Best Public Schools in Zip Code 90242

Summary:

The 90242 zip code area in Downey, California is home to 9 schools, including 7 elementary schools and 2 middle schools, all part of the Downey Unified School District. While some standout schools like Carpenter (C.C.) Elementary and Lewis (Ed C.) Elementary excel in English and Math, many schools in the area struggle with low test scores, particularly in Mathematics, and high chronic absenteeism rates that are significantly above state averages.

The schools in the 90242 zip code serve a diverse student population, with Hispanic students making up the majority. However, the high rates of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 43.87% at Carpenter (C.C.) Elementary to 80.76% at Gauldin (A.L.) Elementary, indicate a high level of economic disadvantage in the area. This may contribute to the lower academic performance observed in some schools.

While Carpenter (C.C.) Elementary and Lewis (Ed C.) Elementary stand out as high-performing schools, the two middle schools, Stauffer (Mary R.) Middle and Sussman (Edward A.) Middle, have relatively low performance on state assessments, with proficiency rates below the district and state averages. Addressing chronic absenteeism and supporting economically disadvantaged students could be important strategies for improving overall academic outcomes in the 90242 zip code area.

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Immunizations Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2023)				Ranking (2022)				CAST Science (2023)			Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy (2023)							Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics (2023)							% Completely Immunized (2022)	% Polio (2022)	% Hepatitis B (2022)	% Varicella (2022)	% DTP (2022)	% MMR (2022)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2018)
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 (2023)	Statewide Rank (2023)	State Percentile (2023)	SchoolDigger Rating (2023)	Average Standard Score (2022)	Statewide Rank (2022)	State Percentile (2022)	Rank Change from Previous Year	CAST Science 5th Grade	CAST Science 8th Grade	CAST Science End of Course	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 End of Course	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 End of Course	% Completely Immunized KG	% Polio KG	% Hepatitis B KG	% Varicella KG	% DTP KG	% MMR KG	Total
Los Angeles County Regional Occupational Program	Public	9-12	9300 Imperial Hwy. Clark Bldg.	Downey	90242	Los Angeles County	Los Angeles County Regional Occupational Program	No	(n/a)	(n/a)	(n/a)	(562) 922-6850	0				0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Alameda Elementary	Public	K-5	8613 East Alameda St.	Downey	90242	Los Angeles County	Downey Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(562) 904-3589	757	30	25.2	77.4%	32 (4.2%)	24 (3.2%)	672 (88.8%)	23 (3.0%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	3 (0.4%)	56	2237^th of 5874 public elementary schools	61.9%		46.8	2710^th of 5883 public elementary schools	53.9%	473	30.9		30.9	48.6	52.7	47.8				49.7	34.3	50.0	34.5				39.8	95.6			96.8	97.5	96.8	$17,780
Carpenter (C. C.) Elementary	Public	K-4	9439 East Foster Rd.	Downey	90242	Los Angeles County	Downey Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(562) 904-3588	522	20	26.1	43.9%	31 (5.9%)	16 (3.1%)	466 (89.3%)	3 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	4 (0.8%)								(n/a)				44.3						44.3	48.5						48.5							$13,003
Gauldin (A.L.) Elementary	Public	K-5	9724 Spry St.	Downey	90242	Los Angeles County	Downey Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(562) 904-3582	577	27	21.3	80.8%	28 (4.9%)	27 (4.7%)	501 (86.8%)	10 (1.7%)	3 (0.5%)	4 (0.7%)	4 (0.7%)	33.4	3615^th of 5874 public elementary schools	38.5%		24.2	4424^th of 5883 public elementary schools	24.8%	809	26.6		26.6	28.3	41.5	39.2				35.8	28.3	25.5	24.1				26.2	90.0	90.9	94.6	90.9	90.9	92.7	$12,620
Imperial Elementary	Public	K-3	8133 Imperial Hwy.	Downey	90242	Los Angeles County	Downey Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(562) 904-3578	585	26	22.5	69.9%	36 (6.2%)	15 (2.6%)	519 (88.7%)	11 (1.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.7%)								(n/a)				47.6						47.6	46.8						46.8	95.2	95.9		97.2	96.6	97.2	$14,880
Sussman (Edward A.) Middle	Public	6-8	12500 Birchdale Ave.	Downey	90242	Los Angeles County	Downey Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(562) 904-3572	1,122	48	23.3	78.7%	29 (2.6%)	45 (4.0%)	1,009 (89.9%)	31 (2.8%)	2 (0.2%)	3 (0.3%)	3 (0.3%)	39.6	1472^nd of 2802 public middle schools	47.5%		41.5	1413^th of 2740 public middle schools	48.4%	59		20.9	20.9				36.4	44.7	37.7	39.9				25.7	24.4	21.1	23.8							$12,312
Ward (E. W.) Elementary	Public	K-5	8851 East Adoree St.	Downey	90242	Los Angeles County	Downey Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(562) 904-3591	576	23	25.0	80.7%	25 (4.3%)	11 (1.9%)	529 (91.8%)	6 (1.0%)	2 (0.3%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.3%)	36.2	3415^th of 5874 public elementary schools	41.9%		29.6	3903^rd of 5883 public elementary schools	33.7%	488	20.9		20.9	33.3	36.7	45.5				39.1	40.7	24.7	21.8				28.1	98.1	98.1			98.1		$15,147
Stauffer (Mary R.) Middle	Public	6-8	11985 Old River School Rd.	Downey	90242	Los Angeles County	Downey Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(562) 904-3565	1,332	55	24.1	74.6%	55 (4.1%)	36 (2.7%)	1,205 (90.5%)	25 (1.9%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.2%)	8 (0.6%)	55.7	1019^th of 2802 public middle schools	63.6%		52	1113^th of 2740 public middle schools	59.4%	94		26.3	26.3				45.0	57.2	44.8	49.1				33.3	37.6	24.8	31.9							$18,059
Old River Elementary	Public	4-5	11995 Old River School Rd.	Downey	90242	Los Angeles County	Downey Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(562) 904-3561	657	22	29.8	71.1%	32 (4.9%)	15 (2.3%)	587 (89.3%)	14 (2.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	8 (1.2%)	54.1	2329^th of 5874 public elementary schools	60.4%		56.6	2208^th of 5883 public elementary schools	62.5%	121	25.2		25.2		50.5	49.1				49.8		43.5	35.3				39.2							$11,462
Lewis (Ed C.) Elementary	Public	K-5	13220 South Bellflower Blvd.	Downey	90242	Los Angeles County	Downey Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(562) 904-3590	847	33	25.5	67.5%	41 (4.8%)	31 (3.7%)	734 (86.7%)	27 (3.2%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.2%)	12 (1.4%)	52	2438^th of 5874 public elementary schools	58.5%		49.8	2541^st of 5883 public elementary schools	56.8%	103	25.8		25.8	52.2	46.9	45.7				48.1	62.7	32.4	24.7				38.8	94.3	95.1	95.9	94.3	94.3	95.1	$12,015
Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall	Public	6-12	7285 East Quill Dr.	Downey	90242	Los Angeles County	Los Angeles County Office of Education	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(562) 803-6648																			(n/a)

Cities Near Zip Code 90242

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Downey	0.11 mi	23	365^th
Paramount	1.11 mi	16	621^st
South Gate	1.64 mi	31	555^th
Bellflower	1.73 mi	12	485^th
Lynwood	1.96 mi	18	743^rd

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.