Beta You're viewing our redesigned school page. Prefer the classic layout?

New rankings! SchoolDigger recently updated its California rankings with newly released test scores for the 2025-26 school year.

Be the first to know when we post new rankings!

Carl E. Gilbert Elementary

Public Grades K-5

4537^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,817 California Elementary Schools

Better than 22% of California elementary schools

Summary

Carl E. Gilbert Elementary serves 490 students in kindergarten through grade five in Buena Park, California, within the Buena Park Elementary district. Its 2025–26 test results were below state and district levels in English language arts (ELA), math and science, and below the average for nearby schools in all three subjects. The main takeaway is that low proficiency is a broad challenge, with the largest shortfall in ELA.

ELA is the school’s weakest comparison: proficiency was 29%, 21 points below the state and 16 points below the district; nearby schools averaged 54%, a 25-point gap. Math was 27%, 11 points below the state and 10 below the district, while nearby schools averaged 51%. Science was 19%, 17 points below the state and 12 below the district; the nearby average was 42%. Among 11 schools, including Carl E. Gilbert, it ranked second-lowest in ELA and third-lowest in math and science. Math was closest to state and district results, and science was closest to nearby schools’ average. Fourth grade was the clearest internal weak spot: math proficiency was 23%, the second-lowest among nearby schools offering that grade. Fifth-grade ELA was the school’s strongest grade-subject result at 32%, but remained below state and district levels.

Scores have risen since 2022–23, but progress has not kept pace with the state in every subject: the school gained 4 points in ELA, 1 in math and 4 in science, while its state gap narrowed by 2 points in ELA and widened by 3 in math and 2 in science. Attendance also improved, with chronic absenteeism falling from 33% in 2021–22 to 18% in 2025–26; the latest rate was 17.8%, close to the state’s 18.3% but 4 points above the district. SchoolDigger placed the school at California’s 22nd percentile in 2025–26, with 1 star. In 2024–25, 94% of students were reported as free/reduced lunch eligible, and the student-teacher ratio was 27, compared with a nearby-school average of 24.7. SchoolDigger’s ranking for how well the school served Homeless Students was at the 47th percentile in 2024–25, versus the school’s overall 12th percentile that year; its English Language Learner Students ranking fell from the 79th percentile in 2022–23 to the 36th in 2023–24.

490

Students ?

27.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$22,702

Per pupil spending ?

93.9%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

All students in California receive free school meals.

94%

Kindergartners with all required immunizations (2024-25)

Exemptions: 0% (any vaccine)

7255 Eighth St.
Buena Park, CA 90621-2203

(714) 522-7281

District: Buena Park Elementary

Students who attend Carl E. Gilbert Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Buena Park Middle
High:	Buena Park High

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

87.6%

African American:

3.9%

Asian:

3.5%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Carl E. Gilbert Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 20th percentile in 2015 → 22nd in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (27% vs 42% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (22nd percentile)

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school27%

District avg40%

California avg42%

4,537^th of 5,817

California public elementary schools ?

Bottom 22%▼ down 12 pts since 2016

From bottom 34% (2016) to bottom 22% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

4^th of 5Elementary Schools in the Buena Park Elementary

807^th of 1,530Buena Park Elementary 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	23.3	4537 of 5817	22.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	16.1	5174 of 5857	11.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	18.7	4962 of 5869	15.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	23.6	4487 of 5859	23.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	25.6	4284 of 5883	27.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	31.3	3828 of 5789	33.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	30.9	3760 of 5662	33.6%	★★☆☆☆
2017	28.6	3942 of 5692	30.7%	★★☆☆☆
2016	30.9	3704 of 5614	34.0%	★★☆☆☆
2015	21.4	4479 of 5611	20.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	30.3	4018 of 5530	27.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	30.1	3944 of 5390	26.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	29.4	4037 of 5377	24.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	42.7	3007 of 5314	43.4%	★★☆☆☆
2009	46.3	2691 of 5193	48.2%	★★☆☆☆
2008	33.7	3352 of 5113	34.4%	★★☆☆☆
2007	36.1	3163 of 5113	38.1%	★★☆☆☆
2006	37.5	2856 of 4818	40.7%	★★☆☆☆
2005	30.0	3273 of 4822	32.1%	★★☆☆☆
2004	36.7	2829 of 4809	41.2%	★★☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	20.8	1976 of 2227	11.3%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	37.1	2031 of 3162	35.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	62.5	691 of 3245	78.7%	★★★★☆
2022	46.9	1369 of 3311	58.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	61.7	768 of 3275	76.5%	★★★★☆
2018	63.6	737 of 3246	77.3%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	19.8	4694 of 5581	15.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	16.5	4981 of 5597	11.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	19.7	4735 of 5612	15.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	22.2	4510 of 5609	19.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	29.0	3825 of 5635	32.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	29.7	3848 of 5492	29.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	26.6	4043 of 5413	25.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	32.7	3543 of 5094	30.4%	★★☆☆☆
2025	21.3	4366 of 5107	14.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	24.6	4139 of 5107	19.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	32.8	3476 of 5087	31.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	32.5	3482 of 5084	31.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	40.1	2954 of 4963	40.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	40.1	2859 of 4830	40.8%	★★☆☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	44.8	226 of 429	47.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	21.1	330 of 364	9.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	33.8	3667 of 5423	32.4%	★★☆☆☆
2025	23.0	4517 of 5460	17.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	25.1	4374 of 5517	20.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	35.5	3418 of 5363	36.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	34.3	3497 of 5264	33.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	44.6	2771 of 5173	46.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	44.0	2752 of 5084	45.9%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	28.4	4004 of 5603	28.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	17.2	4939 of 5628	12.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	19.0	4815 of 5643	14.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	25.8	4157 of 5638	26.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	23.5	4367 of 5663	22.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	33.5	3503 of 5510	36.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	35.3	3322 of 5431	38.8%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	28.8	2142 of 2927	26.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	38.0	1425 of 2635	45.9%	★★☆☆☆

