☆☆
2025	66.8	1752 of 5857	70.1%	★★★★☆
2024	71.8	1507 of 5869	74.3%	★★★★☆
2023	73.7	1434 of 5859	75.5%	★★★★☆
2022	71.5	1552 of 5883	73.6%	★★★★☆
2019	67.5	1719 of 5789	70.3%	★★★★☆
2018	70.4	1558 of 5662	72.5%	★★★★☆
2017	67.3	1686 of 5692	70.4%	★★★★☆
2016	74.0	1349 of 5614	76.0%	★★★★☆
2015	74.8	1320 of 5611	76.5%	★★★★☆
2013	75.2	1312 of 5530	76.3%	★★★★☆
2012	73.6	1355 of 5390	74.9%	★★★★☆
2011	75.4	1243 of 5377	76.9%	★★★★☆
2010	69.2	1500 of 5314	71.8%	★★★★☆
2009	73.2	1297 of 5193	75.0%	★★★★☆
2008	72.7	1292 of 5113	74.7%	★★★★☆
2007	69.0	1413 of 5113	72.4%	★★★★☆
2006	66.1	1500 of 4818	68.9%	★★★☆☆
2005	65.6	1523 of 4822	68.4%	★★★☆☆
2004	66.9	1406 of 4809	70.8%	★★★★☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	63.0	534 of 2227	76.0%	★★★★☆
2019	50.0	981 of 2585	62.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	46.8	857 of 2128	59.7%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2023	51.1	1133 of 3245	65.1%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	66.4	1655 of 5581	70.3%	★★★★☆
2025	71.8	1425 of 5597	74.5%	★★★★☆
2024	71.8	1417 of 5612	74.8%	★★★★☆
2023	72.8	1381 of 5609	75.4%	★★★★☆
2022	61.9	1859 of 5635	67.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	61.1	1920 of 5492	65.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	68.2	1583 of 5413	70.8%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	70.7	1165 of 5094	77.1%	★★★★☆
2025	79.8	761 of 5107	85.1%	★★★★☆
2024	79.3	746 of 5107	85.4%	★★★★☆
2023	83.6	593 of 5087	88.3%	★★★★☆
2022	79.8	745 of 5084	85.3%	★★★★☆
2019	71.5	1092 of 4963	78.0%	★★★★☆
2018	78.3	763 of 4830	84.2%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	66.4	1507 of 5423	72.2%	★★★★☆
2025	66.2	1473 of 5460	73.0%	★★★★☆
2024	70.7	1237 of 5517	77.6%	★★★★☆
2023	74.2	1026 of 5363	80.9%	★★★★☆
2022	76.6	892 of 5264	83.1%	★★★★☆
2019	62.8	1577 of 5173	69.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	74.0	984 of 5084	80.6%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	59.2	2027 of 5603	63.8%	★★★☆☆
2025	59.0	2023 of 5628	64.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	69.3	1544 of 5643	72.6%	★★★★☆
2023	71.9	1413 of 5638	74.9%	★★★★☆
2022	77.0	1248 of 5663	78.0%	★★★★☆
2019	70.5	1498 of 5510	72.8%	★★★★☆
2018	70.4	1471 of 5431	72.9%	★★★★☆

Military Connected

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	25.3	101 of 123	17.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	44.4	80 of 153	47.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	33.7	79 of 118	33.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	67.5	39 of 140	72.1%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	39.0	1562 of 2927	46.6%	★★☆☆☆
2025	65.3	663 of 2847	76.7%	★★★★☆
2024	65.9	587 of 2635	77.7%	★★★★☆
2023	57.8	709 of 2420	70.7%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	55.4	1243 of 2598	52.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	61.7	1071 of 2651	59.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	45.7	1549 of 2661	41.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	60.6	1138 of 2726	58.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	43.5	1747 of 2834	38.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	51.7	1468 of 2737	46.4%	★★☆☆☆

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)

Hispanic (2026)77th percentile+9 vs school

Disabled (2022)76th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)72nd percentile+5 vs school

