How does Griffiths (Gordon) Middle compare to other middle schools in Downey?

Griffiths (Gordon) Middle has a SchoolScope composite score of 49.5/100, placing it at the 70th percentile statewide. 27% of students exceed standard, with a total of 2,490 students tested across grades and subjects.

What percentage of students exceed standards at Griffiths (Gordon) Middle?

27.0% of students at Griffiths (Gordon) Middle exceed the state standard on CAASPP assessments, while 54.9% meet or exceed it. The gap between these two numbers reveals whether the school pushes students beyond basic proficiency.

Is Griffiths (Gordon) Middle improving or declining?

Griffiths (Gordon) Middle's proficiency rate decreases by 4.0 percentage points from Grade 6 to grade 8 growth, suggesting the school is not sustaining early academic gains.

What is the chronic absenteeism rate at Griffiths (Gordon) Middle?

15.7% of students at Griffiths (Gordon) Middle are chronically absent (missing 10% or more of school days). This metric reflects school culture and family engagement, and is weighted at 15% in our composite score.

Griffiths (Gordon) Middle

Middle School

Downey Unified DowneyLos Angeles County90240

Composite Score

out of 100

State Percentile

of middle schools

State Rank

of California middle schools

School overview

Enrollment

1,291 students

Student-Teacher Ratio

25:1

Free/Reduced Lunch

66%

Teachers

52 full-time

Dashboard indicators

ELA Year-over-Year

Increased

+14.3 pts DFS change

Math Year-over-Year

Increased Significantly

+18.5 pts DFS change

EL Proficiency (ELPAC)

35.9%

English learners at Level 4 (Well Developed) · 103 tested

Data source: California School Dashboard 2025, ELPAC 2024

Student demographics

Hispanic90.4%

White5.2%

Asian1.7%

Black1.2%

Other1.6%

Performance breakdown

Performance breakdown for Griffiths (Gordon) Middle
Category	Percentage
Exceeded Standard	27.0%
Met Standard	27.8%
Below Standard	45.1%

What other rankings don't show you

Most rating sites report "55% proficient" for Griffiths (Gordon) Middle and stop there. Here's what that number hides:

27.0% of students exceeded standard while 27.8% merely met it. That exceeded rate is 9.7 points above the state average of 17.3%. That's 5.5 points above the Downey Unified district average of 21.5%. Compared to the 8 nearby schools within ~3 miles, this exceeded rate is 12.6 points higher (vs 14.5% average). The gap between "met" and "exceeded" is the difference between a school that clears the bar and one that raises it.

Proficiency drops by 4.0 percentage points from Grade 6 to grade 8 growth — a signal that the school may not be sustaining early gains.

California's Dashboard shows ELA performance increased and Math increased significantly year-over-year. 35.9% of English learners reached Level 4 (Well Developed) on ELPAC.

Chronic absenteeism is 15.7%, better than the state average of 19.3%.

Why the exceeded vs. met split matters →

Key metrics

% Exceeded Standard

27.0%

Students scoring above proficient

% Met or Above

54.9%

Students meeting standard

Growth (G6→G8)

-4.0pp

Change in proficiency rate

Chronic Absenteeism

15.7%

Students missing 10%+ of days

Suspension Rate

6.0%

Students suspended at least once

Total Tested

2,490

Across all grades & subjects

Grade trajectory

ELA Trajectory

G6 → G7 → G8

Math Trajectory

G6 → G7 → G8

ELA scores by grade

Grade	Tested	Exceeded	Met	Nearly Met	Not Met	Met+Above
6th	414	25.1%	33.3%	22.7%	18.8%	58.5%
7th	410	25.6%	38.8%	16.8%	18.8%	64.4%
8th	418	22.0%	33.0%	18.4%	26.6%	55.0%

Math scores by grade

Grade	Tested	Exceeded	Met	Nearly Met	Not Met	Met+Above
6th	415	30.8%	21.2%	22.6%	25.3%	52.0%
7th	411	30.9%	20.9%	20.7%	27.5%	51.8%
8th	422	27.7%	19.7%	21.8%	30.8%	47.4%

K-12 Feeder PathBoundary data

Elementary

Price (Maude) Elementary

57.279th pctile

Zoned

Rio Hondo Elementary

49.063rd pctile

Zoned

Unsworth (Edith) Elementary

51.469th pctile

Also serves area

Gallatin Elementary

46.958th pctile

Also serves area

▼

Middle

Griffiths (Gordon) Middle

49.570th pctile

This school

▼

High School

Warren (Earl) High

60.776th pctile

Zoned

Feeder patterns derived from 2015-16 NCES attendance boundary data. Boundaries may have changed. Contact your school district for current information.