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Whaley Middle

Q: Is Whaley Middle a good school?

Whaley Middle ranks 1070 th of 2761 California middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

1070^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,761 California Middle Schools

Better than 61% of California middle schools

Summary

Whaley Middle is a public school serving 429 students in grades 6-8 in the Compton Unified district, showing remarkable improvement from a low state ranking a decade ago to now performing in the top 40% of California middle schools.

The school stands out for its exceptionally low rate of chronic student absenteeism, at just 3.7%, which is dramatically better than the state average and most nearby schools in other districts, and this strong attendance coincides with significant academic gains. In mathematics, Whaley Middle's performance exceeds both its district and the state average, with its 6th graders showing particular strength, and the school earns high marks for its effectiveness with students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. While science scores are an area for growth and year-to-year test results can vary, the school's overall trajectory is positive, especially when compared to many middle schools in neighboring areas like Paramount Unified and Lynwood Unified.

Notably, Whaley Middle, along with fellow Compton Unified schools Davis Middle and Bunche Middle, forms a group that outperforms similar schools in other districts on key metrics like attendance and math, suggesting effective district-level strategies. With high per-student funding, the school's story is one of a strong turnaround, demonstrating that focused support on attendance and core subjects can lead to substantial improvement even in a high-need community.

429

Students ?

24.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$25,990

Per pupil spending ?

92.8%

Free/discounted lunch ?

14401 South Gibson Ave.
Compton, CA 90221-2514

(310) 898-6070

District: Compton Unified

Students who attend Whaley Middle usually attend:

High:

Manuel Dominguez High

Feeder schools for Whaley Middle:

Elementary:

Foster Elementary

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

87.2%

African American:

11.0%

Two or more races:

1.4%

See top rated California middle schools

Compare Whaley Middle to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 4th percentile in 2013 → 61st in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 57 percentile points since 2013

✓Above the California median (61st percentile)

Worth a look

!Science scores 18 pts below the California average

!Large classes — about 24 students per teacher

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school41%

District avg41%

California avg41%

1,070^th of 2,761

California public middle schools ?

Top 39%▲ up 56 pts since 2015

From bottom 5% (2015) to top 39% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd of 6Middle Schools in the Compton Unified

634^th of 1,543Compton 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	54.2	1070 of 2761	61.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	29.1	1854 of 2783	33.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	39.5	1470 of 2781	47.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	26.6	1920 of 2740	29.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	28.7	1837 of 2715	32.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	16.6	2125 of 2480	14.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	17.3	2135 of 2508	14.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	13.4	2247 of 2497	10.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	9.7	2354 of 2477	5.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	7.8	2272 of 2379	4.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	12.2	2085 of 2259	7.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	9.6	2107 of 2236	5.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	8.4	2067 of 2179	5.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	5.4	2004 of 2063	2.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	5.5	1939 of 2005	3.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	7.4	1919 of 1999	4.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2006	8.5	1709 of 1804	5.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2005	7.0	1718 of 1777	3.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2004	9.8	1683 of 1769	4.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	71.5	125 of 609	79.5%	★★★★☆
2024	43.2	315 of 627	49.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	48.7	271 of 613	55.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	23.4	527 of 637	17.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	49.3	282 of 643	56.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	28.5	435 of 600	27.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	36.5	860 of 1531	43.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	27.6	1106 of 1491	25.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	23.9	1181 of 1369	13.7%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	38.3	794 of 1478	46.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	40.2	763 of 1521	49.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	41.6	699 of 1540	54.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	34.2	906 of 1442	37.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	29.8	1009 of 1364	26.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	57.7	884 of 2533	65.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	26.7	1822 of 2551	28.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	37.3	1403 of 2531	44.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	25.1	1831 of 2509	27.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	27.4	1709 of 2380	28.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	16.2	1962 of 2262	13.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	67.1	591 of 2395	75.3%	★★★★☆
2024	41.4	1264 of 2388	47.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	55.6	830 of 2374	65.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	40.4	1278 of 2359	45.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	39.5	1270 of 2213	42.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	23.7	1662 of 2072	19.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	50.5	136 of 336	59.5%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	66.2	620 of 2542	75.6%	★★★★☆
2024	37.4	1480 of 2579	42.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	52.9	931 of 2531	63.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	38.7	1379 of 2458	43.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	42.7	1255 of 2369	47.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	24.0	1771 of 2230	20.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	49.2	1113 of 2534	56.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	31.6	1626 of 2552	36.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	41.5	1297 of 2538	48.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	29.0	1700 of 2527	32.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	28.8	1652 of 2407	31.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	17.2	1967 of 2273	13.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	38.8	828 of 1566	47.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	40.8	755 of 1552	51.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	30.0	1077 of 1531	29.7%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

African American (2025)79th percentile+18 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)76th percentile+14 vs school

Hispanic (2025)75th percentile+14 vs school

Female (2025)65th percentile+4 vs school

Homeless (2022)60th percentile+30 vs school

Male (2025)56th percentile-5 vs school

Special Education (2025)47th percentile-14 vs school

English Language Learner (2024)46th percentile+13 vs school

Disabled (2022)44th percentile+14 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