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)

Homeless (2025)47th percentile+36 vs school

English Language Learner (2024)36th percentile+20 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)32nd percentile+10 vs school

Hispanic (2026)30th percentile+8 vs school

Male (2026)29th percentile+7 vs school

Special Education (2026)27th percentile+5 vs school

Female (2026)16th percentile-6 vs school

Disabled (2022)11th percentile-16 vs school

By subject vs California (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy29%-21 vs state

Mathematics27%-11 vs state

Science19%-17 vs state

★

No ratings yet

Be the first to rate Carl E. Gilbert Elementary and help other families decide.

Rate Carl E. Gilbert Elementary

Have first-hand experience? A quick rating - and a sentence or two about what stands out (teachers, academics, safety, communication) - helps other families know what to expect.

Takes about a minute. We email you a link to verify your review - your address is never shown publicly.

Tap a star to rate

Reviews

No written reviews yet. If you know this school, be the first to share what stands out.

Schools Near Carl E. Gilbert Elementary

Load more schools when map is moved

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
Carl E. Gilbert Elementary	Public	K-5	7255 Eighth St.	Buena Park	90621	Orange County	Buena Park Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(714) 522-7281	490	18	27.0	93.9%	4 (0.8%)	19 (3.9%)	429 (87.6%)	17 (3.5%)	1 (0.2%)	5 (1.0%)	15 (3.1%)	23.3	4537^th of 5817 public elementary schools	22.0%		16.1	5174^th of 5857 public elementary schools	11.7%	637	19.4	19.4	29.7	23.9	31.9		28.6	32.4	22.5	26.4		27.2	94%	0%	$22,702	$1,233	$21,469
Mabel L. Pendleton Elementary	Public	K-5	7101 Stanton Ave.	Buena Park	90621	Orange County	Buena Park Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(714) 521-8568	365	19	19.7	87.7%	12 (3.3%)	13 (3.6%)	285 (78.1%)	37 (10.1%)	1 (0.3%)	3 (0.8%)	14 (3.8%)	40.6	3193^rd of 5817 public elementary schools	45.1%		33.9	3656^th of 5857 public elementary schools	37.6%	463	27.3	27.3	40.0	35.1	40.0		38.7	37.8	51.4	30.2		38.5	94%	0%	$22,792	$1,220	$21,572
Arthur F. Corey Elementary	Public	K-5	7351 Holder St.	Buena Park	90620	Orange County	Buena Park Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(714) 522-8389	341	14	24.3	73.9%	34 (10.0%)	18 (5.3%)	201 (58.9%)	69 (20.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	18 (5.3%)	60.2	2067^th of 5817 public elementary schools	64.5%		60.5	2035^th of 5857 public elementary schools	65.3%	32	35.7	35.7	43.8	38.0	69.6		51.3	54.2	50.0	41.1		48.1	≥ 98%		$23,857	$1,218	$22,639
James A. Whitaker Elementary	Public	K-5	8401 Montana St.	Buena Park	90621	Orange County	Buena Park Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(714) 521-9770	559	27	20.7	91.9%	26 (4.7%)	17 (3.0%)	453 (81.0%)	42 (7.5%)	2 (0.4%)	5 (0.9%)	14 (2.5%)	16.6	5098^th of 5817 public elementary schools	12.4%		21.5	4709^th of 5857 public elementary schools	19.6%	389	16.9	16.9	20.6	19.1	31.0		23.7	21.7	15.9	23.8		20.8	96%	0%	$22,061	$1,219	$20,842
Raymond Temple Elementary	Public	K-6	7800 Holder St.	Buena Park	90620	Orange County	Centralia Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(714) 228-3290	431	18	23.9	78.2%	37 (8.6%)	8 (1.9%)	267 (61.9%)	83 (19.3%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (1.2%)	31 (7.2%)	62.6	1952^nd of 5817 public elementary schools	66.4%		60.1	2066^th of 5857 public elementary schools	64.7%	114	42.6	42.6	42.9	58.9	51.9	49.2	50.7	41.1	69.6	42.6	41.0	48.5	≥ 98%		$17,224	$1,961	$15,263
