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School Profile · Compton

Foster Elementary: The score is strong. The trajectory is stronger.

Foster pairs 65% proficiency with gains that hold up when the same students are tracked two years apart — the rare school that posts both.

1620 North Pannes Street, 90221 (opens in new tab)·Compton Unified·Compton·Grades TK-5·398 students·85% low-income·2024–25 CAASPP·(310) 898-6180·Website
Scope Score
72
🚀 Growth Engine · Strong
ranked #428 statewide · #1 of 25 in Compton Unified

Foster Elementary scores 72 of 100 on SchoolScope's Scope Score — the 93rd percentile of 5,744 California elementary schools (CDE CAASPP 2025).

Measures test performance, attendance, and climate — not arts, community, or your kid. How we score →

Most rating sites would stop at “65% proficient” and call it done. Foster deserves a closer read. The school sits in Compton, where four in five students qualify for free or reduced lunch — and reading the numbers without that context misreads the school.

Foster's low-income kids hit 64.9% proficiency in ELA — a number the same group reaches at 38.2% statewide. If you're trying to read past zip-code-driven test scores, that's the signal worth weighing.

The story this school is actually telling

The school, grade by grade

ELA · CAASPP 2024–25

Different students, same year — each bar is one grade's proficiency mix.

27%
25%
48%
Grade 3 · 52% proficient
52%
21%
27%
Grade 4 · 73% proficient
52%
21%
27%
Grade 5 · 73% proficient

The honest read: the share exceeding rises 25.9pp across grades; the floor rises 22.2pp. The state average rises 4.5pp over the same span. Kids here gain ground the longer they stay — the pattern you want to see. A school visit and conversation with teachers will tell you more than this number.

64.9%
Low-income · ELA · met standard

Foster's most underrated number

64.9% of low-income students met the ELA standard — versus 38.2% for the same group statewide. That's the strongest kind of signal a school can post: it holds across income lines.

Foster low-income: 64.9%State low-income: 38.2%Foster EL: 35.1%State EL: 10.4%

The 6 things our score weighs

Exceeded standard
36.2%
State 21.3%
14.9pp above state avg
Met or exceeded
64.8%
State 42.7%
22.2pp above state avg
Growth (G3→G5)
+9.3pp
State -2.9pp
Scores improve across grades
Chronic absenteeism
3.3%
State 17.9%
14.6pp below state avg
Suspension rate
0.1%
State 1.6%
1.5pp below state avg
EL proficiency (ELPAC)
27.1%
State 18.0%
9.1pp above state avg
Worth a school visit

Ask what changed — new curriculum, new principal, new program. Momentum has a cause, and a visit will find it.

Where the path goes

The path below follows attendance boundaries — scores shown for each next step.

K-12 Feeder Path
Elementary
Foster Elementary
72/100
This school

Estimated path based on proximity within the same district. Contact your school district for official feeder information.

Your other options

Private alternatives nearby

Private schools within ~10 miles. These schools do not participate in state testing and cannot be scored or ranked.

The community around it

Community Profile
Context — not part of the Scope Score

Student demographics

Hispanic88.2%
White0.8%
Black10.6%
Other0.5%
Low IncomeFree/reduced lunch eligible 84.9% (21pp above CA avg)
Resources & Access
Enrollment
398
82 below CA avg (~480)
Transitional Kindergarten
54 TK students
13% of a 401-student campus · CDE Census Day 2025-26
Student-Teacher Ratio
27:1
6 more students per teacher than CA avg
Per-Pupil Spending
$26,845
District avg: $15,556 · CA avg: $14,815 · School-level · CDE ESSA
EL Proficiency (ELPAC)
27.1% Level 4
Share of English Learners reaching full proficiency
Teacher Salary Range
$52,034 – $117,259
District schedule · CA median ~$98K
At Foster Elementary in Compton, 64.9% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 50.6% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Foster Elementary outperforms its district average for low-income students by 14.3 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (63.2% Math proficient); Hispanic students (63.1% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 19.3 percentage points for english learner students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 171 students tested.
Equity Gaps
Absenteeism · Black+3.1pp
6.4% vs 3.3% overall · n=47
ELA · English Learner−19.3pp
46.7% vs 65.9% overall · n=15
1 more gap by subject
ELA Exceeded · English Learner−16.8pp
26.7% vs 43.5% overall · n=15

Subgroups with fewer than 15 students are excluded for privacy. Gaps of less than 3 percentage points are not shown.

Subgroup Proficiency
Low-Income171 tested
ELA 64.9%·Math 63.2%· +14.3pp vs district
Hispanic168 tested
ELA 63.1%·Math 63.7%· +11.0pp vs district
English Learner37 tested
ELA 35.1%·Math 48.6%· +18.8pp vs district

Weighted average across tested grades. Subgroups with fewer than 15 students excluded. Data: CDE CAASPP 2024-25.

Subgroup Growth by Grade
Change in proficiency from lowest tested grade. Shows which groups are gaining ground.

Low-income student ELA proficiency rises by 25.1pp from grade 3 to grade 5 at this school. District average: -6.6pp.

Subgroups with fewer than 10 tested students per grade are not shown.

