Signal Hill Elementary, Signal Hill CA

Original Research by School Decision on Signal Hill Elementary

Signal Hill Elementary serves kindergarten through fifth grade in a densely built, independent city surrounded by Long Beach. The school sits at the center of a community in transition, where industrial land is being redeveloped into housing and a town center, and where the student body reflects deep economic need alongside considerable ethnic diversity.

The school's current academic picture is mixed. In English language arts, about half of tested students meet proficiency across grades three through five, with results ranging from the mid-40s to the mid-50s. Math proficiency is lower, clustering in the 30s to 50s across those same grades, with fourth grade showing particular weakness. Science proficiency in fifth grade sits below the school's ELA and math results. Across tested subjects and grades, the school's overall proficiency index places it below the midpoint among districts in Los Angeles County. These numbers suggest the school is working with students who face significant academic challenges, and a parent may want to look into what instructional supports and interventions the school is using in reading, writing, and mathematics.

The student body is economically and ethnically diverse. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price meals, reflecting high rates of economic need in the Signal Hill area. The enrollment is split across all six grade levels with roughly similar numbers in each, making this a neighborhood elementary school of moderate size for its grade band. Enrollment data on English learners and special education services were not available in the provided information.

Signal Hill is a small city with a residential character marked by single-family homes and duplexes in some neighborhoods and hillside view properties in others. The median home value in the local market sits near a mid-range point for Los Angeles County, though housing prices have declined slightly year-over-year. Rents run in the mid-range as well. The city is pursuing ambitious redevelopment of older industrial and retail land into mixed-use neighborhoods with housing, retail, and office space, and several apartment projects are in the pipeline. This growth context means the school may see enrollment shifts as new residents move in, though the broader Long Beach Unified School District is experiencing sustained enrollment decline, which led the district to close another elementary school in a recent board action.

Long Beach Unified recently approved Measure Q, a major bond measure that will fund repairs and modernization of aging school campuses with a long-term cost to property owners. The district is also implementing state-mandated ethnic studies courses and dual-enrollment pathways with CSU Long Beach. These systemwide changes set the backdrop for Signal Hill Elementary's instructional environment.

The school itself is located on Walnut Avenue in a city with well-maintained sidewalks and a compact layout, though hilly topography and limited fixed-route transit mean families rely on cars for most trips. Parks and outdoor recreation define community life, and the Signal Hill Public Library serves as a civic anchor. The city lacks conventional downtown street life but is actively trying to build one through its planning efforts.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 359%

School 59% · District 49% · ▲ 9 pts above district

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

Grade 431%

School 31% · District 45% · ▼ 14 pts below district

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

Grade 549%

School 49% · District 41% · ▲ 8 pts above district

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

English language arts

Grade 346%

School 46% · District 48% · ▼ 2 pts below district

▲ 5 pts above state median · ▲ 4 pts above county median

Grade 451%

School 51% · District 50% · ▲ 1 pts above district

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

Grade 556%

School 56% · District 55% · ▲ 2 pts above district

▲ 11 pts above state median · ▲ 10 pts above county median

Science

Grade 529%

School 29% · District 33% · ▼ 4 pts below district

▲ 1 pts above state median · ▲ 1 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-income41%Higher-income77%36 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income51%Higher-income100%50 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income54%Higher-income92%39 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income48%Higher-income62%14 pp gap