Cubberley K-8, Long Beach CA - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Cubberley K-8

Cubberley K-8 sits on Monogram Avenue in the Los Altos area of Long Beach, a part of the city characterized by quieter, tree-lined residential streets in the eastern portion of what is a large, genuinely diverse coastal city. The school is part of Long Beach Unified, one of the larger urban districts in California, and serves students from kindergarten through eighth grade on a single campus, which means children can stay in one building through middle school rather than transitioning to a separate campus.

The academic picture from California's state assessments is mixed, with some clear strengths and some areas worth watching. In third grade English language arts and math, proficiency rates are strong, placing the school among the better-performing early-elementary grades in the state. Reading scores remain solid through the middle grades. Math is a different story: proficiency holds reasonably well in fourth and fifth grades but softens through sixth, seventh, and eighth, and eighth grade math proficiency sits at less than half of tested students. Science, tested in fifth and eighth grade, is in the middle range. Across all tested subjects and grades combined, Cubberley ranks in the top quartile relative to districts across Los Angeles County, which is a meaningful position in a county with over four hundred districts. That overall standing reflects real strength in literacy through the grades, but a parent of a child heading into upper elementary or middle school math would be reasonable to ask the school how it supports students whose proficiency slips in those years.

Trend data covers only the most recent year, so there is no multi-year trajectory available to assess whether scores have improved, held steady, or declined. A parent who wants to understand momentum should ask the school directly.

Enrollment sits at a size consistent with a school serving kindergarten through eighth grade in an urban setting. The student body is racially and ethnically diverse: Hispanic and white students each make up roughly a third of enrollment, students of two or more races are a substantial share, and Asian and Black students each represent smaller but meaningful portions. About a quarter of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which is notably lower than many Long Beach schools and reflects the more economically stable residential character of the Los Altos neighborhood. Data on English learner enrollment and students with individualized education programs was not available in what was provided.

Graduation rate data does not apply here; Cubberley ends at eighth grade. Program offerings beyond the core curriculum were not in the data provided.

The surrounding housing market is among the most expensive in California. Home values in the zip code are well above the statewide median and dramatically above the national median, with recent modest year-over-year appreciation. Rents are also high and rising. For a family relocating, the financial reality of this neighborhood is that housing costs are a substantial commitment, and the rent-to-income ratio suggests renters face real affordability pressure at current rates.

At the district level, Long Beach Unified voters approved a bond measure in 2022 to repair and modernize aging school campuses, covering safety, plumbing, technology, and career education facilities. That work is being phased in over time and is funded through a property tax assessment, which adds a modest but real cost for homeowners. The district is also implementing ethnic studies courses at the high school level, including a dual-enrollment pathway with Cal State Long Beach. Separately, the district has been managing a sustained enrollment decline and closed one elementary school at the end of the last school year, with the possibility of further consolidations as attendance boundaries shift. Cubberley itself is not currently named in those changes, but families in the district should be aware of the broader pattern.

Long Beach as a city offers a genuinely layered environment, with strong public transit including the Metro A Line, a walkable downtown, multiple distinct neighborhood characters, and a major port and aerospace employment base. The Los Altos area where Cubberley sits is among the more suburban and stable residential parts of the city, closer in feel to the quieter east side than to the denser downtown core.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 379%

School 79% · District 49% · ▲ 30 pts above district

▲ 36 pts above state median · ▲ 33 pts above county median

Grade 459%

School 59% · District 45% · ▲ 13 pts above district

▲ 21 pts above state median · ▲ 18 pts above county median

Grade 554%

School 54% · District 41% · ▲ 13 pts above district

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

Grade 657%

School 57% · District 35% · ▲ 22 pts above district

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

Grade 756%

School 56% · District 37% · ▲ 19 pts above district

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

Grade 843%

School 43% · District 35% · ▲ 8 pts above district

▲ 15 pts above state median · ▲ 14 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 380%

School 80% · District 48% · ▲ 32 pts above district

▲ 40 pts above state median · ▲ 38 pts above county median

Grade 462%

School 62% · District 50% · ▲ 12 pts above district

▲ 20 pts above state median · ▲ 18 pts above county median

Grade 569%

School 69% · District 55% · ▲ 14 pts above district

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

Grade 669%

School 69% · District 49% · ▲ 20 pts above district

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

Grade 773%

School 73% · District 54% · ▲ 19 pts above district

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

Grade 870%

School 70% · District 53% · ▲ 17 pts above district

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

Science

Grade 554%

School 54% · District 33% · ▲ 21 pts above district

▲ 26 pts above state median · ▲ 27 pts above county median

Grade 847%

School 47% · District 29% · ▲ 19 pts above district

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

Social studies

Grade 871%

School 71% · District 52% · ▲ 19 pts above district

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

This schoolLong Beach 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 3Lower-income54%Higher-income91%38 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income39%Higher-income68%29 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income36%Higher-income79%43 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income58%Higher-income73%15 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income64%Higher-income77%13 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income50%Higher-income78%28 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income46%Higher-income93%46 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income39%Higher-income64%25 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income27%Higher-income63%35 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income42%Higher-income64%22 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income32%Higher-income65%33 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income22%Higher-income52%30 pp gap