Kettering Elementary, Long Beach CA

Original Research by School Decision on Kettering Elementary

Kettering Elementary is a small public school serving kindergarten through fifth grade in Long Beach's diverse Wrigley neighborhood. The school enrolls a modest student body with a racially and ethnically mixed makeup—roughly a third white, nearly a third Hispanic, and smaller shares of Asian, Black, and multiracial students. About a third of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, placing the school in a community with moderate economic variation.

On California's 2024-25 state assessments, Kettering showed a split picture. In English language arts, performance ranged widely across grades, with third grade and fourth grade performing solidly in the low-to-mid range, while fifth grade dipped noticeably lower. Math results showed clearer stratification: fourth grade was strong, third grade solid, but fifth grade fell considerably short. Science proficiency in fifth grade, the only tested grade for that subject, was below both the ELA and math results overall. When all tested grades and subjects are averaged together, the school's proficiency index sits in the top quartile relative to other schools in Los Angeles County—a meaningful placement that reflects strength in the younger tested grades offsetting softness in fifth grade.

The pattern suggests Kettering's younger elementary grades are acquiring foundational skills at rates that exceed typical performance, while the transition to fifth grade marks a notable decline. A parent investigating further with the school might ask whether that drop reflects curriculum scope, staffing continuity, or student composition shifts across grades, and what interventions are targeted at fifth grade mathematics and science specifically.

The school sits within Long Beach Unified, a large urban district managing sustained enrollment decline from demographic shifts in the city. The district approved the closure of Hudson Elementary for the end of this school year, a signal that further consolidations are possible as student populations contract. For families considering Kettering, this context matters: the district is actively managing capacity, and school boundaries may shift. Long Beach itself is in a marked growth and development phase, particularly downtown, with substantial new housing approved and major infrastructure projects underway, though that boom has not yet reversed the district's decade-long enrollment contraction. Housing costs in the area are notably high; median home values are substantially above state benchmarks, and monthly rent also carries significant weight relative to household income, making the Wrigley neighborhood part of a city where schooling decisions operate within tight family budget realities.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 376%

School 76% · District 49% · ▲ 27 pts above district

▲ 33 pts above state median · ▲ 30 pts above county median

Grade 484%

School 84% · District 45% · ▲ 39 pts above district

▲ 47 pts above state median · ▲ 43 pts above county median

Grade 558%

School 58% · District 41% · ▲ 17 pts above district

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

English language arts

Grade 374%

School 74% · District 48% · ▲ 26 pts above district

▲ 33 pts above state median · ▲ 32 pts above county median

Grade 475%

School 75% · District 50% · ▲ 26 pts above district

▲ 33 pts above state median · ▲ 31 pts above county median

Grade 569%

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

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

Science

Grade 553%

School 53% · District 33% · ▲ 21 pts above district

▲ 25 pts above state median · ▲ 26 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-income64%Higher-income78%14 pp gap

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

Grade 5Lower-income58%Higher-income73%14 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income57%Higher-income84%27 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income62%Higher-income94%32 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income50%Higher-income61%11 pp gap