Clara J. King Elementary, Cypress CA

Original Research by School Decision on Clara J. King Elementary

Clara J. King Elementary is a traditional public elementary school serving kindergarten through sixth grade in Cypress, California. The school enrolls a small-to-mid-sized population of about four hundred fifty students, drawn from a notably diverse community. About three in ten students identify as Asian, a little more than two in five as Hispanic, and the remainder as white, multiracial, or other groups. About three in four students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a proxy for economic need. The school's student body reflects the broader character of Cypress, a low-density residential Orange County suburb with a mix of single-family homes, townhomes, and manufactured homes, alongside a corporate and industrial business park that has recently lost some major employers.

Academic performance on California's state assessments shows mixed results. In English Language Arts, the school is performing reasonably well in sixth grade (proficiency in the high range) but faces challenges in grades three through five, where about half to a little more than half of students demonstrate proficiency. Math proficiency is lower across the board. Third grade shows the strongest performance, with proficiency in the low-to-mid range, but it declines in fourth grade and drops further in grades five and six, where less than half of students meet the standard. Science proficiency in fifth grade sits slightly above half. Across all tested subjects, the school's overall proficiency index places it above the midpoint among the county's districts, a position that reflects modest but not standout academic standing. State testing data for kindergarten through second grade is not available because those grades are not tested under California assessment systems.

The school operates within Cypress Elementary School District, a K-6 district serving roughly twenty-two hundred students across six elementary schools in Cypress and portions of Buena Park and La Palma. The district is facing material financial headwinds. Enrollment is declining, and the district is closing a significant budget shortfall for the coming school year after using one-time funds to balance the current year's budget. Because the vast majority of the district's budget is tied to staff salaries and benefits, most cuts are expected to come from position eliminations, including teaching roles. The board has approved resolutions authorizing layoffs, furloughs, or reductions. For families considering Clara J. King Elementary, this is a pressing and lasting reality: the district's financial strain will likely affect class sizes, staffing stability, and the availability of programs and support services in the near term. Parents may want to look into the specific staffing and program impacts at the school level with the district directly.

The broader Cypress community is car-oriented and built out, with no traditional downtown. Civic life centers on a dedicated Civic Center campus and an extensive park system. The local housing market shows values and rents well above both state and national benchmarks, reflecting Orange County's real estate context. The city is directing growth through planned housing on Lincoln Avenue and at the Cypress Town Center and Commons, with new townhome projects and infill development under way. For families, the Cypress setting means suburban residential stability, abundant park and recreation resources within walking distance of most homes, and solid retail and service access along commercial arterials, but limited walkable street life and dependence on a car for most daily travel.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 363%

School 63% · District 71% · ▼ 8 pts below district

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

Grade 457%

School 57% · District 68% · ▼ 11 pts below district

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

Grade 542%

School 42% · District 60% · ▼ 18 pts below district

▲ 12 pts above state median · ▼ 4 pts below county median

Grade 647%

School 47% · District 59% · ▼ 12 pts below district

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

English language arts

Grade 356%

School 56% · District 68% · ▼ 12 pts below district

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

Grade 455%

School 55% · District 68% · ▼ 13 pts below district

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

Grade 553%

School 53% · District 70% · ▼ 17 pts below district

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

Grade 672%

School 72% · District 68% · ▲ 4 pts above district

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

Science

Grade 551%

School 51% · District 56% · ▼ 4 pts below district

▲ 23 pts above state median · ▲ 11 pts above county median

This schoolCypress Elementary, 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.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 4Lower-income46%Higher-income87%41 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income48%Higher-income73%26 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income61%Higher-income95%34 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 4Lower-income50%Higher-income80%30 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income40%Higher-income50%10 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income29%Higher-income85%56 pp gap