School district · Los Angeles County

Downey Unified schools

Of Downey Unified’s 10 public elementary schools, 9 sit between the 55th and the 80th percentile among the 5,726 California elementary schools we score (spring 2026 tests).

Elementary · 10 schools

from 48th to 80th · among 5,726 California elementary schools we score · spring 2026 tests

  • Price (Maude) Elementary: 80th percentile, Strong
  • Carpenter (C. C.) Elementary: 80th percentile, Strong
  • Rio Hondo Elementary: 74th percentile, Solid
  • Gallatin Elementary: 73rd percentile, Solid
  • Unsworth (Edith) Elementary: 71st percentile, Solid
  • Ward (E. W.) Elementary: 67th percentile, Solid
  • Alameda Elementary: 60th percentile, Solid
  • Lewis (Ed C.) Elementary: 60th percentile, Solid
  • Rio San Gabriel Elementary: 55th percentile, Solid
  • Gauldin (A.L.) Elementary: 48th percentile, Developing
0Needs Support
1Developing
7Solid
2Strong

One dot per school.

Middle and high school pictures

Middle · 4 schools

from 53rd to 77th · among 2,529 California middle schools we score · spring 2026 tests

  • Doty (Wendy Lopour) Middle: 77th percentile, Strong
  • Griffiths (Gordon) Middle: 77th percentile, Strong
  • Stauffer (Mary R.) Middle: 65th percentile, Solid
  • Sussman (Edward A.) Middle: 53rd percentile, Solid
0Needs Support
0Developing
2Solid
2Strong

High · 2 schools

from 64th to 70th · among 1,498 California high schools we score · spring 2025 tests

  • Warren (Earl) High: 70th percentile, Solid
  • Downey High: 64th percentile, Solid
0Needs Support
0Developing
2Solid
0Strong

One dot per school. Each stage is placed only among California schools at its own level.

  • 2 schools not ranked statewide

Schools around Downey Unified

18 listed public schools with mapped locations.

Open full map →

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Percentile among California schools at the same level

  • Strong75th+
  • Solid50–74th
  • Developing25–49th
  • Needs Supportbelow 25th
  • Not scored

The school lists on this page are also available without the map.

Elementary schools

Which elementary schools in Downey Unified score highest?

Price (Maude) Elementary and Carpenter (C. C.) Elementary are highest, both at the 80th percentile.

That’s higher than 80 in 100 of the 5,726 California elementary schools we score (spring 2026 tests).

Highest in Downey Unified

Each percentile compares a school with California schools at its own level. What patterns mean

Show the other 7 elementary schools
Context

The average elementary school in Downey Unified had 18 in 100 students chronically absent (missed 10% or more of school days) in 2025–26; the average California elementary school we score had 17 in 100. Both are averages of school rates, each school counted once.

Middle schools

Which middle schools in Downey Unified score highest?

Doty (Wendy Lopour) Middle and Griffiths (Gordon) Middle are highest, both at the 77th percentile.

That’s higher than 77 in 100 of the 2,529 California middle schools we score (spring 2026 tests).

Highest in Downey Unified

Each percentile compares a school with California schools at its own level. What patterns mean

Show the other 1 middle school
Context

The average middle school in Downey Unified had 18 in 100 students chronically absent in 2025–26; the average California middle school we score had 18 in 100.

High schools

Which high schools in Downey Unified score highest?

Warren (Earl) High is highest, at the 70th percentile.

That’s higher than 70 in 100 of the 1,498 California high schools we score (spring 2025 tests).

Highest in Downey Unified

Each percentile compares a school with California schools at its own level.

2 high schools not ranked statewide

Continuation schools and court and community schools enroll students differently from a regular school, so each is compared only with its own kind or not ranked.

  • Columbus (Christopher) HighContinuation high school: compared only with other continuation schools
  • Woodruff AcademyCommunity day school: students are placed here by probation, district or voluntary referral, including after an expulsion, so we don’t rank it

The district

Where does Downey Unified’s money go?

Downey Unified spent $19,955 per student in the 2024–25 school year.

That’s close to the typical California district, which spent $20,491. About 69 cents of every Downey Unified dollar went to classroom instruction.

Spending by function

Day-to-day spending per student in average daily attendance, from the district’s annual financial report (SACS) to the California Department of Education. District-wide: it includes central administration and costs never assigned to one campus.

Share by function, 2024–25

  • Instruction69%
  • Instruction support11%
  • Student services8%
  • Administration4%
  • Buildings & maintenance7%
  • Other1%

Shares of the same spending total, by the report’s spending categories, rounded so they add up to 100. Names are simplified from the report’s own categories.

