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Howard J. McKibben Elementary

Q: Is Howard J. McKibben Elementary a good school?

Howard J. McKibben Elementary ranks 3337 th of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-6

3337^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,857 California Elementary Schools

Better than 43% of California elementary schools

Summary

Howard J. McKibben Elementary is a K-6 public school serving about 430 students in the South Whittier Elementary district, which serves a high-need community.

Academically, McKibben is a mid-performer within its own district, with test scores in English, math, and science that are slightly above the district average but below the state average. The school has shown notable strengths in teaching math and science compared to other South Whittier Elementary schools and is particularly effective in supporting English Learner students. However, it faces challenges with its Special Education program and sees a significant drop in math proficiency as students move into the upper grades. A bright spot is a dramatic improvement in student attendance, with chronic absenteeism cut in half over the past two years.

The most striking finding is the performance gap between districts. Every school in the neighboring East Whittier City Elementary district, such as nearby Ceres Elementary, outperforms every school in the South Whittier district, including the highest-performing Lake Marie Elementary. This suggests that district-level factors play a major role in school performance, as schools in both areas serve similar student populations.

430

Students ?

23.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$17,166

Per pupil spending ?

86.3%

Free/discounted lunch ?

10550 Mills Ave.
Whittier, CA 90604-2439

(562) 944-9878

District: South Whittier Elementary

Students who attend Howard J. McKibben Elementary usually attend:

Middle:

Richard L. Graves Middle

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

93.3%

White:

3.5%

Asian:

1.9%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Howard J. McKibben Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Rebounding — 34th percentile in 2022 → 43rd in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is rebounding — up to 43rd (2025) from a 34th-percentile low (2022)

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (35% vs 41% meeting standards)

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

!English Language Arts/Literacy scores 13 pts below the California average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school35%

District avg28%

California avg41%

3,337^th of 5,857

California public elementary schools ?

Bottom 43%▼ down 14 pts since 2015

From top 43% (2015) to bottom 43% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd of 5Elementary Schools in the South Whittier Elementary

1081^st of 1,543South Whittier Elementary 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	38.1	3337 of 5857	43.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	41.2	3116 of 5869	46.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	33.9	3577 of 5859	38.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	29.8	3880 of 5883	34.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	57.2	2200 of 5789	62.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	47.0	2721 of 5662	51.9%	★★★☆☆
2017	49.8	2551 of 5692	55.2%	★★★☆☆
2016	54.1	2292 of 5614	59.2%	★★★☆☆
2015	50.1	2438 of 5611	56.5%	★★★☆☆
2013	70.0	1570 of 5530	71.6%	★★★★☆
2012	59.6	2073 of 5390	61.5%	★★★☆☆
2011	53.5	2383 of 5377	55.7%	★★★☆☆
2010	55.9	2223 of 5314	58.2%	★★★☆☆
2009	56.0	2125 of 5193	59.1%	★★★☆☆
2008	44.4	2692 of 5113	47.3%	★★☆☆☆
2007	39.1	2960 of 5113	42.1%	★★☆☆☆
2006	46.7	2347 of 4818	51.3%	★★★☆☆
2005	51.5	2114 of 4822	56.2%	★★★☆☆
2004	45.3	2395 of 4809	50.2%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2019	32.0	1681 of 2585	35.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	45.2	892 of 2128	58.1%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	59.3	758 of 3162	76.0%	★★★★☆
2022	44.1	1533 of 3311	53.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	75.8	393 of 3275	88.0%	★★★★☆
2018	54.0	1076 of 3246	66.9%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	39.8	3103 of 5597	44.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	38.7	3162 of 5612	43.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	33.6	3446 of 5609	38.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	37.7	3142 of 5635	44.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	57.5	2080 of 5492	62.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	40.3	3065 of 5413	43.4%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	50.8	2232 of 5107	56.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	50.6	2227 of 5107	56.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	43.6	2629 of 5087	48.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	39.6	2933 of 5084	42.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	71.1	1114 of 4963	77.6%	★★★★☆
2018	60.4	1606 of 4830	66.7%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	48.1	2571 of 5460	52.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	49.3	2439 of 5517	55.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	49.2	2421 of 5363	54.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	42.2	2824 of 5264	46.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	78.1	799 of 5173	84.6%	★★★★☆
2018	62.7	1591 of 5084	68.7%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	36.6	3351 of 5628	40.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	42.7	2898 of 5643	48.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	34.3	3453 of 5638	38.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	25.5	4191 of 5663	26.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	55.1	2194 of 5510	60.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	52.9	2293 of 5431	57.8%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	32.9	1846 of 2847	35.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	28.7	1905 of 2635	27.7%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