Glen H. Dysinger Senior Elementary	Public	K-6	7770 Camellia Dr.	Buena Park	90620	Orange County	Centralia Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(714) 228-3240	468	19	24.6	65.8%	78 (16.7%)	7 (1.5%)	256 (54.7%)	87 (18.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	40 (8.5%)	67.5	1714^th of 5817 public elementary schools	70.5%		57	2211^th of 5857 public elementary schools	62.3%	497	48.2	48.2	51.8	51.4	50.0	60.3	53.7	53.6	50.0	50.0	42.5	48.6	97%	0%	$15,701	$1,843	$13,858
Charles G. Emery Elementary	Public	K-5	8600 Somerset St.	Buena Park	90621	Orange County	Buena Park Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(714) 521-5134	646	25	26.3	55.3%	31 (4.8%)	7 (1.1%)	201 (31.1%)	368 (57.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	38 (5.9%)	89.8	661^st of 5817 public elementary schools	88.6%		83.1	1013^th of 5857 public elementary schools	82.7%	352	51.6	51.6	79.5	71.2	69.7		72.7	80.8	70.3	65.6		71.1	≥ 99%		$22,219	$1,135	$21,084
Escalona Elementary	Public	K-5	15135 Escalona Rd.	La Mirada	90638	Los Angeles County	Norwalk-La Mirada Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(562) 210-2745	424	19	22.3	51.7%	58 (13.7%)	5 (1.2%)	304 (71.7%)	35 (8.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (5.2%)	74.3	1393^rd of 5817 public elementary schools	76.1%		66.4	1769^th of 5857 public elementary schools	69.8%	376	50.9	50.9	57.8	63.8	58.2		60.0	67.6	53.6	34.6		53.3	≥ 99%		$21,759	$489	$21,270
Buena Terra Elementary	Public	K-6	8299 Holder St.	Buena Park	90620	Orange County	Centralia Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(714) 228-3220	627	24	26.1	56.0%	105 (16.7%)	13 (2.1%)	242 (38.6%)	214 (34.1%)	1 (0.2%)	5 (0.8%)	47 (7.5%)	94.2	398^th of 5817 public elementary schools	93.2%		93.2	460^th of 5857 public elementary schools	92.1%	62	64.8	64.8	73.5	70.3	76.1	72.5	72.9	80.9	75.8	81.7	79.1	79.1	97%	0%	$14,793	$1,839	$12,954
Valencia Park Elementary	Public	K-6	3441 West Valencia Dr.	Fullerton	92833	Orange County	Fullerton Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(714) 447-7755	398	13	30.6	85.4%	9 (2.3%)	5 (1.3%)	359 (90.2%)	13 (3.3%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (2.8%)	24.7	4415^th of 5817 public elementary schools	24.1%		23.4	4552^nd of 5857 public elementary schools	22.3%	137	14.0	14.0	15.9	40.8	35.1	36.0	32.5	20.9	28.0	21.1	26.0	24.0	≥ 98%		$20,714	$982	$19,732

Frequently Asked Questions about Carl E. Gilbert Elementary

What is the racial makeup of Carl E. Gilbert Elementary?

Students at Carl E. Gilbert Elementary are 88% Hispanic, 4% African American, 3% Asian, 3% Two or more races, 1% Pacific Islander.

How many students attend Carl E. Gilbert Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 490 students attended Carl E. Gilbert Elementary.

What schools do graduates of Carl E. Gilbert Elementary attend?

Students who attend Carl E. Gilbert Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Buena Park Middle
High : Buena Park High

Is Carl E. Gilbert Elementary a good school?

Carl E. Gilbert Elementary ranks in the bottom 22.0% of California elementary schools.

What district is Carl E. Gilbert Elementary in?

Buena Park Elementary

Rate Carl E. Gilbert Elementary!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

CACalifornia Elementary School Rankings

CACalifornia District Rankings

Schools in Buena Park, CA

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for Carl E. Gilbert Elementary!

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.