Washington Elementary, Compton CA

Original Research by School Decision on Washington Elementary

Washington Elementary is a small school serving kindergarten through eighth grade in Compton, with an enrollment that mirrors the city's demographics and economic circumstances. Nearly all students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, and the student body is overwhelmingly Hispanic, with smaller populations of Black and Asian students. The school sits in an urban industrial corridor with a mix of residential and warehouse use.

On state assessments, Washington Elementary shows uneven performance across grades and subjects. In English language arts, third grade reaches about the midpoint of proficiency, while fourth grade drops significantly lower. Fifth and sixth grades recover somewhat, with sixth grade at about half the students meeting the standard. Math proficiency is more consistently challenged: third grade performs strongest at roughly seven in ten students, but fourth and fifth grades fall to around three in ten, and sixth grade comes in at about three in ten as well. Science testing, available only for fifth grade, shows particularly low proficiency. Across all tested subjects and grades, the school's overall proficiency sits below the midpoint when compared to other schools within Los Angeles County's district universe.

The data shows only one year of testing results, so trend information is not available. A parent may want to ask the school directly about recent changes in instruction, curriculum adoption, or support programs that might explain these grade-to-grade swings and lower science results, and whether any initiatives are underway to strengthen performance in the grades and subjects where proficiency lags.

The school feeds into the Compton Unified district, which is undergoing significant change. The district recently opened a new flagship Compton High School campus designed around project-based learning, funded by a bond measure, and has launched a new dual-enrollment high school using the P-TECH model, allowing students to earn both a diploma and an associate degree in fields like biotechnology or cybersecurity. Compton itself is experiencing growth in affordable housing and transit-oriented development around its light-rail station, and the city's economy is anchored by manufacturing, logistics, and warehousing. Median household income in Compton remains tight relative to the cost of newly built units, a reality reflected in the school's very high free-lunch rate.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 371%

School 71% · District 58% · ▲ 14 pts above district

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

Grade 439%

School 39% · District 46% · ▼ 7 pts below district

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

Grade 531%

School 31% · District 33% · ▼ 2 pts below district

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

Grade 638%

School 38% · District 44% · ▼ 6 pts below district

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

English language arts

Grade 346%

School 46% · District 50% · ▼ 4 pts below district

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

Grade 436%

School 36% · District 47% · ▼ 11 pts below district

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

Grade 546%

School 46% · District 45% · ▲ 1 pts above district

even with state median · ▼ 1 pts below county median

Grade 650%

School 50% · District 50%

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

Science

Grade 520%

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

▼ 8 pts below state median · ▼ 7 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.