English Language Learner (2024)76th percentile+29 vs school

Hispanic (2025)56th percentile+13 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)53rd percentile+10 vs school

Female (2025)45th percentile~ school

Male (2025)40th percentile-3 vs school

Special Education (2025)35th percentile-8 vs school

Disabled (2019)35th percentile-27 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy36%-13 vs state

Mathematics35%~ state avg

Science27%-6 vs state

★

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Schools Near Howard J. McKibben 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 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)	% Varicella (2022)	% DTP (2022)	% MMR (2022)	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/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 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	% Completely Immunized KG	% Polio KG	% Varicella KG	% DTP KG	% MMR KG	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Howard J. McKibben Elementary	Public	K-6	10550 Mills Ave.	Whittier	90604	Los Angeles County	South Whittier Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(562) 944-9878	430	18	23.8	86.3%	15 (3.5%)	2 (0.5%)	401 (93.3%)	8 (1.9%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.5%)	38.1	3337^th of 5857 public elementary schools	43.0%		41.2	3116^th of 5869 public elementary schools	46.9%	221	26.7	26.7	31.7	38.8	44.4	31.3	36.1	48.3	46.9	26.7	14.3	35.0						$17,166	$16,156	$1,010
Ceres Elementary	Public	K-5	10601 South Ceres Ave.	Whittier	90604	Los Angeles County	East Whittier City Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(562) 464-2200	492	22	22.3	67.1%	28 (5.7%)	0 (0.0%)	440 (89.4%)	11 (2.2%)	5 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (1.6%)	68.7	1654^th of 5857 public elementary schools	71.8%		68.2	1675^th of 5869 public elementary schools	71.5%	21	33.3	33.3	49.5	54.7	60.3		54.1	57.9	54.7	52.4		55.4						$2,760	$1,266	$1,494
Lake Marie Elementary	Public	K-6	10001 Carmenita Rd.	Whittier	90605	Los Angeles County	South Whittier Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(562) 944-0208	186	8	23.2	87.1%	7 (3.8%)	0 (0.0%)	173 (93.0%)	3 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.6%)	52	2494^th of 5857 public elementary schools	57.4%		24.7	4394^th of 5869 public elementary schools	25.1%	1900	31.3	31.3	37.5	50.0	62.5	55.2	52.3	25.0	37.5	40.6	31.0	33.9						$31,112	$29,846	$1,266
Carmela Elementary	Public	K-6	13300 Lakeland Rd.	Whittier	90605	Los Angeles County	South Whittier Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(562) 941-2132	317	15	21.1	94.0%	13 (4.1%)	3 (0.9%)	297 (93.7%)	3 (0.9%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	17.9	5016^th of 5857 public elementary schools	14.4%		17.9	5044^th of 5869 public elementary schools	14.1%	28	15.9	15.9	18.0	36.0	34.9	18.2	27.3	24.0	21.6	9.3	8.8	16.9						$25,414	$24,170	$1,244
Mulberry Elementary	Public	K-5	14029 East Mulberry Dr.	Whittier	90605	Los Angeles County	East Whittier City Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(562) 789-7100	447	17	25.5	77.0%	21 (4.7%)	1 (0.2%)	398 (89.0%)	10 (2.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	16 (3.6%)	64.5	1864^th of 5857 public elementary schools	68.2%		65.3	1805^th of 5869 public elementary schools	69.2%	59	34.2	34.2	56.3	40.6	60.5		52.9	57.8	40.9	55.3		51.5	94.2	96.5	96.5	95.4		$3,695	$2,148	$1,547
