Willard Elementary, Long Beach CA

Original Research by School Decision on Willard Elementary

Willard Elementary is a school of about kindergarten through fifth grade serving a residential neighborhood in Long Beach. The student body is predominantly Hispanic, with students of Black and Asian descent making up smaller shares; nearly four in five students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, placing the school in a community facing material economic pressure. The enrollment is relatively small and stable across its grade bands.

Academically, Willard's performance is notably low. On the most recent California state testing in English language arts, the school's combined proficiency across tested grades stands in the bottom quartile relative to districts across Los Angeles County. Math proficiency is even softer, at around the same percentile. The gap is sharpest in fifth-grade math, where proficiency is substantially lower than in earlier grades, and science proficiency in fifth grade, measured through California's science assessment, is also quite low. English language arts results are somewhat stronger than math results, particularly in fourth and fifth grades, though still below county medians. A parent may want to look into further detail with the school about what instructional supports are in place for students struggling with foundational skills, especially as students progress to middle school.

State testing data does not provide breakdowns by demographic group, so it is not possible to see from these results how different populations within the school are faring. The school does not report counts for special education or English learner enrollment in the available data, which limits visibility into these populations' needs and supports.

Long Beach itself is a large coastal city undergoing substantial residential growth, especially downtown, where hundreds of new housing units have recently been completed or approved. The neighborhood context around Willard is mixed. The school sits in an established residential area of the city with straightforward walkability to local services and parks. Long Beach has a strong public library system and transit network, though the school's particular neighborhood character would matter for daily life. The housing market in the area reflects broader Southern California patterns: home values are substantial, and monthly rents are in a similar middle range. The district has been managing enrollment decline over the past two decades, which has resulted in school closures; families considering the school might take note of the district's consolidation plan announced in late 2024.

Long Beach Unified as a whole operates under Measure Q, a facilities bond approved in 2022 that adds to local property taxes through about the mid-2030s to address aging campus infrastructure and safety upgrades. The district is also rolling out state-mandated ethnic studies courses at the high school level, which touches curriculum across the system. For families whose children might eventually feed into the district's middle and high schools, these district-level changes are part of the broader context. Willard itself serves only elementary grades, so these shifts affect future years.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 331%

School 31% · District 49% · ▼ 18 pts below district

▼ 12 pts below state median · ▼ 15 pts below county median

Grade 433%

School 33% · District 45% · ▼ 13 pts below district

▼ 5 pts below state median · ▼ 8 pts below county median

Grade 519%

School 19% · District 41% · ▼ 22 pts below district

▼ 11 pts below state median · ▼ 14 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 324%

School 24% · District 48% · ▼ 24 pts below district

▼ 16 pts below state median · ▼ 18 pts below county median

Grade 437%

School 37% · District 50% · ▼ 13 pts below district

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

Grade 539%

School 39% · District 55% · ▼ 16 pts below district

▼ 6 pts below state median · ▼ 8 pts below county median

Science

Grade 514%

School 14% · District 33% · ▼ 19 pts below district

▼ 15 pts below state median · ▼ 14 pts below 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-income23%Higher-income31%8 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income35%Higher-income47%12 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income37%Higher-income47%9 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income30%Higher-income39%9 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income27%Higher-income60%33 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income16%Higher-income33%17 pp gap