The top reported proficiency rate is 83% in English language arts. The lowest is 58% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Gant Elementary
Gant Elementary sits on Britton Drive in Long Beach's east side, a neighborhood that reads more like a quiet residential tract than the dense beach or downtown districts people often picture when they think of the city. The school serves kindergarten through fifth grade within Long Beach Unified, one of the larger urban districts in California, and draws an enrollment that is substantial for its grade band. The student body is genuinely diverse: white and Hispanic students each make up roughly similar shares and together account for the largest portions, with Asian students, multiracial students, and smaller Black and Pacific Islander groups rounding out the mix. Fewer than a third of students qualify for free or reduced-price meals, which places Gant on the lower end of economic disadvantage among LBUSD schools. Data on English learners and students with IEPs were not available in what was provided.
The academic picture here is a clear strength. On the California state assessments for the most recent year reported, Gant's third graders came in with reading and math proficiency rates well above most schools in Los Angeles County's comparison set. Fourth grade held firm in both subjects, and fifth-grade reading was strong as well, with fifth-grade math somewhat lower but still solid. Across all tested grades combined, Gant's overall proficiency index places it in the top quartile relative to districts in Los Angeles County, which is a meaningful position in one of the most competitive and populous school markets in the country. The one area worth a closer look is fifth-grade science, where the state science test showed a proficiency rate that trails the school's reading and math results by a noticeable margin; a parent may want to ask the school directly about how science instruction is structured at that grade. Trend data across multiple years was not available, so whether these results represent improvement, stability, or a shift is not something the data can confirm.
Gant is a regular public school with no charter or magnet designation. Discipline, attendance, and staffing details were not included in the data provided.
The housing context around the school reflects Long Beach's broader east-side market, which runs considerably above both California's statewide median and the national median in home values. Rents are also elevated, with rent consuming a substantial share of typical household income at current rates. Year-over-year home values in the zip code have continued to edge upward. For families considering a move to be in Gant's attendance area, the cost of entry is real and worth planning around carefully.
Long Beach Unified has a few district-level developments worth knowing. Voters approved a general obligation bond measure in late 2022 to repair and modernize aging campuses across the district, covering safety systems, drinking water infrastructure, and career-education facilities. The bond carries a property tax levy that runs for years, a long-term cost built into homeownership here. The district has also been implementing ethnic studies coursework at the high school level, including a blended eleventh-grade history course and dual-enrollment options with Cal State Long Beach, though those changes affect secondary grades rather than Gant's elementary pathway directly. More immediately relevant to elementary families: the district has been managing a prolonged enrollment decline and in late 2024 voted to close one elementary school and fold its attendance boundary into a neighboring school. That decision at Hudson Elementary signals a district willing to consolidate where numbers fall, and families should watch whether similar reviews affect other campuses over coming years.
Long Beach itself gives Gant families an unusually varied city to live in. The east side near Cal State Long Beach is quieter and more suburban in texture than downtown or the beachfront, though the broader city offers the waterfront, a dense transit network anchored by the Metro A Line, and a port-and-aerospace economy that keeps the job market diverse. Downtown is in a pronounced building phase publicly described as the most active since the 1980s, with numerous large housing projects under construction or planned, which will shift the city's residential character over the next several years.
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