Lynwood Unified, CA - District Data

Original Research by School Decision on Lynwood Unified

Lynwood Unified is a kindergarten-through-twelfth-grade district in Los Angeles County serving a community that is overwhelmingly Hispanic, with a student body drawn from Lynwood, Compton, South Gate, and Paramount. The district enrolls a student population of moderate size across eighteen open schools, from elementary through high school.

The district's state test results show persistent academic challenges across all tested subjects and grade levels. In English language arts, proficiency across the tested grades averages in the low to mid-thirties. Mathematics proficiency is notably lower, averaging in the low twenties, and continues to decline sharply through the middle grades, dropping to about one in eight students proficient by eighth grade. Science proficiency is among the weakest area, with fewer than one in five fifth-graders and about one in ten eighth-graders meeting the proficiency mark. Across the district's tested subjects and grades, overall proficiency sits in the bottom quartile among Los Angeles County's districts.

Chronic absenteeism is another area of concern. The district's chronic absenteeism rate places it in the bottom quartile for the county, suggesting that attendance barriers or engagement gaps are affecting a substantial share of students. This pattern often correlates with and may compound the academic results.

The district has not reported a four-year graduation rate in the available data, so a parent seeking to understand high school completion pathways would need to request that information directly from the district.

On the resource side, the district's per-pupil current spending is in the upper-middle range for Los Angeles County, indicating competitive resource allocation, though spending alone does not determine outcomes. The district has also made moves toward infrastructure investment: voters approved a facilities bond in November 2024 to fund repairs and modernization across the district's aging schools, funded through a property tax increase on local homeowners.

The district has identified enrollment decline as a structural challenge, which has prompted a facilities-optimization plan under consideration that could include consolidation of some elementary schools beginning in fall 2026 and relocation of a middle school in fall 2027. For families considering which neighborhood school their child would attend, these potential changes are worth tracking with the district directly.

On the curriculum side, the district launched a second Dual Language Immersion program site at Mark Twain Elementary in fall 2024, joining the long-standing program at Will Rogers Elementary. This offers biliteracy pathways in English and Spanish from transitional kindergarten through upper elementary grades, expanding access for families seeking that educational model.

In December 2023, the Board of Education adopted a new strategic plan framed around four tenets: Unlocking Brilliance, Cultivating Talent, Uplifting Community, and Modeling Excellence, with emphasis on personalized, equity-minded instruction. The plan emerged from community engagement and shapes district instructional direction going forward.

A parent or resident evaluating this district should recognize that it faces measurable academic headwinds, particularly in mathematics and science, and that chronic absenteeism appears elevated relative to county peers. At the same time, the district is investing in facility upgrades, expanding bilingual programming, and operating under a stated equity and personalization framework. The weak standardized test results warrant direct conversation with individual schools and teachers about instructional approaches and student support systems that families would experience.

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District Context

Officially reported figures, 2024-25.

Enrollment

11,214

Grades

KG–12

Schools

Student body

Hispanic 94%

Black 5%

White 1%

Asian 0%

Two+ 0%

Am. Indian / AK Native 0%

Hawaiian / Pac. Isl. 0%

By economic status

Percent proficient by grade, as reported

Economically disadvantaged

Not disadvantaged

ELA

Gr ALL

34%

—

Gr 3

32%

50%

Gr 4

33%

36%

Gr 5

38%

67%

Gr 6

35%

33%

Gr 7

31%

62%

Gr 8

22%

38%

Gr 11

44%

—

Math

Gr ALL

22%

—

Gr 3

35%

44%

Gr 4

30%

33%

Gr 5

21%

33%

Gr 6

22%

39%

Gr 7

20%

35%

Gr 8

12%

21%

Gr 11

19%

—

Science

Gr ALL

12%

—

Gr 5

18%

41%

Gr 8

17%

Gr 12

12%

—

Gr HS

13%

—

Gr UG_SEC

12%

—

Schools in this District

18 schools are officially reported under this district.

Janie P. Abbott Elementary

Will Rogers Elementary

Roosevelt Elementary

Mark Twain Elementary

Vista High

Washington Elementary

Wilson Elementary

Rosa Parks Elementary

Helen Keller Elementary

Thurgood Marshall Elementary

Cesar Chavez Middle

Marco Antonio Firebaugh High

Hosler Middle

Pathway Independent Study

Academic Performance

Percent of students meeting or exceeding state standards, by grade.

Mathematics

6 grades reported

36%

Grade 3

30%

Grade 4

22%

Grade 5

23%

Grade 6

20%

Grade 7

12%

Grade 8

English Language Arts

6 grades reported

33%

Grade 3

34%

Grade 4

40%

Grade 5

35%

Grade 6

33%

Grade 7

22%

Grade 8

Science

2 grades reported

19%

Grade 5

10%

Grade 8

Social Studies

1 grade reported

32%

Grade 8

Housing & Real Estate

Data as of April 2026 | District-weighted from constituent ZIP codes

Home Values

Typical home value$689,165

Year-over-year change+2.9%

Range across 4 ZIP codes$644K to $699K

vs. state typical0.89x

vs. national typical1.87x

Home value trend (12 months)

ZIP code home values (4 ZIP codes)

ZIP	City	Value	YoY	Weight
90262	Lynwood	$690K	+2.9%	97.4%
90280	South Gate	$699K	+1.7%	1.3%
90221	Compton	$644K	+1.9%	1.1%
90723	Paramount	$653K	+2.4%	0.2%

Rental Market

Typical monthly rent$2,078/mo

Year-over-year change+5.8%

Range across 3 ZIP codes$2,018 to $2,573/mo

Rent trend (12 months)

ZIP code rents (3 ZIP codes)

ZIP	City	Rent/mo	YoY	Weight
90262	Lynwood	$2,078	+5.8%	97.4%
90280	South Gate	$2,018	+5.0%	1.3%
90723	Paramount	$2,573	+1.2%	0.2%

Affordability

Est. monthly mortgage (20% down at 6.48%)$3,478/mo

Home price / national median income8.2x

Annual rent / national median income29.8%

Est. mortgage exceeds rent by$1,399/mo

Comparison

State typical home value$776,233 (-1.1% YoY)

National typical home value$368,198 (+0.6% YoY)

State ZHVI trend (12 months)

National ZHVI trend (12 months)

Economic Context

30-year fixed mortgage rate6.48%

National unemployment rate4.3%

National median household income$83,730

CPI: Rent of shelter (index)447.05

30-year fixed mortgage rate (12 months)

National unemployment rate (12 months)

National median household income (12 months)

CPI: Rent of shelter (index) (12 months)

Sources: Zillow Home Value Index and Zillow Observed Rent Index (Zillow Group), Realtor.com via Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis (FRED)

Data Currently Unavailable

Civil Rights Data (CRDC)

This profile is derived exclusively from publicly available federal and state datasets. It may not reflect the most current information available. We encourage parents and families to supplement this data with information published directly on the school’s website, which may include more recent figures, additional programs, or updated enrollment data.