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Best Elementary Schools in Zip Code 90242

Coming soon: We're expecting this year's test scores from the California Department of Education any day now — new rankings will be posted the moment they're released!

Coming soon: This year's test scores are expected from the California Department of Education any day now — new rankings will follow the moment they're released!

At a glance

Schools

4,727

Students

Top rankedLewis (Ed C.) Elementary1532^nd of 5,857 California elementary schools

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Biggest riser

Lewis (Ed C.) Elementary up 580 spots statewide this year

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Smallest classes

Gauldin (A.L.) Elementary 22.1 students per teacher

SchoolDigger ratings

4★

3★

2★

1 school without a SchoolDigger rating (too few tested students)

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Summary:

In the 90242 zip code of Downey, CA, there are seven elementary schools serving grades K-5 (with some grade-span variations) within the Downey Unified district, which ranks in the top third statewide, collectively educating around 4,700 students.

Lewis (Ed C.) Elementary stands out as the top performer, with the highest test scores in both English and math, including exceptional 3rd-grade math results. Ward (E. W.) Elementary has shown the most improvement in recent years and leads in science proficiency, while Carpenter (C. C.) Elementary excels with remarkably low chronic absenteeism and the lowest poverty rate among these schools.

Overall, these schools generally outperform state averages in core subjects. Key differences include a wide range in chronic absenteeism, from 8.3% at Carpenter to over 24% at Alameda Elementary, and varying poverty levels, though this does not always directly correlate with academic outcomes, as seen at high-performing Lewis. Per-student funding is relatively consistent across the schools, and the specialized upper-grade Old River Elementary also achieves strong 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 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)	% Hepatitis B (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 (2025)	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 All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 3rd Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 4th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 5th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics All Grades	% Completely Immunized KG	% Polio KG	% Hepatitis B KG	% Varicella KG	% DTP KG	% MMR KG	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
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	744	31	24.0	84.5%	30 (4.0%)	25 (3.4%)	663 (89.1%)	18 (2.4%)	2 (0.3%)	2 (0.3%)	4 (0.5%)	51.4	2530^th of 5857 public elementary schools	56.8%		56.8	2196^th of 5869 public elementary schools	62.6%	334	24.1	24.1	40.6	55.3	47.8	47.6	44.6	48.7	34.8	42.7	95.6			96.8	97.5	96.8	$30,353	$29,462	$891
Carpenter (C. C.) Elementary	Public	K-5	9439 East Foster Rd.	Downey	90242	Los Angeles County	Downey Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(562) 904-3588	796	29	27.4	53.1%	50 (6.3%)	15 (1.9%)	712 (89.4%)	5 (0.6%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	12 (1.5%)	59.5	2091^st of 5857 public elementary schools	64.3%		54.4	2323^rd of 5869 public elementary schools	60.4%	232	34.7	34.7	53.2	49.6	53.9	52.2	48.0	44.7	39.2	44.3							$16,680	$16,084	$596
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	641	29	22.1	89.4%	46 (7.2%)	23 (3.6%)	554 (86.4%)	10 (1.6%)	3 (0.5%)	2 (0.3%)	3 (0.5%)	38.3	3326^th of 5857 public elementary schools	43.2%		30.3	3903^rd of 5869 public elementary schools	33.5%	577	30.4	30.4	36.9	31.1	45.1	37.7	40.8	29.8	30.7	33.8	90.0	90.9	94.6	90.9	90.9	92.7	$24,214	$23,652	$562
Garcia (John A.) Elementary	Public	K-3	8133 Imperial Hwy.	Downey	90242	Los Angeles County	Downey Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(562) 904-3578	653	28	23.3	75.7%	40 (6.1%)	9 (1.4%)	581 (89.0%)	17 (2.6%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (0.8%)								(n/a)			47.2			47.2	54.8			54.8	95.2	95.9		97.2	96.6	97.2	$21,505	$20,648	$857
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	543	24	22.6	87.3%	35 (6.4%)	8 (1.5%)	475 (87.5%)	15 (2.8%)	3 (0.6%)	3 (0.6%)	4 (0.7%)	51.9	2499^th of 5857 public elementary schools	57.3%		41.8	3075^th of 5869 public elementary schools	47.6%	576	39.3	39.3	27.5	56.4	55.8	47.6	35.0	38.2	39.1	37.6	98.1	98.1			98.1		$26,752	$26,068	$684
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	540	18	30.0	80.7%	33 (6.1%)	12 (2.2%)	484 (89.6%)	9 (1.7%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	61.9	1969^th of 5857 public elementary schools	66.4%		63.6	1900^th of 5869 public elementary schools	67.6%	69	30.1	30.1		58.7	54.3	56.5		51.0	40.0	45.3							$19,300	$18,446	$854
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	810	35	23.1	76.5%	44 (5.4%)	37 (4.6%)	679 (83.8%)	38 (4.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	11 (1.4%)	71.5	1532^nd of 5857 public elementary schools	73.8%		58.9	2112^th of 5869 public elementary schools	64.0%	580	33.1	33.1	65.6	55.3	58.6	59.6	76.6	51.1	43.6	56.3	94.3	95.1	95.9	94.3	94.3	95.1	$21,183	$20,646	$537

Cities Near Zip Code 90242

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Downey	0.11 mi	23	327^th
Paramount	1.11 mi	14	550^th
South Gate	1.64 mi	31	483^rd
Bellflower	1.77 mi	12	498^th
Lynwood	1.96 mi	18	704^th

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.