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Ward (E. W.) Elementary

Q: Is Ward (E. W.) Elementary a good school?

Ward (E. W.) Elementary ranks 2231 st of 5817 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-5

2231^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,817 California Elementary Schools

Better than 62% of California elementary schools

Summary

Ward (E. W.) Elementary serves 543 students in grades K–5 in Downey, California, within Downey Unified. In 2025–2026, 51% of students were proficient in English language arts, 43% in math, and 34% in science. The clearest concern alongside the school’s academic results is attendance: chronic absenteeism is still above both district and state rates, at 21% versus 20% and 18%.

Compared with the state, Ward is ahead in ELA by 2 percentage points and math by 5, but behind in science by 2. It trails its district in all three subjects: by 6 points in ELA, 1 in math, and 4 in science. Against nearby K–5 schools, Ward is above average in every subject: its results are 7 points above the peer average in ELA, 3 in math, and 5 in science. It ranks fourth in ELA, fifth in math, and third in science among those eight schools. Fifth-grade math is a notable weak spot: 34% proficiency is below the state and district, though it exceeds most nearby grade-five results.

Results have improved considerably since 2022–2023: proficiency rose 12 points in ELA, 15 in math, and 13 in science. Science did fall 6 points from the previous year, so progress has not been steady in every subject. SchoolDigger ranks Ward 2,227th of 5,804 California schools, in the 62nd percentile, with 3 stars; its percentile has risen 28 points since 2021–2022. The student–teacher ratio is 22.6, close to the nearby average of 22.5. In 2024–2025, 87% of students were free/reduced lunch eligible, above the nearby-school average of 83%; this is context, not an explanation for results. SchoolDigger’s subgroup rankings show especially strong relative standing for Hispanic students, at the 82nd percentile, and a weaker, recently declining ranking for Special Education Students, at the 31st percentile, down from 53 the prior year.

543

Students ?

22.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

$19,944

Per pupil spending ?

87.3%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

All students in California receive free school meals.

≥ 99%

Kindergartners with all required immunizations (2024-25)

8851 East Adoree St.
Downey, CA 90242-4501

(562) 904-3591

District: Downey Unified

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

87.5%

White:

6.4%

Asian:

2.8%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Ward (E. W.) Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 34th percentile in 2022 → 62nd in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 28 percentile points since 2022

✓Above the California median (62nd percentile)

Worth a look

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

!Near the bottom of Downey Unified's ranking

!Large classes — about 23 students per teacher

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school45%

District avg49%

California avg42%

2,231^st of 5,817

California public elementary schools ?

Top 38%▲ up 28 pts since 2022

From bottom 34% (2022) to top 38% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

10^th of 11Elementary Schools in the Downey Unified

452^nd 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

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	56.6	2231 of 5817	61.6%	★★★☆☆
2025	51.9	2499 of 5857	57.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	41.8	3075 of 5869	47.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	36.2	3409 of 5859	41.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	29.6	3903 of 5883	33.7%	★★☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	29.0	1540 of 2227	30.8%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	47.6	1317 of 3162	58.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	58.1	855 of 3245	73.7%	★★★★☆
2022	45.0	1465 of 3311	55.8%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	66.6	1646 of 5581	70.5%	★★★★☆
2025	53.1	2293 of 5597	59.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	42.2	2918 of 5612	48.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	36.6	3248 of 5609	42.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	25.7	4151 of 5635	26.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	75.9	895 of 5094	82.4%	★★★★☆
2025	66.3	1381 of 5107	73.0%	★★★★☆
2024	56.7	1858 of 5107	63.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	50.2	2217 of 5087	56.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	41.4	2799 of 5084	44.9%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	70.9	1243 of 5423	77.1%	★★★★☆
2025	65.4	1527 of 5460	72.0%	★★★★☆
2024	52.0	2267 of 5517	58.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	47.9	2506 of 5363	53.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	40.5	2967 of 5264	43.6%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	44.7	2823 of 5603	49.6%	★★☆☆☆
2025	49.8	2526 of 5628	55.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	41.2	2988 of 5643	47.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	36.1	3326 of 5638	41.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	34.9	3382 of 5663	40.3%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	30.6	2025 of 2927	30.8%	★★☆☆☆
2025	42.6	1346 of 2847	52.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	35.9	1506 of 2635	42.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	37.0	1335 of 2420	44.8%	★★☆☆☆

