Longfellow Elementary, Compton CA

Original Research by School Decision on Longfellow Elementary

Longfellow Elementary is a small K-8 school in Compton with an enrollment of about five hundred students, serving the lower and middle grades in a highly economically disadvantaged area. Nearly all students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a reliable marker of family economic hardship. The student body is predominantly Latino, with a substantial Black population; the enrollment reflects the city's demographics. English learner and special education enrollment data were not available.

The school's academic performance reflects the broader challenges facing Compton. In English language arts, proficiency rates across tested grades range from the mid-30s to around half of students meeting grade-level standards, with grade 7 standing highest. In mathematics, results are substantially lower, with proficiency ranging from single digits in grade 6 to the low 40s in grade 4, where the school's strongest math performance appears. Science proficiency, tested in grades 5 and 8, sits in the range of roughly one-fifth to one-tenth. Across all tested subjects and grades, Longfellow's overall proficiency index places it in the bottom quartile among schools in Los Angeles County. The school has only one year of data available, so trend information is not present.

This is a school where many students enter with significant academic gaps and where closing those gaps at scale remains a substantial undertaking. The proficiency patterns suggest particular strain in mathematics and science, especially as students progress to the middle grades. A parent may want to look into this further with the school regarding what supports are in place for students working below grade level, how the school approaches skill-building in math, and what interventions or tutoring resources exist.

Compton itself is an urban city in Los Angeles County anchored by manufacturing, logistics, and warehousing, with connection to the ports and major freeways. Residential areas mix single-family homes and apartment complexes; walkability varies by neighborhood but is notably strong near the light-rail station. The city's housing market is significantly more affordable than the broader state benchmark, though public reporting notes that median household income in Compton remains below what is needed to afford newly constructed units without cost burden. Major recent development includes affordable housing projects and a new city civic center; the district is pursuing growth largely through multi-family and affordable development.

The Compton Unified School District has undertaken major capital improvements. Voters approved a bond in 2022 and again in June 2026 that directly affect property tax bills, funding facilities upgrades and a new Dominguez High School. A newly opened, modern Compton High School campus serving grades 9-12 opened for the 2025-26 school year, and the district launched C-Tech, a P-TECH model high school offering a path to both a diploma and a tuition-free associate degree in fields like biotechnology and cybersecurity. These are meaningful pathways for students looking beyond traditional high school. Longfellow itself, as an elementary-middle school, does not feed directly into these new offerings, but sits within a district making visible investments in facilities and career options.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 329%

School 29% · District 58% · ▼ 29 pts below district

▼ 14 pts below state median · ▼ 17 pts below county median

Grade 442%

School 42% · District 46% · ▼ 4 pts below district

▲ 4 pts above state median · ▲ 1 pts above county median

Grade 529%

School 29% · District 33% · ▼ 4 pts below district

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

Grade 610%

School 10% · District 44% · ▼ 34 pts below district

▼ 20 pts below state median · ▼ 21 pts below county median

Grade 733%

School 33% · District 43% · ▼ 10 pts below district

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

Grade 822%

School 22% · District 40% · ▼ 18 pts below district

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

English language arts

Grade 335%

School 35% · District 50% · ▼ 16 pts below district

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

Grade 441%

School 41% · District 47% · ▼ 6 pts below district

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

Grade 539%

School 39% · District 45% · ▼ 5 pts below district

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

Grade 644%

School 44% · District 50% · ▼ 6 pts below district

even with state median · ▼ 1 pts below county median

Grade 750%

School 50% · District 57% · ▼ 7 pts below district

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

Grade 844%

School 44% · District 53% · ▼ 10 pts below district

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

Science

Grade 520%

School 20% · District 21% · ▼ 1 pts below district

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

Grade 813%

School 13% · District 19% · ▼ 6 pts below district

▼ 13 pts below state median · ▼ 11 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.