Will Rogers Elementary, Lynwood CA

Original Research by School Decision on Will Rogers Elementary

Will Rogers Elementary serves kindergarten through sixth grade in Lynwood, a densely populated, predominantly working-class and Latino community within Los Angeles County. The school sits within a district currently navigating significant structural change, making context important for families considering enrollment.

The school's academic profile shows proficiency rates well below county benchmarks. In English Language Arts, overall proficiency across tested grades stands around the lower half, with sixth grade performing best and fourth grade notably weaker. In mathematics, proficiency is similarly constrained, with a steep dip in fifth grade. Science proficiency in fifth grade is particularly low. When positioned against the comparison set of districts in Los Angeles County, Will Rogers' overall proficiency index places it in the bottom quartile, meaning its tested performance lags substantially behind the median school in the county. A parent should understand this as a starting point and may want to discuss with the school what supports are in place and what instructional strategies are being prioritized to move these numbers.

The school's student body is almost entirely Latino, with a very high concentration of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting Lynwood's economic character as a working-class immigrant and immigrant-heritage community. The enrollment is stable at around seven hundred students, distributed fairly evenly across grades.

Will Rogers has operated a Dual Language Immersion program in English and Spanish since the mid-2010s. This program, which serves students from transitional kindergarten through sixth grade, represents a core pathway the school offers families seeking biliteracy development. The district expanded its commitment to this approach by launching a second DLI program at Mark Twain Elementary in fall 2024, signaling ongoing investment in this instructional model.

The broader context matters. Lynwood Unified is in the midst of consolidation and facility modernization. Voters approved a major bond in November 2024 to renovate and repair schools across the district, most of which are decades old, at a cost to property owners over time. More directly, the district has proposed consolidating three elementary schools, including potentially Wilson and Rosa Parks, beginning fall 2026, though Will Rogers is not named among those proposed for consolidation. A new high school campus is scheduled to open in fall 2027. These structural shifts create uncertainty around school assignments and operations.

The city of Lynwood itself is dense and walkable in its retail core around Plaza Mexico, with a civic center clustered along Bullis Road. It is a commuter city; most residents work elsewhere. Housing costs are moderate compared to much of Los Angeles County, though rents have risen noticeably. The community's identity is anchored by a strong Mexican and broader Latino cultural presence, reflected in retail, festivals, and civic life.

For families, Will Rogers represents a neighborhood elementary school with an established bilingual program in a high-poverty, predominantly Latino setting where academic proficiency is currently low. The DLI pathway is a deliberate strength. The district's ongoing turmoil around closures and consolidations is a real factor to track. Parents interested in this school should clarify the school's current enrollment status, request specifics on instructional supports tied to the low proficiency picture, and confirm whether any consolidation proposals might affect it in coming years.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 346%

School 46% · District 36% · ▲ 11 pts above district

▲ 3 pts above state median · even with county median

Grade 435%

School 35% · District 30% · ▲ 5 pts above district

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

Grade 519%

School 19% · District 22% · ▼ 3 pts below district

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

Grade 637%

School 37% · District 23% · ▲ 14 pts above district

▲ 7 pts above state median · ▲ 6 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 340%

School 40% · District 33% · ▲ 7 pts above district

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

Grade 429%

School 29% · District 34% · ▼ 5 pts below district

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

Grade 531%

School 31% · District 40% · ▼ 9 pts below district

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

Grade 651%

School 51% · District 35% · ▲ 16 pts above district

▲ 7 pts above state median · ▲ 6 pts above county median

Science

Grade 515%

School 15% · District 19% · ▼ 4 pts below district

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

This schoolLynwood 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.