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Carpenter (C. C.) Elementary

Q: Is Carpenter (C. C.) Elementary a good school?

Carpenter (C. C.) Elementary ranks 2091 st of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-5

2091^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,857 California Elementary Schools

Better than 64% of California elementary schools

Summary

Carpenter (C. C.) Elementary is a K-5 public school serving about 800 students in the Downey Unified School District, notable for its strong academic results with specific student groups and a remarkable recent improvement in student attendance.

The school stands out for its exceptional effectiveness with English Language Learners and students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds, ranking significantly higher for these groups than its overall state percentile of 64. A key success story is chronic absenteeism, which has plummeted from over 36% to just 8.3% in three years—far better than the district, state, and nearly all nearby schools like Gauldin (A.L.) Elementary and Ward (E. W.) Elementary. This focus on attendance is likely a major driver behind its solid academic performance, particularly in mathematics, where it outperforms both district and state averages.

Interestingly, Carpenter achieves these outcomes efficiently, operating with a higher student-teacher ratio and lower per-student spending than many comparable schools in Bellflower Unified and Paramount Unified. While a close neighbor, Lewis (Ed C.) Elementary, has higher overall test scores, Carpenter's specialized success with vulnerable populations and its dramatic attendance turnaround make it a particularly effective school within its community.

796

Students ?

27.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$16,680

Per pupil spending ?

53.1%

Free/discounted lunch ?

9439 East Foster Rd.
Downey, CA 90242-4835

(562) 904-3588

District: Downey Unified

Students who attend Carpenter (C. C.) Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Sussman (Edward A.) Middle
High:	Downey High

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

89.4%

White:

6.3%

African American:

1.9%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Carpenter (C. C.) Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 34th percentile in 2011 → 64th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the California average (47% vs 41% meeting standards)

✓Ranking is trending up — up 30 percentile points since 2011

✓Above the California median (64th percentile)

Worth a look

!Large classes — about 27 students per teacher

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school47%

District avg45%

California avg41%

2,091^st of 5,857

California public elementary schools ?

Top 36%▲ up 29 pts since 2015

From bottom 35% (2015) to top 36% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

7^th of 11Elementary Schools in the Downey Unified

510^th of 1,543Downey 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	59.5	2091 of 5857	64.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	54.4	2323 of 5869	60.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	44.7	2891 of 5789	50.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	50.1	2565 of 5662	54.7%	★★★☆☆
2017	55.1	2267 of 5692	60.2%	★★★☆☆
2016	38.9	3144 of 5614	44.0%	★★☆☆☆
2015	30.8	3643 of 5611	35.1%	★★☆☆☆
2013	40.6	3278 of 5530	40.7%	★★☆☆☆
2012	34.7	3617 of 5390	32.9%	★★☆☆☆
2011	35.8	3560 of 5377	33.8%	★★☆☆☆
2010	28.6	3951 of 5314	25.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	22.3	4261 of 5193	17.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	26.4	3866 of 5113	24.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	29.4	3618 of 5113	29.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	42.2	2597 of 4818	46.1%	★★☆☆☆
2005	37.9	2840 of 4822	41.1%	★★☆☆☆
2004	34.1	2995 of 4809	37.7%	★★☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2019	35.2	1530 of 2585	40.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	32.6	1324 of 2128	37.8%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	64.5	557 of 3162	82.4%	★★★★☆
2019	76.2	386 of 3275	88.2%	★★★★☆
2018	66.7	649 of 3246	80.0%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	63.2	1822 of 5597	67.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	55.5	2155 of 5612	61.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	51.0	2434 of 5492	55.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	56.1	2184 of 5413	59.7%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	75.6	926 of 5107	81.9%	★★★★☆
2024	70.3	1177 of 5107	77.0%	★★★★☆
2019	59.2	1737 of 4963	65.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	69.1	1177 of 4830	75.6%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	63.3	1659 of 5460	69.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	46.5	2634 of 5517	52.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	62.7	1587 of 5173	69.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	69.9	1193 of 5084	76.5%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	51.7	2400 of 5628	57.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	50.9	2415 of 5643	57.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	39.1	3099 of 5510	43.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	44.3	2768 of 5431	49.0%	★★☆☆☆

