Willow Elementary, Lakewood CA - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Willow Elementary

Willow Elementary serves kindergarten through sixth grade in Lakewood, a planned suburb in Los Angeles County built after World War II as family housing. The school draws roughly equal numbers of students across grade levels, with enrollment concentrated in the early grades and a small sixth-grade cohort.

The student population is predominantly Hispanic, with meaningful populations of Asian and Black students and smaller numbers of white students and those identifying with multiple races. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the economic reality of the community. The school serves this profile without the benefit of data on the specific share of English learners or students with IEPs; parents may want to ask the school directly about these populations and the support systems in place.

On California's state assessments, Willow's performance is notably weak. In English language arts across grades three through six, proficiency ranges from about one in seven students in grades three and four to higher rates as students progress, reaching about six in ten in sixth grade. Mathematics proficiency is even lower in the lower grades, with single-digit percentages in grades three and four, improving to about one in seven by fifth grade and approaching one in two by sixth grade. Science proficiency in fifth grade sits at roughly one in five students. When averaged across all tested subjects and grades, Willow's overall proficiency falls in the bottom quartile relative to schools in Los Angeles County.

The shape of these results suggests two things worth investigating with the school: first, whether gaps narrow meaningfully as students move through the upper elementary grades, and second, what the school can point to in terms of current interventions, since the improvement from grade four to grade six in both subjects is real and worth understanding. The data available here is limited to a single year and does not show trend; parents considering this school would benefit from asking administrators about recent patterns and the school's plan for the coming year.

Lakewood itself is a fully built residential community with a suburban character: tree-lined streets, neighborhood parks, and single-family homes in a loose grid layout. The city is car-dependent, with most families driving via nearby interstates and state routes. Housing costs in the zip code are above the national benchmark and at present represent a significant affordability challenge; rent-to-income and price-to-income ratios both suggest housing consumes a substantial portion of household budgets. Retail and services center on the Lakewood Center mall and surrounding commercial corridors rather than a traditional downtown. The community is anchored by schools, healthcare, government, and retail employment. Mayfair Park, Del Valle Park, and neighborhood green space figure in daily life, along with the Lakewood Farmers Market and community events.

The school is part of ABC Unified, a district serving portions of Lakewood and neighboring communities. No recent district-level changes were identified to report here.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 320%

School 20% · District 63% · ▼ 43 pts below district

▼ 23 pts below state median · ▼ 27 pts below county median

Grade 49%

School 9% · District 56% · ▼ 47 pts below district

▼ 28 pts below state median · ▼ 31 pts below county median

Grade 514%

School 14% · District 52% · ▼ 38 pts below district

▼ 16 pts below state median · ▼ 19 pts below county median

Grade 645%

School 45% · District 55% · ▼ 10 pts below district

▲ 15 pts above state median · ▲ 14 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 315%

School 15% · District 58% · ▼ 43 pts below district

▼ 26 pts below state median · ▼ 28 pts below county median

Grade 414%

School 14% · District 59% · ▼ 45 pts below district

▼ 28 pts below state median · ▼ 30 pts below county median

Grade 535%

School 35% · District 65% · ▼ 30 pts below district

▼ 11 pts below state median · ▼ 12 pts below county median

Grade 658%

School 58% · District 69% · ▼ 11 pts below district

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

Science

Grade 518%

School 18% · District 48% · ▼ 30 pts below district

▼ 10 pts below state median · ▼ 9 pts below 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.