Female (2026)70th percentile+3 vs school

English Language Learner (2023)65th percentile-10 vs school

Male (2026)64th percentile-4 vs school

White (2025)52nd percentile-18 vs school

Special Education (2026)47th percentile-21 vs school

Military Connected (2026)18th percentile-50 vs school

By subject vs California (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy58%+8 vs state

Mathematics51%+13 vs state

Science19%-17 vs state

5.0

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Schools Near Stephen Foster Elementary

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				CAST Science (2026)		Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy (2026)					Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics (2026)					Vaccination (2024-25)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
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/reduced lunch (2024-25)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	CAST Science 5th 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 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 All Grades	Vaccination: Kindergartners with all required immunizations	Vaccination: Exemption rate	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Stephen Foster Elementary	Public	K-6	5223 East Bigelow St.	Lakewood	90706	Los Angeles County	Bellflower Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(562) 804-6518	501	24	20.6	66.3%	69 (13.8%)	33 (6.6%)	276 (55.1%)	53 (10.6%)	1 (0.2%)	12 (2.4%)	57 (11.4%)	63.9	1882^nd of 5817 public elementary schools	67.6%		66.8	1752^nd of 5857 public elementary schools	70.1%	130	19.4	19.4	55.7	39.7	55.2	79.1	57.8	66.1	44.4	40.3	53.7	51.0	≥ 98%		$20,068	$1,759	$18,309
Intensive Learning Center	Public	K-6	4718 East Michelson St.	Lakewood	90706	Los Angeles County	Bellflower Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(562) 633-6492	646	29	22.2	61.6%	32 (5.0%)	79 (12.2%)	477 (73.8%)	27 (4.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	30 (4.6%)	69.7	1600^th of 5817 public elementary schools	72.5%		57.8	2183^rd of 5857 public elementary schools	62.7%	583	43.8	43.8	50.0	57.6	51.6	73.5	58.8	52.6	57.6	43.8	42.2	48.8	93%	0%	$20,315	$1,759	$18,556
Craig Williams Elementary	Public	K-6	6144 North Clark Ave.	Lakewood	90706	Los Angeles County	Bellflower Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(562) 804-6540	478	19	25.1	87.2%	17 (3.6%)	66 (13.8%)	340 (71.1%)	21 (4.4%)	1 (0.2%)	18 (3.8%)	15 (3.1%)	23.4	4534^th of 5817 public elementary schools	22.1%		35.9	3507^th of 5857 public elementary schools	40.1%	1027	4.5	4.5	22.0	31.3	17.9	43.2	29.2	39.0	25.0	13.4	27.0	25.8	97%	0%	$19,669	$2,075	$17,594
Gompers	Public	K-5	5206 Briercrest Ave.	Lakewood	90713	Los Angeles County	Long Beach Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(562) 925-2285	366	15	25.2	46.7%	51 (13.9%)	39 (10.7%)	198 (54.1%)	37 (10.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	40 (10.9%)	62.9	1939^th of 5817 public elementary schools	66.7%		55.3	2290^th of 5857 public elementary schools	60.9%	351	47.7	47.7	49.1	34.3	60.0		47.6	47.3	47.8	56.9		50.8	91%	0%	$27,031	$3,240	$23,791
Thomas Jefferson Elementary	Public	K-6	10027 East Rose St.	Bellflower	90706	Los Angeles County	Bellflower Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(562) 804-6521	457	18	25.0	87.3%	23 (5.0%)	70 (15.3%)	301 (65.9%)	38 (8.3%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (5.3%)	53.4	2416^th of 5817 public elementary schools	58.5%		47.2	2744^th of 5857 public elementary schools	53.2%	328	33.9	33.9	45.5	51.5	54.7	43.2	48.7	34.6	55.1	41.5	28.8	40.1	97%	0%	$20,254	$2,155	$18,099