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)

English Language Learner (2024)82nd percentile+22 vs school

Hispanic (2025)82nd percentile+18 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)70th percentile+5 vs school

Female (2025)67th percentile+3 vs school

Male (2025)57th percentile-7 vs school

Disabled (2019)41st percentile-9 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy52%+3 vs state

Mathematics44%+7 vs state

Science35%~ state avg

★

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Schools Near Carpenter (C. C.) 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 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 (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/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
Carpenter (C. C.) Elementary	Public	K-5	9439 East Foster Rd.	Downey	90242	Los Angeles County	Downey Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(562) 904-3588	796	29	27.4	53.1%	50 (6.3%)	15 (1.9%)	712 (89.4%)	5 (0.6%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	12 (1.5%)	59.5	2091^st of 5857 public elementary schools	64.3%		54.4	2323^rd of 5869 public elementary schools	60.4%	232	34.7	34.7	53.2	49.6	53.9		52.2	48.0	44.7	39.2		44.3							$16,680	$16,084	$596
Lewis (Ed C.) Elementary	Public	K-5	13220 South Bellflower Blvd.	Downey	90242	Los Angeles County	Downey Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(562) 904-3590	810	35	23.1	76.5%	44 (5.4%)	37 (4.6%)	679 (83.8%)	38 (4.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	11 (1.4%)	71.5	1532^nd of 5857 public elementary schools	73.8%		58.9	2112^th of 5869 public elementary schools	64.0%	580	33.1	33.1	65.6	55.3	58.6		59.6	76.6	51.1	43.6		56.3	94.3	95.1	95.9	94.3	94.3	95.1	$21,183	$20,646	$537
Ward (E. W.) Elementary	Public	K-5	8851 East Adoree St.	Downey	90242	Los Angeles County	Downey Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(562) 904-3591	543	24	22.6	87.3%	35 (6.4%)	8 (1.5%)	475 (87.5%)	15 (2.8%)	3 (0.6%)	3 (0.6%)	4 (0.7%)	51.9	2499^th of 5857 public elementary schools	57.3%		41.8	3075^th of 5869 public elementary schools	47.6%	576	39.3	39.3	27.5	56.4	55.8		47.6	35.0	38.2	39.1		37.6	98.1	98.1			98.1		$26,752	$26,068	$684
Albert Baxter Elementary	Public	K-6	14929 Cerritos Ave.	Bellflower	90706	Los Angeles County	Bellflower Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(562) 531-1602	309	15	20.6	82.2%	9 (2.9%)	26 (8.4%)	244 (79.0%)	18 (5.8%)	1 (0.3%)	8 (2.6%)	3 (1.0%)	56.2	2242^nd of 5857 public elementary schools	61.7%		46.4	2770^th of 5869 public elementary schools	52.8%	528	22.0	22.0	49.0	38.6	48.8	42.6	44.8	57.1	59.1	48.8	36.2	50.3							$18,526	$16,422	$2,104
Gauldin (A.L.) Elementary	Public	K-5	9724 Spry St.	Downey	90242	Los Angeles County	Downey Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(562) 904-3582	641	29	22.1	89.4%	46 (7.2%)	23 (3.6%)	554 (86.4%)	10 (1.6%)	3 (0.5%)	2 (0.3%)	3 (0.5%)	38.3	3326^th of 5857 public elementary schools	43.2%		30.3	3903^rd of 5869 public elementary schools	33.5%	577	30.4	30.4	36.9	31.1	45.1		37.7	40.8	29.8	30.7		33.8	90.0	90.9	94.6	90.9	90.9	92.7	$24,214	$23,652	$562
