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Stephen Foster Elementary

Q: Is Stephen Foster Elementary a good school?

Stephen Foster Elementary ranks 1752 nd of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-6

1752^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,857 California Elementary Schools

Better than 70% of California elementary schools

Summary

Stephen Foster Elementary is a K-6 public school serving about 500 students in Lakewood, California, within the Bellflower Unified School District, and it consistently earns strong academic ratings while serving a community with significant economic need.

The school stands out for its academic performance, significantly exceeding district averages in English, math, and especially science, where students are nearly twice as likely to be proficient. It is particularly effective in supporting its students, achieving results that rank well above the state average for similar schools. While the school's chronic absenteeism rate is improving, it remains an area of focus. Notably, Stephen Foster achieves these strong outcomes even though it spends less per student than some neighboring schools in districts like Long Beach Unified, such as Gompers.

Compared to other local schools with similar student populations, like Craig Williams Elementary and Thomas Jefferson Elementary in Bellflower, Stephen Foster maintains a higher performance level. The school shows strengths in early grade math and upper-grade English, though a dip in 4th-grade math scores and a recent performance gap between male and female students are areas the school can address. Overall, Stephen Foster is a consistently high-performing school within its district that effectively supports its students' learning.

501

Students ?

20.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

$19,216

Per pupil spending ?

66.3%

Free/discounted lunch ?

5223 East Bigelow St.
Lakewood, CA 90712-2023

(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 2013 → 70th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the California average (50% vs 41% meeting standards)

✓Among the top-ranked schools in Bellflower Unified

✓Above the California median (70th percentile)

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 6 percentile points since 2013

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school50%

District avg35%

California avg41%

1,752^nd of 5,857

California public elementary schools ?

Top 30%▼ down 6 pts since 2015

From top 24% (2015) to top 30% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 10Elementary Schools in the Bellflower Unified

763^rd of 1,543Bellflower 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	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
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
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
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
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
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
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 (2025)85th percentile+15 vs school

Special Education (2025)77th percentile+7 vs school

Disabled (2022)76th percentile~ school

Female (2025)75th percentile+4 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)73rd percentile+3 vs school

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

Male (2025)64th percentile-6 vs school

White (2025)52nd percentile-18 vs school

Military Connected (2025)48th percentile-22 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy56%+8 vs state

Science47%+15 vs state

Mathematics45%+8 vs state

5.0

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Schools Near Stephen Foster 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 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	% 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
Stephen Foster Elementary	Public	K-6	5223 East Bigelow St.	Lakewood	90712	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%)	66.8	1752^nd of 5857 public elementary schools	70.1%		71.8	1507^th of 5869 public elementary schools	74.3%	245	47.2	47.2	56.6	41.5	66.7	59.7	56.5	65.4	35.4	45.8	37.5	44.8	90.0	96.0		94.0	94.0	94.0	$19,216	$2,216	$17,000
Intensive Learning Center	Public	K-6	4718 East Michelson St.	Lakewood	90712	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%)	57.8	2183^rd of 5857 public elementary schools	62.7%		57.3	2181^st of 5869 public elementary schools	62.8%	2	37.9	37.9	50.0	44.8	60.9	51.1	52.2	57.6	43.3	41.9	20.7	39.2							$19,787	$2,216	$17,571
Craig Williams Elementary	Public	K-6	6144 North Clark Ave.	Lakewood	90712	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%)	35.9	3507^th of 5857 public elementary schools	40.1%		24.9	4371^st of 5869 public elementary schools	25.5%	864	20.3	20.3	38.0	30.2	31.3	53.1	38.2	49.0	23.8	17.2	35.9	30.4							$19,455	$2,513	$16,942
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%)	55.3	2290^th of 5857 public elementary schools	60.9%		53.8	2357^th of 5869 public elementary schools	59.8%	67	22.8	22.8	44.1	54.1	49.1		48.9	50.0	62.3	28.1		47.3	94.7	96.1		97.4	96.1	96.1	$25,067	$5,102	$19,965
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%)	47.2	2744^th of 5857 public elementary schools	53.2%		45.5	2832^nd of 5869 public elementary schools	51.7%	88	25.7	25.7	41.6	50.0	52.9	48.5	48.0	43.6	27.9	31.0	33.3	34.4							$19,728	$2,487	$17,241
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%)	19.6	4858^th of 5857 public elementary schools	17.1%		18.1	5021^st of 5869 public elementary schools	14.4%	163	19.1	19.1	31.2	24.2	23.8		26.2	35.1	15.7	13.1		20.8							$21,657	$2,011	$19,646
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%)	78.8	1204^th of 5857 public elementary schools	79.4%		71.9	1499^th of 5869 public elementary schools	74.5%	295	51.0	51.0	58.6	71.7	75.5		68.3	43.1	56.7	63.3		53.9							$23,592	$4,556	$19,036
Esther Lindstrom Elementary	Public	K-6	5900 North Canehill St.	Lakewood	90713	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%)	46.5	2794^th of 5857 public elementary schools	52.3%		51.7	2465^th of 5869 public elementary schools	58.0%	329	26.3	26.3	29.6	32.8	44.2	60.4	43.8	33.8	37.9	32.6	44.8	37.5							$19,484	$2,216	$17,268
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%)	55.2	2296^th of 5857 public elementary schools	60.8%		55.4	2264^th of 5869 public elementary schools	61.4%	32	28.1	28.1	49.4	52.5	53.9		51.7	50.0	49.2	23.4		41.7	94.7	96.1	97.4	94.7	96.1	97.4	$23,153	$4,590	$18,563
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%)	64.9	1847^th of 5857 public elementary schools	68.5%		71	1546^th of 5869 public elementary schools	73.7%	301	32.3	32.3	37.9	63.8	54.8		52.3	55.2	67.2	41.9		54.5	95.2			96.8		96.8	$22,249	$3,771	$18,478

Frequently Asked Questions about Stephen Foster Elementary

How many students attend Stephen Foster Elementary?

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

Is Stephen Foster Elementary a good school?

Stephen Foster Elementary ranks 1752^nd of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

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.

What schools do graduates of Stephen Foster Elementary attend?

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

High : Mayfair High

What district is Stephen Foster Elementary in?

Bellflower Unified

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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.