The top reported proficiency rate is 61% in English language arts. The lowest is 38% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Alvarado Elementary
Alvarado Elementary in Signal Hill is a small school serving the full early-education path from kindergarten through fifth grade within Long Beach Unified. The enrollment leans heavily toward economically disadvantaged families: about four-fifths of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals. The student body is diverse, with Latino students forming a plurality, followed by Asian, Black, white, and multiracial students. The school is located on East 21st Street in a compact city surrounded by Long Beach that is itself undergoing significant redevelopment as it phases out industrial uses in favor of housing and walkable mixed-use town centers.
On California's state assessments for 2024-25, Alvarado's results present a mixed profile across grade levels and subjects. In English language arts, fourth and fifth graders performed notably stronger than third graders, with fifth-grade proficiency at its highest point. Math performance was more uneven: third graders showed above-median strength, but fourth graders dropped substantially lower, recovering somewhat in fifth grade. Science results for fifth graders, the only grade tested, fell below overall ELA performance. Across all tested grades and subjects, Alvarado's overall proficiency index positioned the school above the midpoint among districts in Los Angeles County. This is the only comparison point available for the school; state assessment trend data is not available because this is the first year these particular metrics were collected in this form.
The school sits within Long Beach Unified at a moment of district-level change. The district approved a substantial bond measure in 2022 to repair and upgrade aging school buildings, a cost that will raise local property taxes for more than a decade. More immediately, LBUSD is implementing state-mandated ethnic studies coursework at the high school level through new blended courses and dual-enrollment pathways with California State University Long Beach. The district is also managing sustained enrollment decline, which led the board in late 2024 to approve closing another elementary school and redirecting its students, a signal that further consolidations may follow and reshape neighborhood school assignments.
Signal Hill itself is a small, densely built independent city entirely surrounded by Long Beach. The residential character varies from single-family and duplex neighborhoods on the lower slopes to higher-value hillside homes with views higher up. The city has a long history as an oil-production area and industrial land use still dominates, though that is changing. Signal Hill is pursuing major redevelopment under an Opportunity Study Areas plan approved in early 2025, aiming to reshape roughly a quarter of the city into a walkable town center blending housing, retail, office, and mixed-use space. Several residential projects are in the pipeline or under construction, including apartment complexes, which will likely bring new families and children to the area in the coming years. The city's median home price is well above the state average, and rental costs are substantial; affordability is a stretch for most families based on local incomes. Parks and trails, including the well-known Panorama Trail and Hilltop Park with its panoramic views, are defining civic amenities, though a conventional downtown is still being built out.
Parents considering Alvarado should understand the school serves a high-poverty, diverse student population in a city at an inflection point between its industrial past and a more residential, walkable future. The test data shows the school is performing modestly above district midpoint in overall proficiency but with variability across grades, particularly a pronounced dip in fourth-grade math that a parent may want to look into further with the school. The school faces the same long-term district enrollment pressures and facility bond costs affecting all Long Beach schools. At the same time, Signal Hill's active redevelopment and housing pipeline suggest the neighborhood and the school's student base may shift in coming years.
See more original research from School Decision →