Mathematics47%+10 vs state

English Language Arts/Literacy45%-3 vs state

Science15%-18 vs state

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Schools Near Whaley Middle

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores 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)				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 8th Grade	CAST Science All Grades	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 6th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 7th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 8th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Whaley Middle	Public	6-8	14401 South Gibson Ave.	Compton	90221	Los Angeles County	Compton Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(310) 898-6070	429	18	24.2	92.8%	2 (0.5%)	47 (11.0%)	374 (87.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (1.4%)	54.2	1070^th of 2761 public middle schools	61.2%		29.1	1854^th of 2783 public middle schools	33.4%	784	15.0	15.0	46.0	45.3	45.2	45.4	60.0	33.8	51.0	47.3	$25,990	$4,259	$21,731
Frank J. Zamboni	Public	6-8	15733 South Orange Ave.	Paramount	90723	Los Angeles County	Paramount Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(562) 602-8048	650	40	16.2	96.0%	1 (0.2%)	22 (3.4%)	619 (95.2%)	4 (0.6%)	2 (0.3%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	37.3	1565^th of 2761 public middle schools	43.3%		39.6	1478^th of 2783 public middle schools	46.9%	87	19.0	19.0	41.2	46.1	42.6	43.4	18.2	32.1	21.4	24.2	$22,246	$2,227	$20,019
Leona Jackson	Public	6-8	7220 Jackson St.	Paramount	90723	Los Angeles County	Paramount Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(562) 602-8020	517	32	16.2	97.1%	3 (0.6%)	130 (25.1%)	355 (68.7%)	13 (2.5%)	2 (0.4%)	2 (0.4%)	12 (2.3%)	38.7	1529^th of 2761 public middle schools	44.6%		29.4	1840^th of 2783 public middle schools	33.9%	311	27.8	27.8	43.0	45.9	44.4	44.5	13.4	26.6	22.4	21.0	$23,072	$2,701	$20,371
Bridges Preparatory Academy	Public, Charter	6-8	400 South Santa Fe Ave.	Compton	90221	Los Angeles County	Bridges Preparatory Academy District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(866) 201-3890	151	5	29.0	88.1%	1 (0.7%)	15 (9.9%)	133 (88.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.7%)	1 (0.7%)	30.4	1813^th of 2761 public middle schools	34.3%		46.6	1261^st of 2783 public middle schools	54.7%	552	14.3	14.3	24.1	50.9	42.9	38.5	8.6	31.6	10.7	18.2	$18,083	$1,640	$16,443
Hamilton Middle	Public	6-8	1060 East 70th St.	Long Beach	90805	Los Angeles County	Long Beach Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(562) 602-0302	748	35	21.4	84.6%	6 (0.8%)	78 (10.4%)	604 (80.7%)	34 (4.5%)	1 (0.1%)	15 (2.0%)	10 (1.3%)	25.9	1956^th of 2761 public middle schools	29.2%		27.1	1942^nd of 2783 public middle schools	30.2%	14	14.5	14.5	37.6	40.0	39.9	39.2	10.1	17.3	14.2	13.9	$21,026	$4,614	$16,412
Hosler Middle	Public	7-8	11300 Spruce St.	Lynwood	90262	Los Angeles County	Lynwood Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(310) 603-1447	754	35	21.2	95.5%	1 (0.1%)	34 (4.5%)	715 (94.8%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.3%)	1 (0.1%)	17.5	2339^th of 2761 public middle schools	15.3%		17.8	2355^th of 2783 public middle schools	15.4%	16	8.3	8.3		30.1	20.3	24.9		20.5	15.2	17.7
Paramount Park Middle	Public	6-8	14608 Paramount Blvd.	Paramount	90723	Los Angeles County	Paramount Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(562) 602-8052	551	29	19.1	96.2%	6 (1.1%)	39 (7.1%)	492 (89.3%)	5 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (1.3%)	2 (0.4%)	40.1	1493^rd of 2761 public middle schools	45.9%		38.9	1509^th of 2783 public middle schools	45.8%	16	32.5	32.5	39.2	44.9	48.4	44.1	13.9	23.0	27.2	21.3	$22,212	$2,298	$19,914
Cesar Chavez Middle	Public	7-8	3898 Abbott Rd.	Lynwood	90262	Los Angeles County	Lynwood Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(310) 886-7300	882	35	25.5	95.4%	3 (0.3%)	22 (2.5%)	850 (96.4%)	1 (0.1%)	2 (0.2%)	1 (0.1%)	2 (0.2%)	19.1	2263^rd of 2761 public middle schools	18.0%		21.2	2211^th of 2783 public middle schools	20.6%	52	11.0	11.0		34.9	23.8	29.6		20.3	9.1	14.9
Bunche Middle	Public	6-8	12338 Mona Blvd.	Compton	90222	Los Angeles County	Compton Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(310) 898-6010	286	11	25.2	93.4%	1 (0.3%)	46 (16.1%)	233 (81.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	4 (1.4%)	38.9	1523^rd of 2761 public middle schools	44.8%		24.1	2079^th of 2783 public middle schools	25.3%	556	8.3	8.3	35.9	46.7	45.2	43.3	23.1	39.4	26.1	30.0	$25,914	$4,477	$21,437
Alondra Middle	Public	6-8	16200 Downey Ave.	Paramount	90723	Los Angeles County	Paramount Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(562) 602-8004	735	41	17.9	92.5%	5 (0.7%)	27 (3.7%)	674 (91.7%)	11 (1.5%)	2 (0.3%)	9 (1.2%)	7 (1.0%)	42.8	1393^rd of 2761 public middle schools	49.5%		39.9	1467^th of 2783 public middle schools	47.3%	74	27.7	27.7	42.6	50.0	50.4	47.9	18.0	24.2	26.9	23.3	$22,631	$2,163	$20,468

Frequently Asked Questions about Whaley Middle

What high school do graduates of Whaley Middle attend?

Students who attend Whaley Middle usually go on to attend Manuel Dominguez High

How many students attend Whaley Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 429 students attended Whaley Middle.

What district is Whaley Middle in?

Compton Unified

What is the racial makeup of Whaley Middle?

Students at Whaley Middle are 87% Hispanic, 11% African American, 1% Two or more races.

Is Whaley Middle a good school?

Whaley Middle ranks 1070^th of 2761 California middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Rate Whaley Middle!

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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.