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

Birney Elementary

Q: Is Birney Elementary a good school?

Birney Elementary ranks 2764 th of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-5

2764^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,857 California Elementary Schools

Better than 53% of California elementary schools

Summary

Birney Elementary is a K-5 public school serving 501 students in the Long Beach Unified School District, representing a mid-performing school that has shown steady improvement over the past decade.

Academically, Birney performs near or above state averages in mathematics, which is a relative strength, though it lags in English Language Arts and Science. The school demonstrates notable effectiveness with specific student groups, such as African American students and students from low socioeconomic backgrounds, often outperforming nearby schools with similar demographics like Roosevelt Elementary and Bobbie Smith Elementary. However, performance for English Language Learners and Special Education students has been inconsistent year-to-year. A significant challenge is chronic absenteeism, which at 29.1% is higher than both district and state averages.

Interesting comparisons exist with other local schools, showing that higher poverty levels do not always predict lower performance. For instance, Signal Hill Elementary has a higher poverty rate but outperforms Birney, while nearby Longfellow Elementary and Los Cerritos Elementary achieve much higher rankings, partly due to significantly better attendance rates. Birney's substantial per-student funding and low student-teacher ratio suggest significant resources are available to continue addressing its challenges and building on its strengths.

501

Students ?

21.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

$21,433

Per pupil spending ?

70.3%

Free/discounted lunch ?

710 West Spring St.
Long Beach, CA 90806-1413

(562) 427-8512

District: Long Beach Unified

Students who attend Birney Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Hughes Middle
High:	Polytechnic High

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

58.7%

Asian:

14.6%

African American:

13.2%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Birney Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Recently slipping — 63rd percentile in 2022 → 53rd in 2025

Strengths

✓Above the California median (53rd percentile)

Worth a look

!High chronic absenteeism (29% vs 19% California)

!Ranking has slipped from its 63rd-percentile peak (2022) to 53rd (2025)

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school40%

District avg42%

California avg41%

2,764^th of 5,857

California public elementary schools ?

Top 47%▲ up 14 pts since 2015

From bottom 39% (2015) to top 47% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

29^th of 53Elementary Schools in the Long Beach Unified

606^th of 1,543Long Beach 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	47.0	2764 of 5857	52.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	45.7	2818 of 5869	52.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	54.7	2293 of 5859	60.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	56.7	2201 of 5883	62.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	38.8	800 of 1417	43.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	51.8	2505 of 5789	56.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	49.8	2577 of 5662	54.5%	★★★☆☆
2017	35.7	3398 of 5692	40.3%	★★☆☆☆
2016	35.2	3392 of 5614	39.6%	★★☆☆☆
2015	33.6	3432 of 5611	38.8%	★★☆☆☆
2013	44.6	3036 of 5530	45.1%	★★☆☆☆
2012	44.2	2993 of 5390	44.5%	★★☆☆☆
2011	52.6	2441 of 5377	54.6%	★★★☆☆
2010	43.6	2945 of 5314	44.6%	★★☆☆☆
2009	49.7	2512 of 5193	51.6%	★★★☆☆
2008	58.2	1937 of 5113	62.1%	★★★☆☆
2007	56.0	2022 of 5113	60.5%	★★★☆☆
2006	49.7	2208 of 4818	54.2%	★★★☆☆
2005	41.2	2646 of 4822	45.1%	★★☆☆☆
2004	52.5	2034 of 4809	57.7%	★★★☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	67.8	131 of 569	77.0%	★★★★☆
2024	76.1	96 of 593	83.8%	★★★★☆
2022	46.2	295 of 663	55.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	71.5	151 of 747	79.8%	★★★★☆
2018	66.2	173 of 700	75.3%	★★★★☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	43.3	980 of 2227	56.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	29.2	191 of 293	34.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	60.4	720 of 2585	72.1%	★★★★☆
2018	32.7	1314 of 2128	38.3%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	26.5	2769 of 3162	12.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	35.8	2097 of 3245	35.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	36.9	1937 of 3246	40.3%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	41.4	2989 of 5597	46.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	51.3	2363 of 5612	57.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	59.7	1963 of 5609	65.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	51.5	2345 of 5635	58.4%	★★★☆☆
2021	36.3	754 of 1267	40.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	52.6	2362 of 5492	57.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	44.4	2815 of 5413	48.0%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	54.3	2013 of 5107	60.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	48.4	2382 of 5107	53.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	61.6	1571 of 5087	69.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	60.4	1625 of 5084	68.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	56.3	1889 of 4963	61.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	49.4	2260 of 4830	53.2%	★★★☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2023	79.3	37 of 335	89.0%	★★★★☆
2022	92.2	16 of 356	95.5%	★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	55.4	2112 of 5460	61.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	54.0	2120 of 5517	61.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	70.0	1235 of 5363	77.0%	★★★★☆
2022	69.4	1201 of 5264	77.2%	★★★★☆
2021	51.5	462 of 1110	58.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	63.7	1533 of 5173	70.4%	★★★★☆
2018	62.7	1588 of 5084	68.8%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	50.9	2451 of 5628	56.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	40.6	3029 of 5643	46.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	48.9	2516 of 5638	55.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	60.4	1941 of 5663	65.7%	★★★☆☆
2021	41.0	685 of 1272	46.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	49.7	2473 of 5510	55.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	54.0	2224 of 5431	59.0%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	48.9	1100 of 2847	61.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	24.4	2142 of 2635	18.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	26.8	1806 of 2420	25.4%	★☆☆☆☆

