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Carpenter (C. C.) Elementary

Public Grades K-5
1723rd
SchoolDigger Rank ?
of 5,817 California Elementary Schools
Better than 70% of California elementary schools
Summary

Carpenter (C. C.) Elementary serves 796 students in kindergarten through fifth grade in Downey, in the Downey Unified area. Its results stand out among nearby schools for science achievement and low chronic absenteeism, but grade-level results vary considerably. The clearest concern for families is fourth grade, especially math: proficiency was 35%, below the district’s 49% and the state’s 42%.

Science is Carpenter’s strongest subject compared with nearby schools, the district, and the state. In 2025–2026, 46% of students were proficient, the highest result among nearby schools with reported scores and 18 percentage points above their 28% average; Carpenter also exceeded the state by 10 points and the district by 9. ELA proficiency was 57%, 12 points above the nearby average and 8 above the state, and nearly even with the district. Math proficiency was 49%, 8 points above the nearby average and 11 above the state. The grade-level pattern helps explain the main concern: third-grade ELA was 71%, while fourth-grade ELA was 44%, below both the district and state; fifth-grade ELA rose to 59%. Fourth-grade math was 35%, while fifth-grade math reached 47%.

Results have improved over time in ELA and science: ELA rose from 44% in 2022–2023 to 57% in 2025–2026, a 13-point gain, while science increased 11 points between its two reported years. Math was essentially flat, moving from 48% to 49%. SchoolDigger ranks Carpenter at the 70th percentile statewide with four stars, up from the 60th percentile in 2023–2024; only Lewis (Ed C.) Elementary ranks higher among nearby schools with a listed result. SchoolDigger’s measure of how well Carpenter serves Hispanic students places the school at the 86th percentile, compared with its overall 70th; its ranking for Low Socio Economic Status Students rose from the 52nd to the 75th percentile. In 2024–2025, Carpenter’s student-teacher ratio was 27.4, the highest among nearby schools, and 53% of students were free/reduced lunch eligible, compared with an 85% nearby average.

796
Students ?
27.4
Student/teacher ratio ?
$14,864
Per pupil spending ?
53.1%
Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?
All students in California receive free school meals.
≥ 99%
Kindergartners with all required immunizations (2024-25)
 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%
more
 See top rated California elementary schools

 Compare Carpenter (C. C.) Elementary to nearby elementary schools!
At a glance
▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 33rd percentile in 2012 → 70th in 2026
Strengths
✓Test scores above the California average (52% vs 42% meeting standards)
✓Ranking is trending up — up 37 percentile points since 2012
✓Above the California median (70th percentile)
Worth a look
!Large classes — about 27 students per teacher
Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?
This school52%
District avg49%
California avg42%
1,723rd of 5,817
California public elementary schools ?
Top 30%▲ up 26 pts since 2016
From bottom 44% (2016) to top 30% (2026)
See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →
★★★★★
SchoolDigger rating ?
5th of 11Elementary Schools in the Downey Unified
452nd of 1,530Downey 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

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202667.31723 of 581770.4%★★★★☆
202559.52091 of 585764.3%★★★☆☆
202454.42323 of 586960.4%★★★☆☆
201944.72891 of 578950.1%★★★☆☆
201850.12565 of 566254.7%★★★☆☆
201755.12267 of 569260.2%★★★☆☆
201638.93144 of 561444.0%★★☆☆☆
201530.83643 of 561135.1%★★☆☆☆
201340.63278 of 553040.7%★★☆☆☆
201234.73617 of 539032.9%★★☆☆☆
201135.83560 of 537733.8%★★☆☆☆
201028.63951 of 531425.6%★☆☆☆☆
200922.34261 of 519317.9%★☆☆☆☆
200826.43866 of 511324.4%★☆☆☆☆
200729.43618 of 511329.2%★☆☆☆☆
200642.22597 of 481846.1%★★☆☆☆
200537.92840 of 482241.1%★★☆☆☆
200434.12995 of 480937.7%★★☆☆☆

Disabled

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
201935.21530 of 258540.8%★★☆☆☆
201832.61324 of 212837.8%★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202464.5557 of 316282.4%★★★★☆
201976.2386 of 327588.2%★★★★☆
201866.7649 of 324680.0%★★★★☆

Female

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202665.91682 of 558169.9%★★★☆☆
202563.21822 of 559767.4%★★★☆☆
202455.52155 of 561261.6%★★★☆☆
201951.02434 of 549255.7%★★★☆☆
201856.12184 of 541359.7%★★★☆☆

Hispanic

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202679.5720 of 509485.9%★★★★☆
202575.6926 of 510781.9%★★★★☆
202470.31177 of 510777.0%★★★★☆
201959.21737 of 496365.0%★★★☆☆
201869.11177 of 483075.6%★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202669.01351 of 542375.1%★★★★☆
202563.31659 of 546069.6%★★★☆☆
202446.52634 of 551752.3%★★★☆☆
201962.71587 of 517369.3%★★★☆☆
201869.91193 of 508476.5%★★★★☆

Male

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202666.81653 of 560370.5%★★★★☆
202551.72400 of 562857.4%★★★☆☆
202450.92415 of 564357.2%★★★☆☆
201939.13099 of 551043.8%★★☆☆☆
201844.32768 of 543149.0%★★☆☆☆
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)
Hispanic (2026)86th percentile+15 vs school
English Language Learner (2024)82nd percentile+22 vs school
Low Socio Economic Status (2026)75th percentile+5 vs school
Male (2026)70th percentile~ school
Female (2026)70th percentile~ school
Disabled (2019)41st percentile-9 vs school
By subject vs California (2025-2026) ?
English Language Arts/Literacy57%+8 vs state
Mathematics49%+11 vs state
Science46%+10 vs state

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

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

Carpenter (C. C.) Elementary ranks 1723rd of 5817 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

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

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

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

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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.

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