Loma Vista Elementary	Public	K-6	13463 East Meyer Rd.	Whittier	90605	Los Angeles County	South Whittier Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(562) 941-4712	379	16	23.6	92.3%	9 (2.4%)	4 (1.1%)	362 (95.5%)	3 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	38.8	3297^th of 5857 public elementary schools	43.7%		37.2	3350^th of 5869 public elementary schools	42.9%	53	15.0	15.0	42.9	30.4	45.0	36.2	39.1	51.0	41.3	28.3	25.5	36.1						$20,814	$19,732	$1,082
La Colima Elementary	Public	K-5	11225 Miller Rd.	Whittier	90604	Los Angeles County	East Whittier City Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(562) 789-7200	378	18	20.8	77.2%	18 (4.8%)	3 (0.8%)	334 (88.4%)	8 (2.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (4.0%)	62.1	1955^th of 5857 public elementary schools	66.6%		47.3	2718^th of 5869 public elementary schools	53.7%	763	27.1	27.1	60.0	44.1	55.9		53.3	63.6	47.5	42.9		50.5	96.9		96.9	96.9	96.9	$3,329	$1,704	$1,625
Los Altos Elementary	Public	K-6	12001 Bona Vista Ln.	Whittier	90604	Los Angeles County	South Whittier Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(562) 941-3711	457	21	21.7	91.0%	13 (2.8%)	3 (0.7%)	431 (94.3%)	3 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (1.5%)	22.4	4639^th of 5857 public elementary schools	20.8%		23.8	4489^th of 5869 public elementary schools	23.5%	150	20.0	20.0	29.1	28.3	25.5	38.6	30.4	16.1	24.2	21.8	18.3	20.2						$18,890	$17,790	$1,100
Laurel Elementary	Public	K-5	13550 Lambert Rd.	Whittier	90605	Los Angeles County	East Whittier City Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(562) 789-2100	465	18	25.6	81.3%	20 (4.3%)	4 (0.9%)	427 (91.8%)	3 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (2.4%)	42.6	3030^th of 5857 public elementary schools	48.3%		46.5	2766^th of 5869 public elementary schools	52.9%	264	28.6	28.6	40.0	39.1	38.1		39.0	40.3	40.6	35.7		38.6						$3,230	$1,738	$1,492
Orchard Dale Elementary	Public	K-5	10625 South Cole Rd.	Whittier	90604	Los Angeles County	East Whittier City Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(562) 789-7000	472	21	22.4	63.8%	21 (4.4%)	6 (1.3%)	421 (89.2%)	19 (4.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.8%)	59.8	2079^th of 5857 public elementary schools	64.5%		66.5	1752^nd of 5869 public elementary schools	70.1%	327	40.5	40.5	50.7	48.5	60.7		53.8	38.7	40.9	42.9		40.9						$2,810	$1,330	$1,480

Frequently Asked Questions about Howard J. McKibben Elementary

How many students attend Howard J. McKibben Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 430 students attended Howard J. McKibben Elementary.

What schools do graduates of Howard J. McKibben Elementary attend?

Students who attend Howard J. McKibben Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Richard L. Graves Middle

Is Howard J. McKibben Elementary a good school?

Howard J. McKibben Elementary ranks 3337^th of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What district is Howard J. McKibben Elementary in?

South Whittier Elementary

What is the racial makeup of Howard J. McKibben Elementary?

Students at Howard J. McKibben Elementary are 93% Hispanic, 3% White, 2% Asian.

Rate Howard J. McKibben Elementary!

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Latest California data All new data »

2024–25 school spending dataJul 1, 2026

2024–25 attendance dataMar 13, 2026

2024–25 CSA Spanish test scoresDec 22, 2025

2024–25 dropout rates & graduation ratesNov 14, 2025

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.