Richard L. Graves Middle, Whittier CA

Original Research by School Decision on Richard L. Graves Middle

Richard L. Graves Middle is a regular public middle school serving grades six through eight in Whittier, a Southern California city anchored by healthcare, education, and small business. The school enrolls a small sixth-grade cohort but larger seventh and eighth-grade populations, with a student body that is predominantly Latino. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.

On state assessments in 2024-25, the school's proficiency rates are low across subjects. In seventh-grade English language arts, about one-third of students met proficiency standards. Eighth-grade English language arts proficiency sits somewhat higher. In mathematics, seventh-grade proficiency is in the low twenties, and eighth-grade proficiency is lower still. Eighth-grade science proficiency is in the mid-teens. The school's overall proficiency index places it in the bottom quartile among districts in Los Angeles County. Data for sixth grade were suppressed, which often reflects small tested cohort size.

The school sits within South Whittier Elementary, a district that recently approved a general obligation bond in March 2024 to fund roof repairs, electrical and HVAC upgrades, technology access improvements, and facility modernization, financed through a property-tax mechanism families should understand if they own or plan to buy in the area. The district has also launched a Spanish Dual Language Immersion Program in a 90/10 two-way model at the kindergarten and first-grade level at two elementary schools, though this program does not yet extend to the middle level.

The Whittier housing market reflects broader Southern California patterns. Home values are above the state median, and rental costs place housing affordability at approximately one-third of income. The mortgage environment is steady. Locally, major employers include healthcare providers, the school districts themselves, and a mix of retail and manufacturing, creating a community rooted in service and education sectors.

Parents choosing this school should understand that proficiency levels are substantially below state expectations across tested grades and subjects, a pattern consistent across English language arts, mathematics, and science. The school operates within a district investing in facility improvements and launching bilingual pathways at the elementary level. A parent may want to look into whether the school offers specific academic supports, intervention programs, or extracurricular pathways that fit their child's needs, since the assessment data shows a meaningful academic challenge ahead.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 724%

School 24% · District 23%

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

Grade 819%

School 19% · District 19%

▼ 9 pts below state median · ▼ 10 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 732%

School 32% · District 32%

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

Grade 834%

School 34% · District 34%

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

Science

Grade 816%

School 16% · District 16%

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

Social studies

Grade 851%

School 51% · District 51%

▲ 2 pts above state median · ▲ 3 pts above county median

This schoolSouth Whittier Elementary, 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 7Lower-income29%Higher-income62%33 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income35%Higher-income29%6 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 7Lower-income21%Higher-income48%26 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income20%Higher-income14%5 pp gap