How does Jessie Nelson Academy compare to other middle schools in Signal Hill?

Jessie Nelson Academy has a SchoolScope composite score of 31.3/100, placing it at the 17th percentile statewide. 11% of students exceed standard, with a total of 1,539 students tested across grades and subjects.

What percentage of students exceed standards at Jessie Nelson Academy?

11.3% of students at Jessie Nelson Academy exceed the state standard on CAASPP assessments, while 29.4% meet or exceed it. The gap between these two numbers reveals whether the school pushes students beyond basic proficiency.

What is the chronic absenteeism rate at Jessie Nelson Academy?

29.9% of students at Jessie Nelson Academy 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.

Jessie Nelson Academy

Q: Is Jessie Nelson Academy improving or declining?

Jessie Nelson Academy's proficiency rate increases by 2.5 percentage points from Grade 6 to grade 8 growth, suggesting the school is adding value over time.

Middle School

Long Beach Unified Signal HillLos Angeles County90755

Composite Score

out of 100

State Percentile

of middle schools

State Rank

of California middle schools

School overview

Enrollment

818 students

Student-Teacher Ratio

23:1

Free/Reduced Lunch

79%

Teachers

36 full-time

Dashboard indicators

ELA Year-over-Year

Increased

+5.9 pts DFS change

Math Year-over-Year

Increased

+5.8 pts DFS change

EL Proficiency (ELPAC)

16.2%

English learners at Level 4 (Well Developed) · 148 tested

Data source: California School Dashboard 2025, ELPAC 2024

Student demographics

Hispanic60.0%

White1.8%

Asian20.1%

Black12.2%

Other5.9%

Performance breakdown

Performance breakdown for Jessie Nelson Academy
Category	Percentage
Exceeded Standard	11.3%
Met Standard	18.2%
Below Standard	70.6%

What other rankings don't show you

Most rating sites report "29% proficient" for Jessie Nelson Academy and stop there. Here's what that number hides:

11.3% of students exceeded standard while 18.2% merely met it. That exceeded rate is 6.1 points below the state average of 17.3%. That's 12.1 points below the Long Beach Unified district average of 23.4%. The 5 nearby schools within ~3 miles average 18.0% exceeded — 6.7 points higher. The gap between "met" and "exceeded" is the difference between a school that clears the bar and one that raises it.

Students here improve by 2.5 percentage points from Grade 6 to grade 8 growth, suggesting the school is adding value beyond what students arrive with.

California's Dashboard shows ELA performance increased and Math increased year-over-year. 16.2% of English learners reached Level 4 (Well Developed) on ELPAC.

Chronic absenteeism is 29.9%, above the state average of 19.3%.

Why the exceeded vs. met split matters →

A low score doesn't tell the whole story. Read: Your School Scored Low — Here's What That Actually Means

Key metrics

% Exceeded Standard

11.3%

Students scoring above proficient

% Met or Above

29.4%

Students meeting standard

Growth (G6→G8)

+2.5pp

Change in proficiency rate

Chronic Absenteeism

29.9%

Students missing 10%+ of days

Suspension Rate

14.6%

Students suspended at least once

Total Tested

1,539

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	274	12.8%	21.2%	28.8%	37.2%	33.9%
7th	259	12.0%	28.2%	27.0%	32.8%	40.1%
8th	240	11.7%	22.5%	26.7%	39.2%	34.2%

Math scores by grade

Grade	Tested	Exceeded	Met	Nearly Met	Not Met	Met+Above
6th	270	6.7%	12.2%	28.9%	52.2%	18.9%
7th	259	8.9%	17.0%	25.1%	49.0%	25.9%
8th	237	15.6%	8.0%	27.4%	49.0%	23.6%

K-12 Feeder PathBoundary data

Elementary

Bobbie Smith Elementary

34.920th pctile

Zoned

Alvarado Elementary

51.068th pctile

Zoned

Signal Hill Elementary

49.464th pctile

Zoned

▼

Middle

Jessie Nelson Academy

31.317th pctile

This school

▼

High School

Eunice Sato Academy of Math & …

Zoned

Also serves area

Also serves area

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