Robert F. Kennedy Elementary, Compton CA

Original Research by School Decision on Robert F. Kennedy Elementary

Robert F. Kennedy Elementary serves kindergarten through eighth grade in Compton, a dense urban area in the Los Angeles industrial corridor. The school enrolls a small-to-midsize cohort across its grade band, with the upper grades notably smaller than the lower ones; seventh and eighth grade each have roughly thirty students compared to ninety in kindergarten, a pattern suggesting either grade-level retention or demographic shifts through the school years.

The student body is predominantly Hispanic, with a substantial African American presence and very small numbers of other groups. An overwhelming share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the economic circumstances of the neighborhood. Data on English learner population and special education enrollment were not available, which may indicate limitations in how the school reports these metrics or in the sources available for this school.

State test results show uneven performance across subjects and grades. In English language arts, proficiency is relatively stronger in the upper grades, with sixth and eighth graders meeting California's proficiency standard at around a mid-to-high rate, while younger grades cluster around forty percent. Math proficiency is notably lower across all grades, ranging from a quarter of third graders to roughly a third of fourth and eighth graders meeting the standard. Science results, available only for fifth and eighth grade, fall well below proficiency benchmarks. Taken together, the school sits below the midpoint for overall proficiency among tested schools in Los Angeles County.

When placed against the county's schools, Robert F. Kennedy's proficiency index falls below the median, suggesting students here are progressing at a slower pace than peers at many other county schools. The school serves a community facing real economic strain, and the achievement gaps evident in the data point to learning challenges that parents may want to discuss directly with school leadership to understand what support systems and instructional approaches are in place. The absence of trend data means it is not possible to know whether performance is stable, improving, or declining.

Housing in the Compton area reflects the city's role as a working-class residential and industrial hub. Home values are modest by Los Angeles County standards, below the state benchmark, positioning Compton as relatively affordable for families priced out of more coastal neighborhoods. Renters make up a substantial share of the population, and rental costs consume a notable portion of local incomes. The broader Compton context includes recent public investment in infrastructure, transit-oriented development around the light-rail station, and ongoing affordable-housing construction, though local reporting notes that new units often remain out of reach for families earning area median income.

Robert F. Kennedy's direct pathway is neighborhood-based elementary and middle education. Students completing eighth grade would transition to Compton Unified's high schools, including the newly rebuilt main campus and the newer Compton Academy of Technology and Innovation, which opened in 2025 as a P-TECH dual-enrollment pathway in biotechnology and cybersecurity. Families should expect a traditional school structure with core academics, and would benefit from conversations with the school about how it approaches math intervention and science instruction, given the performance data visible here.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 346%

School 46% · District 58% · ▼ 12 pts below district

▲ 3 pts above state median · even with county median

Grade 433%

School 33% · District 46% · ▼ 13 pts below district

▼ 4 pts below state median · ▼ 7 pts below county median

Grade 525%

School 25% · District 33% · ▼ 8 pts below district

▼ 5 pts below state median · ▼ 8 pts below county median

Grade 630%

School 30% · District 44% · ▼ 14 pts below district

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

Grade 730%

School 30% · District 43% · ▼ 13 pts below district

even with state median · even with county median

Grade 835%

School 35% · District 40% · ▼ 5 pts below district

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

English language arts

Grade 340%

School 40% · District 50% · ▼ 10 pts below district

even with state median · ▼ 2 pts below county median

Grade 437%

School 37% · District 47% · ▼ 10 pts below district

▼ 5 pts below state median · ▼ 7 pts below county median

Grade 542%

School 42% · District 45% · ▼ 2 pts below district

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

Grade 657%

School 57% · District 50% · ▲ 7 pts above district

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

Grade 749%

School 49% · District 57% · ▼ 8 pts below district

▲ 4 pts above state median · ▲ 3 pts above county median

Grade 858%

School 58% · District 53% · ▲ 4 pts above district

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

Science

Grade 514%

School 14% · District 21% · ▼ 7 pts below district

▼ 14 pts below state median · ▼ 13 pts below county median

Grade 815%

School 15% · District 19% · ▼ 3 pts below district

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

This schoolCompton 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.