The district’s plan

Every California district publishes a yearly plan, the LCAP: its goals and what it will spend to reach them. Search it for a program, grade or student group you care about.

Sources: Plans (California School Dashboard) ↗

Who goes to the district’s schools
Who attends

Student mix

2024–25 · October enrollment count, 22,462 students
1. Hispanic or Latino: 89%2. White: 5%3. Black or African American: 3%4. Asian: 2%5. Two or more races: <1%6. Filipino: <1%7. Pacific Islander: <1%8. American Indian or Alaska Native: <1%Student mix2024–25
  1. Hispanic or Latino89%
  2. White5%
  3. Black or African American3%
  4. Asian2%
  5. Two or more races<1%
  6. Filipino<1%
  7. Pacific Islander<1%
  8. American Indian or Alaska Native<1%
  9. Not reported0%
Shares use the district's own October enrollment counts from the CDE, including its charter schools. Rounded labels may not total 100%; segments use the original shares.

Free or reduced-price meals

78%

Across California, 63% of students qualify.

2024–25 · 17,566 of 22,405 students qualify, summed from the CDE’s meal counts for every school it lists under the district, charters included. It comes from a different CDE file than the student mix, so the two totals differ.

The district’s state records

Is the state giving the district extra help?

The state is giving Downey Unified extra help in 2026, the second year after it qualified on the 2025 Dashboard.

How English learners moved up on the state’s English test

From spring 2025 to spring 2026, 60% of the district’s English learners moved up at least one level on the state’s English test (ELPAC), or stayed at the top (1,088 of 1,822 students). California: 47%. It counts students moving up the test’s levels, so a student can count here before becoming fluent.

Sources: District help (CDE) ↗ · English learner progress (CDE) ↗. State results from the 2026 California School Dashboard.

Which places nearby can you look at next?

Cities in the district

More places (5)

Districts nearby

Common questions

Which public schools in Downey Unified rank highest?

Elementary: 2 schools at the 80th percentile (Strong): Price (Maude) Elementary and Carpenter (C. C.) Elementary. Middle: 2 schools at the 77th percentile (Strong): Doty (Wendy Lopour) Middle and Griffiths (Gordon) Middle. High: Warren (Earl) High, 70th percentile (Solid). Each percentile is among the California schools at the same level we score. A rank doesn’t decide fit or whether a child can enroll.

Does living in the Downey Unified district decide which school my child attends?

Not by itself. Attendance boundaries, programs, transfers and space all matter. Confirm the school for your address, grade and program with the district.
More questions (4)

Are the public schools in Downey Unified good?

Downey Unified’s 10 public elementary schools run from the 48th to the 80th percentile among the 5,726 California elementary schools we score (spring 2026 tests). By band: 2 Strong, 7 Solid and 1 Developing. Downey Unified’s 4 public middle schools run from the 53rd to the 77th percentile among the 2,529 California middle schools we score (spring 2026 tests). By band: 2 Strong and 2 Solid. Downey Unified’s 2 public high schools run from the 64th to the 70th percentile among the 1,498 California high schools we score (spring 2025 tests). By band: 2 Solid. A percentile compares a school with California public schools at the same level that we score. How we score schools.

How does chronic absence in Downey Unified compare with California?

The average elementary school in Downey Unified had 18 in 100 students chronically absent (missed 10% or more of school days) in 2025–26; the average California elementary school we score had 17 in 100. Both are averages of school rates, each school counted once. The average middle school in Downey Unified had 18 in 100 students chronically absent in 2025–26; the average California middle school we score had 18 in 100. These are averages of school rates: each school counts once, whatever its size.

How much does Downey Unified spend per student?

Downey Unified spent $19,955 per student in the 2024–25 school year. That’s close to the typical California district, which spent $20,491. About 69 cents of every Downey Unified dollar went to classroom instruction. Day-to-day spending per student in average daily attendance, from its annual financial report to the California Department of Education. The district’s spending, by function.

Where do these results come from?

California’s state tests (CAASPP): spring 2026 for elementary and middle schools, spring 2025 for high schools, and chronic-absence rates for 2025–26, published by the California Department of Education. Percentiles, bands and Scope Scores are SchoolScope’s calculations. How we score schools.

Sources and methodology

This page lists the public schools governed and funded by Downey Unified, with the district’s spending and state accountability records.

Data source: California Department of Education · CAASPP 2025–26 elementary and middle school; 2024–25 high school

Percentiles, bands and Scope Scores are SchoolScope’s own calculations from these state files.

View CDE data ↗ (opens in a new tab)How Scope Scores work →

Download these schools (CSV)Free to use under CC BY 4.0 with attribution.