Mckinley Elementary, Compton CA - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Mckinley Elementary

McKinley Elementary serves students from kindergarten through eighth grade in Compton, a city in southern Los Angeles County that sits at the heart of the region's industrial corridor and has ready access to major transportation networks. The school is a regular public school in the Compton Unified School District, located at Stanford Avenue in the 90220 zip code.

The enrollment is small, drawing roughly equal cohorts across the early grades and declining as students reach the middle years. Student composition is predominantly Hispanic, with a substantial Black population as well. A very high share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the neighborhood's economic profile. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not available.

State test results show an uneven academic picture that differs markedly by grade and subject. In English language arts, results span a wide range. Third and fourth graders show proficiency rates in the low-to-mid range, while fifth graders perform similarly. Sixth grade dips lower. Seventh and eighth grades show substantially stronger results, with seventh-grade proficiency notably higher and eighth grade also well above the elementary grades. In mathematics, the pattern is more consistently difficult in the lower grades, with third grade at the low end, fourth and sixth grades both substantially below that, and fifth grade the lowest of all. Seventh and eighth grades recover sharply in math, both posting proficiency rates above half. Science testing covers only fifth and eighth grade, and results are quite low in both, with fifth grade particularly low. Across all tested subjects and grades combined, the school's overall proficiency index places it below the midpoint relative to schools across Los Angeles County.

The early elementary grades, kindergarten through second, are not state-tested, so no data exists to show how students in those years are progressing. Test data is available only for grades three through eight.

A parent may want to ask the school directly about how it supports students as they move from the lower to the upper grades, given the marked difference in performance there. The district context matters here as well: Compton Unified has recently completed major facilities investments, including opening a new flagship Compton High School in 2025 and launching a new career-pathway high school, the Compton Academy of Technology and Innovation, which offers dual enrollment and tuition-free associate degrees. Voters also approved an additional bond measure in June 2026 for further school construction and upgrades. For a family at McKinley, understanding whether these district-level initiatives extend support and resources to the elementary and middle grades would be worth exploring with school leadership.

The housing market in the 90220 area reflects broader Compton economics: home values are moderate for Los Angeles County, and rent as a share of household income is substantial. The city itself is pursuing growth through multi-family and affordable housing development, with transit-oriented planning around the light-rail station, though local reporting notes that incomes remain below the level needed to afford newly built units without cost burden.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 343%

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

even with state median · ▼ 4 pts below county median

Grade 433%

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

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

Grade 519%

School 19% · District 33% · ▼ 14 pts below district

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

Grade 627%

School 27% · District 44% · ▼ 16 pts below district

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

Grade 752%

School 52% · District 43% · ▲ 9 pts above district

▲ 22 pts above state median · ▲ 21 pts above county median

Grade 854%

School 54% · District 40% · ▲ 14 pts above district

▲ 26 pts above state median · ▲ 25 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 341%

School 41% · District 50% · ▼ 9 pts below district

even with state median · ▼ 1 pts below county median

Grade 435%

School 35% · District 47% · ▼ 12 pts below district

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

Grade 540%

School 40% · District 45% · ▼ 4 pts below district

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

Grade 633%

School 33% · District 50% · ▼ 17 pts below district

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

Grade 769%

School 69% · District 57% · ▲ 12 pts above district

▲ 24 pts above state median · ▲ 23 pts above county median

Grade 862%

School 62% · District 53% · ▲ 8 pts above district

▲ 17 pts above state median · ▲ 16 pts above county median

Science

Grade 510%

School 10% · District 21% · ▼ 11 pts below district

▼ 18 pts below state median · ▼ 18 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.