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Best Middle Schools in Zip Code 90221

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At a glance

Schools

884

Students

Districts

5-star school

Top rankedEarly College Middle177^th of 2,740 California middle schools

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Summary:

Zip code 90221 has three middle schools serving grades 6–8, with results that vary widely from school to school rather than showing a consistent area-wide pattern. In 2024–2025, the gap between the highest and lowest school was 50 points in ELA, 49 points in math, and 39 points in science. The most important finding is that Early College Middle is a clear standout, while the other schools have substantially lower results.

Early College Middle led all three schools in every 2024–2025 subject, with 89% proficient in ELA, 67% in math, and 53% in science—40, 30, and 20 points above state results, respectively. Whaley Middle was second in each subject, at 45% in ELA, 47% in math, and 15% in science. Bridges Preparatory Academy ranked last in all-grades results, with 38% in ELA, 18% in math, and 14% in science; however, its seventh-grade ELA result was 51%, 12 points above Whaley’s. SchoolDigger’s 2025–2026 rankings give Early College 5 stars and the 94th percentile, compared with Whaley’s 3 stars and 51st percentile; Bridges’ latest supplied ranking is 2 stars and the 34th percentile for 2024–2025.

Recent trends differ: from 2024–2025 to 2025–2026, Whaley’s ELA and math scores fell by 6 and 8 points, while science rose by 11; Early College’s ELA and math increased by 1 and 3 points, while science fell by 4. In 2025–2026, Early College was above the state in all three subjects; Whaley was just above the state in math but below it in ELA and science. Early College’s strong results came alongside the highest reported student-teacher ratio—28, versus 24.2 at Whaley and 29 at Bridges. The 2024–2025 free/reduced lunch eligible measures were 89% at Early College, 93% at Whaley, and 88% at Bridges; these are context, not an explanation for results. Bridges has no supplied 2025–2026 test results.

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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 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)				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 8th Grade	CAST Science All Grades	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 6th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 7th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 8th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Bridges Preparatory Academy	Public, Charter	6-8	400 South Santa Fe Ave.	Compton	90221	Los Angeles County	Bridges Preparatory Academy District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(866) 201-3890	151	5	29.0	88.1%	1 (0.7%)	15 (9.9%)	133 (88.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.7%)	1 (0.7%)								(n/a)											$18,770	$1,264	$17,506
Whaley Middle	Public	6-8	14401 South Gibson Ave.	Compton	90221	Los Angeles County	Compton Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(310) 898-6070	429	18	24.2	92.8%	2 (0.5%)	47 (11.0%)	374 (87.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (1.4%)	44.6	1339^th of 2740 public middle schools	51.1%		54.2	1070^th of 2761 public middle schools	61.2%	269	25.8	25.8	44.6	39.1	36.4	39.6	29.4	33.0	52.0	39.3	$28,361	$4,758	$23,603
Early College Middle	Public	6-8	1200 East Alondra Blvd. Compton	Compton	90221	Los Angeles County	Compton Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(310) 604-2706	304	11	28.0	88.8%	1 (0.3%)	38 (12.5%)	260 (85.5%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.0%)	93.6	177^th of 2740 public middle schools	93.5%		95.4	140^th of 2761 public middle schools	94.9%	37	49.1	49.1	84.3	97.0	88.7	89.9	80.0	74.8	50.0	69.8	$18,930	$3,973	$14,957

Cities Near Zip Code 90221

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Long Beach	0.35 mi	80	410^th
Compton	0.6 mi	44	344^th
Paramount	1.49 mi	14	581^st
Lynwood	2.24 mi	18	693^rd
Carson	2.84 mi	26	331^st

See the top CA California cities

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.