Sussman (edward A.) Middle, Downey CA

Original Research by School Decision on Sussman (edward A.) Middle

Edward A. Sussman Middle serves a large student body in Downey, a built-out residential suburb in southeastern Los Angeles County. The school sits in a community with deep aerospace history and a strong identity as a family-oriented place, though it faces significant academic headwinds that a parent should understand clearly.

Sussman's enrollment is substantial, distributed evenly across grades six through eight. The student composition is overwhelmingly Hispanic, with roughly three-quarters of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch. The school draws from a neighborhood where housing prices have stabilized around median values higher than the national benchmark but lower than the statewide benchmark, and where rents remain steady. This is a working-family community where economic resources are stretched.

On state assessments, Sussman's proficiency rates are low across the board. In English language arts, roughly half of sixth and seventh graders score at proficiency levels, a pattern that drops sharply by eighth grade to roughly one-third. Mathematics performance is weaker still: fewer than two-fifths of sixth graders meet proficiency, and by eighth grade, only roughly one-quarter do. Eighth-grade science proficiency sits at approximately one-quarter. The school's overall proficiency index, calculated across all tested subjects and grades, places it below the midpoint among district comparables in Los Angeles County.

The gap between grades widens noticeably, particularly in math. This declining trajectory across the middle grades warrants direct conversation with the school about what instructional supports are in place, how students progress through remediation or acceleration pathways, and whether the transition to more abstract mathematics in grade eight is the breaking point for many students. A parent may want to ask about tutoring, after-school programs, summer offerings, and how the school identifies and serves students who are falling behind early.

Downey Unified's broader strategic plans were not available in our research, so it is unclear what district-level initiatives or resources flow to Sussman or how the school fits into larger instructional priorities across the district. That context would help round out the picture.

The school serves a predominantly low-income student population in a stable, car-oriented residential neighborhood. It offers the standard middle grades experience—grades six through eight in a traditional public school setting. State data on special populations, discipline, or staffing were not provided, so questions about English learner supports, special education services, or class sizes would need to come directly from the school. Downey itself is a functioning suburban city with parks, transit connections to the Metro system, and a civic center, so students live within a walkable or close-driving distance of community resources. But the academic outcomes suggest that many seventh and eighth graders are not meeting grade-level standards, and the school's comparative performance places it firmly in the lower tier of county schools. For families considering Sussman, the question is whether the school's setting and programming align with their child's needs, and whether they see evidence of the kind of targeted academic intervention that struggling students require.

See more original research from School Decision →

Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 638%

School 38% · District 40% · ▼ 3 pts below district

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

Grade 737%

School 37% · District 40% · ▼ 4 pts below district

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

Grade 823%

School 23% · District 36% · ▼ 13 pts below district

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

English language arts

Grade 651%

School 51% · District 54% · ▼ 2 pts below district

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

Grade 753%

School 53% · District 56% · ▼ 3 pts below district

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

Grade 836%

School 36% · District 50% · ▼ 14 pts below district

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

Science

Grade 826%

School 26% · District 36% · ▼ 10 pts below district

even with state median · ▲ 2 pts above county median

Social studies

Grade 843%

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

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

This schoolDowney 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.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 6Lower-income50%Higher-income59%9 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income50%Higher-income68%19 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income33%Higher-income53%20 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 6Lower-income35%Higher-income50%15 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income33%Higher-income53%20 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income19%Higher-income43%24 pp gap