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)82nd percentile+21 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)77th percentile+15 vs school

Female (2026)71st percentile+9 vs school

English Language Learner (2024)58th percentile+11 vs school

Male (2026)50th percentile-12 vs school

Disabled (2022)31st percentile-3 vs school

Special Education (2026)31st percentile-31 vs school

By subject vs California (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy51%~ state avg

Mathematics43%+5 vs state

Science34%~ state avg

★

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Schools Near Ward (E. W.) 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 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
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%)	56.6	2231^st of 5817 public elementary schools	61.6%		51.9	2499^th of 5857 public elementary schools	57.3%	268	33.7	33.7	56.6	48.8	49.5		51.4	54.0	43.8	34.0		43.1	≥ 99%		$19,944	$684	$19,260
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%)	67.3	1723^rd of 5817 public elementary schools	70.4%		59.5	2091^st of 5857 public elementary schools	64.3%	368	46.0	46.0	71.0	44.1	59.1		57.3	68.0	34.8	46.9		48.9	≥ 99%		$14,864	$596	$14,268
Garcia (John A.) 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)			57.4				57.4	60.1				60.1	96%	0%	$17,407	$857	$16,550
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%)	57.6	2178^th of 5817 public elementary schools	62.6%		51.4	2530^th of 5857 public elementary schools	56.8%	352	37.6	37.6	48.4	48.5	53.2		49.9	52.4	42.9	36.7		44.3	97%	0%	$21,848	$891	$20,957
Theodore Roosevelt	Public	K-5	13451 Merkel Ave.	Paramount	90723	Los Angeles County	Paramount Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(562) 602-8056	491	24	20.8	92.7%	4 (0.8%)	51 (10.4%)	419 (85.3%)	7 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.4%)	7 (1.4%)	24.9	4403^rd of 5817 public elementary schools	24.3%		22.9	4599^th of 5857 public elementary schools	21.5%	196	18.7	18.7	28.4	20.8	42.7		29.6	36.0	24.8	24.0		27.9	97%	0%	$24,276	$1,138	$23,138
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%)	69.2	1616^th of 5817 public elementary schools	72.2%		71.5	1532^nd of 5857 public elementary schools	73.8%	84	32.6	32.6	70.3	58.3	51.8		59.6	78.7	57.3	35.9		56.2	97%	0%	$17,086	$537	$16,549
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%)	28.4	4124^th of 5817 public elementary schools	29.1%		29.6	3993^rd of 5857 public elementary schools	31.8%	131	15.4	15.4	40.0	22.2	47.7		36.0	43.3	18.6	18.5		26.2	≥ 98%		$26,212	$1,129	$25,083
Pace (Lynn L.) Elementary	Public	K-3	9625 Van Ruiten St.	Bellflower	90706	Los Angeles County	Downey Unified	No	(n/a)	(n/a)	(n/a)	(562) 904-3571	0			—	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
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%)	51	2553^rd of 5817 public elementary schools	56.1%		56.2	2242^nd of 5857 public elementary schools	61.7%	311	37.1	37.1	31.3	40.4	57.1	44.7	43.3	37.5	40.4	48.6	41.7	41.9	≥ 95%		$21,257	$2,104	$19,153
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%)	36.6	3467^th of 5817 public elementary schools	40.4%		38.3	3326^th of 5857 public elementary schools	43.2%	141	21.9	21.9	43.0	41.2	33.3		38.8	48.7	36.1	21.9		34.3	94%	0%	$18,614	$562	$18,052

Frequently Asked Questions about Ward (E. W.) Elementary

Is Ward (E. W.) Elementary a good school?

Ward (E. W.) Elementary ranks 2231^st of 5817 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Ward (E. W.) Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 543 students attended Ward (E. W.) Elementary.

What district is Ward (E. W.) Elementary in?

Downey Unified

What is the racial makeup of Ward (E. W.) Elementary?

Students at Ward (E. W.) Elementary are 87% Hispanic, 6% White, 3% Asian, 1% African American.

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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.