Olivia Nieto Herrera Elementary

Olivia Nieto Herrera Elementary is a K-5 public school serving 615 students in the Long Beach Unified School District, showing a mix of strengths and challenges in serving its community.

The school has notable successes, particularly in supporting specific groups of students; it performs especially well for its African American students, English Language Learners, and students from low-income families, often ranking higher for these groups than its overall score suggests. However, the school faces significant hurdles with chronic student absenteeism, which is higher than both the district and state averages, and with science proficiency, where scores lag considerably behind other subjects. Academic performance has fluctuated over the years, and while per-student spending has increased and class sizes have improved, these changes have not yet led to a consistent rise in overall test scores.

When compared to nearby schools with similar student demographics, such as Signal Hill Elementary, it's clear that high academic achievement is possible in the area, as Signal Hill maintains stronger test scores and better attendance. Other local schools like Willard Elementary face similar attendance challenges, while Alvarado Elementary has historically maintained higher performance ratings. This comparison highlights that Olivia Nieto Herrera has a foundation for improvement, with its recent investments in smaller classes providing a potential path forward.