Original Research by School Decision on Cabrillo High
Cabrillo High School is a regular public high school in Long Beach, serving grades nine through twelve. The school sits on Santa Fe Avenue in the 90810 zip code area and enrolls students from throughout Long Beach Unified via the district's school-choice lottery system.
The student body is diverse and economically disadvantaged. The majority of students are Hispanic, with smaller populations of Asian and Black students. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. State testing data from the most recent school year shows proficiency in English Language Arts at a lower rate, and proficiency in mathematics and science at very low rates. Only one school year of state assessment results is available in the data, so trends cannot be established. A parent may want to look into what academic supports the school offers alongside instruction, and what the school's longer trajectory has been, since multi-year data would clarify whether recent results reflect particular conditions or a sustained pattern.
Long Beach Unified has been in enrollment decline for about two decades, and the district voted in November 2024 to close Hudson Elementary, signaling that further school consolidations may follow. This affects which neighborhood schools remain available as options. The district has also made curriculum changes relevant to high school students: it is implementing state-mandated ethnic studies as a graduation requirement, with an eleventh-grade blended Ethnic Studies and U.S. History course and free dual-enrollment ethnic studies courses with Cal State Long Beach that earn both high school and college credit. In November 2022, voters approved a major school bond (Measure Q) to repair and modernize aging campuses, upgrade safety and drinking water systems, and expand career-education labs. That bond raises property taxes for owners in the district and will collect through the mid-2040s, a long-term cost families should factor into housing decisions.
Long Beach itself is a large coastal city in active growth. Downtown and much of the city are highly walkable, with strong public transit via Metro's A Line light rail and Long Beach Transit buses. The city has seen a building boom, especially downtown, with a major shift from a daytime business district to a mixed neighborhood with housing, retail, and waterfront amenities. The Port of Long Beach anchors the economy alongside aerospace, health care, technology, and educational institutions. Housing values are above the state median, and mortgage and rent costs are substantial relative to median household income in the region, making affordability a real consideration for families choosing to live in Long Beach.
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