Captain Raymond Collins	Public	K-5	6125 Coke St.	Long Beach	90805	Los Angeles County	Paramount Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(562) 602-8008	522	24	21.7	94.4%	9 (1.7%)	188 (36.0%)	266 (51.0%)	24 (4.6%)	3 (0.6%)	6 (1.1%)	26 (5.0%)	17.6	5012^th of 5817 public elementary schools	13.8%		19.6	4858^th of 5857 public elementary schools	17.1%	154	18.4	18.4	20.9	24.7	31.6		25.9	28.4	23.6	9.3		20.1	97%	0%	$24,878	$1,151	$23,727
Holmes Elementary	Public	K-5	5020 Barlin Ave.	Lakewood	90712	Los Angeles County	Long Beach Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(562) 633-4427	378	17	22.1	71.2%	20 (5.3%)	97 (25.7%)	179 (47.4%)	49 (13.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (1.6%)	27 (7.1%)	70.2	1577^th of 5817 public elementary schools	72.9%		78.8	1204^th of 5857 public elementary schools	79.4%	373	50.0	50.0	44.4	59.4	66.7		57.3	50.0	45.3	55.0		50.0	91%	0%	$21,964	$2,004	$19,960
Esther Lindstrom Elementary	Public	K-6	5900 North Canehill St.	Lakewood	90706	Los Angeles County	Bellflower Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(562) 804-6525	552	23	24.0	61.6%	70 (12.7%)	88 (15.9%)	268 (48.6%)	69 (12.5%)	2 (0.4%)	7 (1.3%)	48 (8.7%)	40.6	3192^nd of 5817 public elementary schools	45.1%		46.5	2794^th of 5857 public elementary schools	52.3%	398	18.8	18.8	39.2	35.7	44.4	52.8	43.6	45.3	34.3	21.9	29.4	32.9	93%	0%	$19,802	$1,759	$18,043
Twain Elementary	Public	K-5	5021 East Centralia St.	Long Beach	90808	Los Angeles County	Long Beach Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(562) 421-8421	474	17	27.7	56.3%	63 (13.3%)	71 (15.0%)	261 (55.1%)	31 (6.5%)	2 (0.4%)	3 (0.6%)	43 (9.1%)	51.5	2525^th of 5817 public elementary schools	56.6%		55.2	2296^th of 5857 public elementary schools	60.8%	229	36.9	36.9	38.9	36.7	50.0		41.4	68.1	31.7	41.5		46.8	90%	1%	$19,255	$1,765	$17,490
Riley Elementary	Public	K-5	3319 Sandwood St.	Lakewood	90712	Los Angeles County	Long Beach Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(562) 420-9595	490	19	25.7	58.4%	27 (5.5%)	67 (13.7%)	313 (63.9%)	44 (9.0%)	1 (0.2%)	7 (1.4%)	31 (6.3%)	68.7	1646^th of 5817 public elementary schools	71.7%		64.9	1847^th of 5857 public elementary schools	68.5%	201	57.9	57.9	45.1	47.3	75.4		54.2	51.7	45.5	57.9		51.7	98%	0%	$18,094	$1,375	$16,719

Frequently Asked Questions about Stephen Foster Elementary

Is Stephen Foster Elementary a good school?

Stephen Foster Elementary ranks 1882^nd of 5817 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What schools do graduates of Stephen Foster Elementary attend?

Students who attend Stephen Foster Elementary usually go on to attend:

High : Mayfair High

How many students attend Stephen Foster Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 501 students attended Stephen Foster Elementary.

What district is Stephen Foster Elementary in?

Bellflower Unified

What is the racial makeup of Stephen Foster Elementary?

Students at Stephen Foster Elementary are 55% Hispanic, 14% White, 11% Two or more races, 11% Asian, 7% African American, 2% Pacific Islander.

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Latest California data All new data »

2024–25 school spending data (updated)NewNov 2, 2026

2013–14 through 2024–25 immunization rates (updated)Oct 19, 2026

2025–26 attendance data, dropout rates & graduation ratesOct 15, 2026

2025–26 CAST, CSA Spanish & Smarter Balanced Assessments scoresOct 15, 2026

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.