Niemes (john H.) Elementary, Artesia CA

Original Research by School Decision on Niemes (john H.) Elementary

John H. Niemes Elementary serves a substantial portion of Artesia, a small, densely populated Los Angeles County city built around a strong South and Southeast Asian commercial corridor along Pioneer Boulevard. The school sits in a predominantly immigrant community where nearly half of residents were born outside the United States, and where single-family homes and varied residential housing characterize the neighborhood away from the commercial spine.

The school enrolls a student body that is predominantly Latino, with a meaningful Asian population and smaller populations of Black and multiracial students. A substantial majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the economic makeup of the neighborhood. The school operates as a regular public elementary through sixth grade with an enrollment typical for its grade band in the region.

Academically, Niemes shows mixed results across tested subjects and grades. In English language arts, performance ranges from the low-to-mid range in grades three through five (where about two out of five to just over half of students meet proficiency), stepping up noticeably to a stronger showing in grade six. Mathematics presents a steeper challenge. Grade three shows moderate proficiency, but grades four through six all sit below that level, with grade five showing the lowest performance across all measured grades and subjects. Science proficiency, measured in grade five only, aligns with that grade's mathematics results. Across all tested grades and subjects combined, the school's overall proficiency index places it below the midpoint among schools serving similar grades in Los Angeles County, a signal that a parent may want to look into the school's academic support structures and intervention strategies more closely with staff.

The school's testing data reflects only the most recent year, so no multi-year trend is available to show whether these results represent a stable picture or movement in either direction. Enrollment appears stable by grade, with no marked drops or demographic shifts evident in the available data.

Artesia itself is a commuter community where most residents work outside the city limits, though the ABC Unified School District (headquartered in nearby Cerritos) and the Pioneer Boulevard retail and restaurant district provide some local employment. The city is in active redevelopment, with new townhome and mixed-use projects converting former industrial land, and the long-planned Southeast Gateway Line light rail to Downtown Los Angeles is expected to anchor further transit-oriented growth, though its timeline remains uncertain. Housing values in the 90701 zip code are moderately above the California state average and rent, while elevated, remains below the typical monthly mortgage payment, a pattern common in established LA County neighborhoods.

For families in Artesia, Niemes offers a neighborhood elementary school in a walkable residential setting, though the broader city is car-dependent outside the Pioneer Boulevard corridor. The school's academic profile suggests that parents should expect a school serving a high-need population and may want to understand what additional academic supports, tutoring, or intervention pathways are available to their child, particularly in mathematics.

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Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grade 352%

School 52% · District 63% · ▼ 11 pts below district

▲ 9 pts above state median · ▲ 5 pts above county median

Grade 440%

School 40% · District 56% · ▼ 16 pts below district

▲ 3 pts above state median · even with county median

Grade 528%

School 28% · District 52% · ▼ 24 pts below district

▼ 2 pts below state median · ▼ 5 pts below county median

Grade 643%

School 43% · District 55% · ▼ 12 pts below district

▲ 13 pts above state median · ▲ 12 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 353%

School 53% · District 58% · ▼ 5 pts below district

▲ 12 pts above state median · ▲ 10 pts above county median

Grade 444%

School 44% · District 59% · ▼ 15 pts below district

▲ 2 pts above state median · even with county median

Grade 544%

School 44% · District 65% · ▼ 21 pts below district

▼ 1 pts below state median · ▼ 3 pts below county median

Grade 657%

School 57% · District 69% · ▼ 12 pts below district

▲ 13 pts above state median · ▲ 12 pts above county median

Science

Grade 528%

School 28% · District 48% · ▼ 19 pts below district

even with state median · ▲ 1 pts above county median

This schoolABC Unified, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 3Lower-income43%Higher-income83%39 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income44%Higher-income43%1 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income40%Higher-income57%16 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income51%Higher-income75%24 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income45%Higher-income72%27 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income38%Higher-income50%12 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income25%Higher-income39%14 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income36%Higher-income65%29 pp gap