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D. D. Johnston Elementary

Public Grades K-5
1922nd
SchoolDigger Rank ?
of 5,817 California Elementary Schools
Better than 67% of California elementary schools
Summary

D. D. Johnston Elementary serves 361 students in kindergarten through fifth grade in Norwalk, California, and is part of the Norwalk-La Mirada Unified district. In 2025–2026, proficiency was above state and district levels in all three tested subjects; the clearest strength was science, where Johnston outperformed the district by 12 points and the state by 10.

Science is also Johnston’s strongest subject compared with nearby schools: 46% of students were proficient, versus a 39% average for nearby K–5 schools. Math was 46%, compared with a nearby average of 44%; ELA was 52%, versus 50%. Despite these advantages, Johnston ranked sixth among 10 nearby K–5 schools in each subject. Within its district, it ranked second among nearby schools in ELA and math and first in science. Results vary by grade, though: third-grade math proficiency was 57%, but fourth-grade math was 37%—5 points below the state and 4 below the district. That makes fourth-grade math a specific weakness to ask about, rather than assuming results are similar in every grade.

Scores have improved overall since 2022–2023: ELA rose from 46% to 52%, math from 40% to 46%, and science from 17% to 46%. Science has been less steady, climbing to 56% in 2024–2025 before falling by 10 points the following year. Chronic absenteeism also declined, from 41% in 2021–2022 to 19% in 2025–2026. SchoolDigger ranked Johnston 1,918th of 5,804 California schools, at the 67th percentile with 3 stars; that was fifth-highest among nearby schools. Its statewide measure of how well it serves Hispanic students was at the 87th percentile in 2025–2026, while its measure for students in special education was at the 29th percentile, down from 51 in 2023–2024. For context, the student–teacher ratio was 22.3 in 2024–2025, compared with 21.7 nearby, and 73% of students were free/reduced lunch eligible that school year, compared with a nearby average of 79%.

361
Students ?
22.3
Student/teacher ratio ?
$22,465
Per pupil spending ?
73.4%
Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?
All students in California receive free school meals.
≥ 98%
Kindergartners with all required immunizations (2024-25)
 13421 South Fairford Ave.
       Norwalk, CA  90650-3630

(562) 210-3120

District: Norwalk-La Mirada Unified


Students who attend D. D. Johnston Elementary usually attend:

Middle:    Corvallis Middle
High:    Norwalk High
Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:
89.2%
Asian:
4.2%
African American:
3.0%
more
 See top rated California elementary schools

 Compare D. D. Johnston Elementary to nearby elementary schools!
At a glance
▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 29th percentile in 2015 → 67th in 2026
Strengths
✓Test scores above the California average (49% vs 42% meeting standards)
✓Ranking is trending up — up 38 percentile points since 2015
✓Above the California median (67th percentile)
Worth a look
!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing
!Large classes — about 22 students per teacher
Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?
This school49%
District avg41%
California avg42%
1,922nd of 5,817
California public elementary schools ?
Top 33%▲ up 27 pts since 2016
From bottom 40% (2016) to top 33% (2026)
See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →
★★★★★
SchoolDigger rating ?
5th of 16Elementary Schools in the Norwalk-La Mirada Unified
691st of 1,530Norwalk-La Mirada 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
202663.11922 of 581767.0%★★★☆☆
202564.21880 of 585767.9%★★★☆☆
202444.02919 of 586950.3%★★★☆☆
202349.52556 of 585956.4%★★★☆☆
202246.92697 of 588354.2%★★★☆☆
201952.32475 of 578957.2%★★★☆☆
201852.12443 of 566256.9%★★★☆☆
201741.43021 of 569246.9%★★☆☆☆
201635.53374 of 561439.9%★★☆☆☆
201526.63979 of 561129.1%★☆☆☆☆
201353.02509 of 553054.6%★★★☆☆
201242.13134 of 539041.9%★★☆☆☆
201148.82660 of 537750.5%★★★☆☆
201047.12746 of 531448.3%★★☆☆☆
200914.54762 of 51938.3%☆☆☆☆☆
200826.43867 of 511324.4%★☆☆☆☆
200718.44418 of 511313.6%★☆☆☆☆
200624.33704 of 481823.1%★☆☆☆☆
200527.13472 of 482228.0%★☆☆☆☆
200435.22931 of 480939.1%★★☆☆☆

Disabled

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202237.61178 of 222747.1%★★☆☆☆
201951.5938 of 258563.7%★★★☆☆
201840.71018 of 212852.2%★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202275.8366 of 331188.9%★★★★☆

Female

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202670.51472 of 558173.6%★★★★☆
202566.91650 of 559770.5%★★★★☆
202448.62479 of 561255.8%★★★☆☆
202360.01941 of 560965.4%★★★☆☆
202251.22355 of 563558.2%★★★☆☆
201957.52084 of 549262.1%★★★☆☆
201851.22423 of 541355.2%★★★☆☆

Hispanic

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202680.9660 of 509487.0%★★★★☆
202578.0819 of 510784.0%★★★★☆
202457.91792 of 510764.9%★★★☆☆
202363.21481 of 508770.9%★★★★☆
202260.31627 of 508468.0%★★★☆☆
201962.11568 of 496368.4%★★★☆☆
201864.91392 of 483071.2%★★★★☆

Homeless

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202689.412 of 36696.7%★★★★★
202474.058 of 36484.1%★★★★☆
202374.054 of 33583.9%★★★★☆
202269.363 of 35682.3%★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202670.61259 of 542376.8%★★★★☆
202568.71346 of 546075.3%★★★★☆
202450.22382 of 551756.8%★★★☆☆
202361.41667 of 536368.9%★★★☆☆
202261.11619 of 526469.2%★★★☆☆
201966.91354 of 517373.8%★★★★☆
201873.9991 of 508480.5%★★★★☆

Male

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202652.42364 of 560357.8%★★★☆☆
202557.72079 of 562863.1%★★★☆☆
202437.73230 of 564342.8%★★☆☆☆
202338.23178 of 563843.6%★★☆☆☆
202242.92841 of 566349.8%★★☆☆☆
201946.62638 of 551052.1%★★★☆☆
201852.02337 of 543157.0%★★★☆☆

Special Education

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202629.82072 of 292729.2%★☆☆☆☆
202440.71289 of 263551.1%★★★☆☆
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 (2026)97th percentile+30 vs school
English Language Learner (2022)89th percentile+35 vs school
Hispanic (2026)87th percentile+20 vs school
Low Socio Economic Status (2026)77th percentile+10 vs school
Female (2026)74th percentile+7 vs school
Male (2026)58th percentile-9 vs school
Disabled (2022)47th percentile-7 vs school
Special Education (2026)29th percentile-38 vs school
By subject vs California (2025-2026) ?
English Language Arts/Literacy52%+3 vs state
Science46%+10 vs state
Mathematics46%+8 vs state

★
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Frequently Asked Questions about D. D. Johnston Elementary

D. D. Johnston Elementary ranks 1922nd of 5817 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Students who attend D. D. Johnston Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Corvallis Middle
High : Norwalk High

In the 2024-25 school year, 361 students attended D. D. Johnston Elementary.

Students at D. D. Johnston Elementary are 89% Hispanic, 4% Asian, 3% African American, 2% Two or more races.

Rate D. D. Johnston 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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