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 (2023)89th percentile+28 vs school

African American (2025)77th percentile+24 vs school

Special Education (2025)61st percentile+9 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)61st percentile+9 vs school

Hispanic (2025)61st percentile+8 vs school

Male (2025)56th percentile+4 vs school

Disabled (2022)56th percentile-7 vs school

Female (2025)47th percentile-6 vs school

English Language Learner (2024)12th percentile-40 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy44%-5 vs state

Mathematics40%+3 vs state

Science25%-8 vs state

★

No ratings yet

Be the first to rate Birney Elementary and help other families decide.

Rate Birney 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 Birney Elementary

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 (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 5th Grade	CAST Science 8th 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 7th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 8th 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 7th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 8th 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
Birney Elementary	Public	K-5	710 West Spring St.	Long Beach	90806	Los Angeles County	Long Beach Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(562) 427-8512	501	23	21.7	70.3%	22 (4.4%)	66 (13.2%)	294 (58.7%)	73 (14.6%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (2.8%)	32 (6.4%)	47	2764^th of 5857 public elementary schools	52.8%		45.7	2818^th of 5869 public elementary schools	52.0%	54	25.0		25.0	40.3	41.9	50.7				44.3	49.3	32.3	40.8				39.8	95.2	98.1	98.1	97.1	97.1	96.1	$21,433	$4,356	$17,077
Muir K-8	Public	K-8	3038 Delta Ave.	Long Beach	90810	Los Angeles County	Long Beach Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(562) 426-5571	1,029	44	23.1	71.0%	16 (1.6%)	115 (11.2%)	706 (68.6%)	141 (13.7%)	1 (0.1%)	15 (1.5%)	35 (3.4%)	46.4	2801^st of 5857 public elementary schools	52.2%		40.5	3153^rd of 5869 public elementary schools	46.3%	352	30.6	26.6	28.7	41.0	38.3	50.5	48.6	49.1	53.2	46.7	46.6	33.0	34.3	29.0	40.4	32.3	35.9	95.9			95.9	98.4	96.7	$20,603	$3,966	$16,637
Lafayette Elementary	Public	K-5	2445 Chestnut Ave.	Long Beach	90806	Los Angeles County	Long Beach Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(562) 426-7075	827	31	27.1	80.9%	13 (1.6%)	103 (12.5%)	650 (78.6%)	27 (3.3%)	1 (0.1%)	3 (0.4%)	29 (3.5%)	40.1	3215^th of 5857 public elementary schools	45.1%		38.3	3288^th of 5869 public elementary schools	44.0%	73	16.0		16.0	31.7	37.3	42.7				37.2	45.6	38.6	39.6				41.3	94.5			95.1	97.6	97.6	$18,153	$3,633	$14,520
Webster Elementary	Public	K-5	1755 West 32nd Way	Long Beach	90810	Los Angeles County	Long Beach Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(562) 595-6568	454	21	21.6	78.4%	5 (1.1%)	79 (17.4%)	317 (69.8%)	42 (9.3%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.4%)	9 (2.0%)	35.5	3539^th of 5857 public elementary schools	39.6%		29	4010^th of 5869 public elementary schools	31.7%	471	17.9		17.9	35.2	39.1	29.9				34.8	38.0	48.6	23.9				37.0	93.6				96.4	97.3	$24,859	$5,559	$19,300
Garfield Elementary	Public	K-5	2240 Baltic Ave.	Long Beach	90810	Los Angeles County	Long Beach Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(562) 424-8167	536	21	26.1	78.0%	13 (2.4%)	30 (5.6%)	411 (76.7%)	77 (14.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	4 (0.7%)	48.6	2668^th of 5857 public elementary schools	54.4%		41.1	3119^th of 5869 public elementary schools	46.9%	451	23.7		23.7	40.5	44.6	57.1				48.0	39.5	36.5	40.9				39.1	96.2	98.1	98.1		97.1		$21,979	$4,144	$17,835
