Chavez Elementary, Long Beach CA

Original Research by School Decision on Chavez Elementary

Chavez Elementary is a small public school in downtown Long Beach serving kindergarten through fifth grade. The school sits in the downtown core near the city's civic center and serves a notably high-poverty, predominantly Latino student population from the immediate neighborhood.

The enrollment is small, with roughly equal numbers of students in each grade. A substantial majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the economic circumstances of the downtown area. The student body is predominantly Latino, with smaller populations of Black, white, and Asian students. The school does not report counts for English learners or students with disabilities, a gap that makes it difficult to fully characterize the school's support infrastructure.

On state testing, Chavez Elementary shows proficiency rates that fall well below the median for elementary schools across Los Angeles County districts. In English language arts, students in the tested grades (three through five) demonstrate proficiency ranging from the mid-thirties to low-forties. Math proficiency is slightly lower, in the upper twenties to low thirties. In science, where only fifth grade is tested statewide, proficiency sits in the upper twenties. These are sobering numbers, well below what typical schools in the county achieve, and parents considering this school may want to look into what academic support and intervention strategies the school has in place. The school has only one year of assessment data available, so no trend can be assessed.

Long Beach itself is in a pronounced growth phase, especially downtown, with major housing development and investment reshaping the city's character from a primarily commercial core into a mixed-use neighborhood. The downtown location puts Chavez near civic anchors like the Billie Jean King Main Library, parks, and transit connections, including the Metro A Line light rail system. The broader city is highly walkable in its downtown and more central neighborhoods and has abundant neighborhood schools spread across distinct residential areas; families have access to a school-choice lottery as well as assignment by address.

At the district level, Long Beach Unified is managing sustained enrollment decline over the past two decades, which has prompted the closure of schools and boundary mergers. The district recently approved Measure Q, a major bond for campus repairs and modernization, which will add to local property taxes. The district has also adopted state-mandated ethnic studies curriculum, creating new pathways and dual-enrollment options for high school students earning college credit while still in secondary school.

Chavez Elementary's small size, downtown location, and student composition make it a neighborhood school for families living in that area. The low test results warrant direct conversation with the school about literacy and math support, intervention programs, and the school's approach to narrowing achievement gaps. For families relocating to downtown Long Beach or considering this particular school, understanding the academic trajectory and the specific supports available is essential.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 328%

School 28% · District 49% · ▼ 21 pts below district

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

Grade 429%

School 29% · District 45% · ▼ 16 pts below district

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

Grade 531%

School 31% · District 41% · ▼ 10 pts below district

▲ 1 pts above state median · ▼ 2 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 331%

School 31% · District 48% · ▼ 17 pts below district

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

Grade 436%

School 36% · District 50% · ▼ 14 pts below district

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

Grade 542%

School 42% · District 55% · ▼ 13 pts below district

▼ 4 pts below state median · ▼ 5 pts below 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-income28%Higher-income40%12 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income31%Higher-income44%13 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income23%Higher-income40%17 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income19%Higher-income50%31 pp gap