Funding Breakdown
Instruction 58%Support 39%Other 3%

Source: NCES F-33 (2019–2020) · Full district breakdown →

Neighborhood Context
Median Income
$73K
$12K below CA median
Median Home Value
$575K
$84K below CA median
Bachelor's+
8%
27pp below CA avg
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2024) · ZIP-level
Whole Child
Teacher experience, college/career readiness, and more. Context only — never part of the Scope Score.
Teacher Experience
17.4 years avg experience
16 teachers · 6% first-year · 13% second-year
Teacher Credentials
90% fully credentialed

Source: CDE SARC, 2024-25

Community Profile provides context about who attends this school and the resources available. These factors are never part of the Scope Score. Learn why →

Frequently asked questions

Is Foster Elementary a good elementary school?
Foster Elementary has a Scope Score of 72 out of 100, placing it in the 93rd percentile of California elementary schools and ranked #428 statewide. 36.2% of students exceeded the state standard on the 2025 CAASPP assessment, which is 14.9 percentage points above the California average of 21.3%. The Scope Score weights six dimensions for elementary schools: exceeded standard (43%), met or exceeded (22%), grade 3-to-5 growth (15%), chronic absenteeism (10%), ELPAC English Learner proficiency (5%), and suspension rate (5%). Data source: California Department of Education CAASPP 2025, analyzed by SchoolScope.
What are Foster Elementary's CAASPP test scores?
On the 2025 CAASPP Smarter Balanced Assessment, 64.8% of students at Foster Elementary met or exceeded the state standard in ELA and Math combined, and 36.2% exceeded it. The gap between those numbers matters: 28.6% of students are at the proficiency floor, while 36.2% pushed past it. Most rating sites report only the combined "proficient" number. SchoolScope surfaces the exceeded-vs-met split because it reveals whether a school's curriculum challenges students beyond minimum proficiency or paces toward it. 374 student-subject combinations were assessed.
How does Foster Elementary rank in California?
Foster Elementary ranks #428 among California elementary schools by Scope Score, placing it in the 93rd percentile. This ranking is based on a weighted composite of 2025 CAASPP test performance (exceeded and met rates), grade-level growth (Grade 3 to grade 5 growth), chronic absenteeism, and suspension rate. Unlike single-number ratings, the Scope Score shows what drives the ranking so parents can decide what matters most to their family. See full methodology.
Is Foster Elementary getting better or worse?
Based on 2025 CAASPP data, proficiency at Foster Elementary increases by 9.3 percentage points from Grade 3 to grade 5 growth. This upward trajectory suggests the school is adding measurable value — students leave with higher proficiency rates than they entered with. Growth trajectory is weighted at 15% in the elementary Scope Score because it measures what the school does, not just who walks in the door.
What is the attendance and school culture like at Foster Elementary?
3.3% of students at Foster Elementary are chronically absent (missing 10% or more of school days), which is better than the California average of 17.9%. The suspension rate is 0.1%, indicating a low-discipline-incident environment. SchoolScope includes these culture metrics in the Scope Score because they reflect day-to-day school experience in ways test scores alone cannot.
How does Foster Elementary compare to other schools in Compton?
Foster Elementary scores 72/100 (93rd percentile) among California elementary schools. To compare with nearby schools, SchoolScope shows the same metrics side by side: exceeded rate, proficiency, growth trajectory, and school culture indicators. The school serves 398 students. Use the schools in Compton page or the map view to compare all elementary schools nearby.
How does Foster Elementary serve low-income and underrepresented students?
At Foster Elementary in Compton, 64.9% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 50.6% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Foster Elementary outperforms its district average for low-income students by 14.3 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (63.2% Math proficient); Hispanic students (63.1% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 19.3 percentage points for english learner students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 171 students tested. SchoolScope shows disaggregated test scores by demographic subgroup so you can see how a school performs for your child's specific group — not just the school-wide average. Subgroup data is context, not part of the Scope Score: we don't penalize schools for who they serve. See our equity approach.

For the data nerds

Every number on this page

Score factors, grade-level breakdowns, subgroup proficiency, and peer comparisons.

01Score factorsWeighted composite · 2024–25
Exceeded standard · 43%
36.2%
↑ vs CA 21.3% · 64th pctile
Met or exceeded · 22%
64.8%
↑ vs CA 42.7% · 67th pctile
Growth (G3→G5) · 15%
+9.3pp
↑ vs CA -2.9pp · 99th pctile
Chronic absenteeism · 10%
3.3%
↑ vs CA 17.9% · 74th pctile
Suspension rate · 5%
0.1%
↑ vs CA 1.6% · 62th pctile
EL proficiency (ELPAC) · 5%
27.1%
↑ vs CA 18.0% · 63th pctile
02By grade & subgroupCAASPP 2024–25 · % of tested students
ELATestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 36427%25%28%20%52%+8
Grade 46252%21%11%16%73%+28
Grade 56152%21%10%16%74%+26
MathTestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 36427%33%14%27%59%+14
Grade 46244%32%10%15%76%+34
Grade 56116%39%30%15%56%+20
Science (CAST)TestedEXCMETNEARNOT
Grade 5/8/116215%37%42%6%

CAST is tested in grades 5, 8, and once in high school — not annually. Not part of the Scope Score.

Subgroup · ELATestedMET+vs districtvs CA
Socioeconomically Disadvantaged17164.9%+14+27
Hispanic/Latino16863.1%+11+24
English Learners3735.1%+19+25
03Peer comparison · nearest elementary schoolssorted by Scope Score
SchoolDistScopeEXCMET+GrowthSusp
Foster Elementary ←7236.2%64.8%+9.30.1%
Bryson Avenue Elementary2.8 mi5532.3%58.8%−24.10.1%
Mayo Elementary0.6 mi5222.3%44.6%−4.80.1%
Lifeline Education Charter1.1 mi5235.3%69.1%+22.66.1%
California average4321.3%42.7%−2.91.6%
04More measurescontext · not all part of the Scope Score
Scope Score history
33%72%'19'22'23'24'25
2019 · 2022 · 2023 · 2024 · 2025 · no testing 2020–21 (COVID) · rank #3777 → #3998 → #3402 → #1617 → #428
Source: CA Dept. of Education · CAASPP 2024–25 · n=5,744 elementary schools · Data updated 2026-07-03methodology · data updates · CSV · report issue