Los Cerritos Elementary	Public	K-5	515 West San Antonio Dr.	Long Beach	90807	Los Angeles County	Long Beach Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(562) 595-6337	453	17	27.4	36.2%	73 (16.1%)	59 (13.0%)	169 (37.3%)	93 (20.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	58 (12.8%)	88.4	751^st of 5857 public elementary schools	87.2%		81.2	1107^th of 5869 public elementary schools	81.1%	356	59.8		59.8	71.7	62.7	70.7				68.7	68.3	67.8	62.2				65.7							$17,807	$3,458	$14,349
Bobbie Smith Elementary	Public	K-5	565 East Hill St.	Long Beach	90806	Los Angeles County	Long Beach Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(562) 595-9466	635	24	27.0	85.4%	9 (1.4%)	57 (9.0%)	477 (75.1%)	75 (11.8%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.3%)	15 (2.4%)	29.1	4027^th of 5857 public elementary schools	31.2%		29.2	3997^th of 5869 public elementary schools	31.9%	30	8.3		8.3	33.0	31.7	29.0				31.2	44.0	36.8	22.2				34.4	95.1		98.4		98.4	98.4	$22,342	$4,532	$17,810
Hudson	Public	K-5	2335 Webster Ave.	Long Beach	90810	Los Angeles County	Long Beach Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(562) 426-0470	224	9	24.8	82.1%	4 (1.8%)	52 (23.2%)	127 (56.7%)	32 (14.3%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (2.2%)	4 (1.8%)	32.8	3745^th of 5857 public elementary schools	36.1%		27.4	4162^nd of 5869 public elementary schools	29.1%	417	16.7		16.7	27.0	45.5	35.7				36.6	29.7	34.1	31.0				31.7							$29,433	$5,934	$23,499
Longfellow Elementary	Public	K-5	3800 Olive Ave.	Long Beach	90807	Los Angeles County	Long Beach Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(562) 595-0308	904	32	28.2	40.8%	190 (21.0%)	141 (15.6%)	371 (41.0%)	107 (11.8%)	1 (0.1%)	13 (1.4%)	80 (8.8%)	79.6	1172^nd of 5857 public elementary schools	80.0%		79.2	1190^th of 5869 public elementary schools	79.7%	18	50.0		50.0	62.5	68.8	71.7				67.3	53.0	56.9	51.5				53.8							$16,506	$3,162	$13,344
Signal Hill Elementary	Public	K-5	2285 Walnut Ave.	Signal Hill	90755	Los Angeles County	Long Beach Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(562) 426-8170	599	23	26.6	86.1%	10 (1.7%)	84 (14.0%)	343 (57.3%)	130 (21.7%)	2 (0.3%)	4 (0.7%)	26 (4.3%)	58	2169^th of 5857 public elementary schools	63.0%		64.2	1866^th of 5869 public elementary schools	68.2%	303	28.6		28.6	45.8	50.9	56.3				51.3	58.8	31.2	49.1				45.9	94.2				95.0	96.7	$22,451	$4,335	$18,116

Frequently Asked Questions about Birney Elementary

Is Birney Elementary a good school?

Birney Elementary ranks 2764^th of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What district is Birney Elementary in?

Long Beach Unified

What schools do graduates of Birney Elementary attend?

Students who attend Birney Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Hughes Middle
High : Polytechnic High

How many students attend Birney Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 501 students attended Birney Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Birney Elementary?

Students at Birney Elementary are 59% Hispanic, 15% Asian, 13% African American, 6% Two or more races, 4% White, 3% Pacific Islander.

Rate Birney Elementary!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

CACalifornia Elementary School Rankings

CACalifornia District Rankings

Schools in Long Beach, CA

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for Birney Elementary!

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.