Alameda Elementary	Public	K-5	8613 East Alameda St.	Downey	90242	Los Angeles County	Downey Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(562) 904-3589	744	31	24.0	84.5%	30 (4.0%)	25 (3.4%)	663 (89.1%)	18 (2.4%)	2 (0.3%)	2 (0.3%)	4 (0.5%)	51.4	2530^th of 5857 public elementary schools	56.8%		56.8	2196^th of 5869 public elementary schools	62.6%	334	24.1	24.1	40.6	55.3	47.8		47.6	44.6	48.7	34.8		42.7	95.6			96.8	97.5	96.8	$30,353	$29,462	$891
Washington Elementary	Public	K-6	9725 East Jefferson St.	Bellflower	90706	Los Angeles County	Bellflower Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(562) 804-6535	579	29	20.3	90.8%	28 (4.8%)	45 (7.8%)	451 (77.9%)	39 (6.7%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	14 (2.4%)	23.1	4576^th of 5857 public elementary schools	21.9%		16.1	5207^th of 5869 public elementary schools	11.3%	631	20.2	20.2	26.1	13.9	46.4	28.4	29.1	25.4	16.5	26.2	16.2	21.1	96.9				96.9		$15,127	$13,014	$2,113
Ernie Pyle Elementary	Public	K-6	14500 South Woodruff Ave.	Bellflower	90706	Los Angeles County	Bellflower Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(562) 804-6528	341	16	20.9	80.9%	10 (2.9%)	43 (12.6%)	244 (71.6%)	30 (8.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (4.1%)	50.2	2580^th of 5857 public elementary schools	56.0%		36.1	3430^th of 5869 public elementary schools	41.6%	850	20.6	20.6	46.8	43.3	44.1	45.3	44.9	66.0	37.3	44.1	26.4	42.5							$18,125	$16,038	$2,087
Harry Wirtz Elementary	Public	K-5	8535 Contreras St.	Paramount	90723	Los Angeles County	Paramount Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(562) 602-8068	421	19	22.1	96.0%	3 (0.7%)	21 (5.0%)	384 (91.2%)	6 (1.4%)	3 (0.7%)	2 (0.5%)	2 (0.5%)	29.6	3993^rd of 5857 public elementary schools	31.8%		31.3	3825^th of 5869 public elementary schools	34.8%	168	25.4	25.4	35.1	40.0	36.6		37.1	20.3	29.2	21.1		23.3	89.0	90.2		91.5	89.0	91.5	$20,339	$19,210	$1,129
Imperial Elementary	Public	K-3	8133 Imperial Hwy.	Downey	90242	Los Angeles County	Downey Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(562) 904-3578	653	28	23.3	75.7%	40 (6.1%)	9 (1.4%)	581 (89.0%)	17 (2.6%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (0.8%)								(n/a)			47.2				47.2	54.8				54.8	95.2	95.9		97.2	96.6	97.2	$21,505	$20,648	$857

Frequently Asked Questions about Carpenter (C. C.) Elementary

What is the racial makeup of Carpenter (C. C.) Elementary?

Students at Carpenter (C. C.) Elementary are 89% Hispanic, 6% White, 2% African American, 2% Two or more races.

Is Carpenter (C. C.) Elementary a good school?

Carpenter (C. C.) Elementary ranks 2091^st of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What schools do graduates of Carpenter (C. C.) Elementary attend?

Students who attend Carpenter (C. C.) Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Sussman (Edward A.) Middle
High : Downey High

What district is Carpenter (C. C.) Elementary in?

Downey Unified

How many students attend Carpenter (C. C.) Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 796 students attended Carpenter (C. C.) Elementary.

Rate Carpenter (C. C.) Elementary!

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Latest California data All new data »

2024–25 school spending dataJul 1, 2026

2024–25 attendance dataMar 13, 2026

2024–25 CSA Spanish test scoresDec 22, 2025

2024–25 dropout rates & graduation ratesNov 14, 2025

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.