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A−

ABC Unified School District

Public school districtGrades K–12Regional · 3 towns

Serves Cerritos, Artesia and Hawaiian Gardens, and parts of Norwalk, Lakewood, La Mirada and Santa Fe Springs.

Cerritos’ School Grade A− better than 84% of California school districts

Students
17,570
Schools
30
Spent per student
$19,156
CA $21,206
Students per teacher
23:1
Free or reduced lunch
59%
Debt
$172.1M
fiscal 2024
The gist

What stands out about ABC Unified School District

  • Its letter, A−: results better than 84% of California districts
  • Math proficiency 16 pts above the state
  • Reading proficiency 17 pts above the state
  • Graduation rate 9 pts above the state
  • Spends 10% less per student than the CA average
  • 23 students per teacher
  • Enrollment down 9.9% since 2020–21
  • Debt of $172.1M, about $9,794 per student
The School Grade

What this district adds to its towns’ grade

A−: better than 84% of the 1,872 California school districts we grade. Each town’s School Grade weighs its districts by the students they test; spending and class size are shown but don’t count.

Test scoresReading and math well above the state, 2021–22
A
GraduationFour-year graduation well above the state, class of 2023
B+
The towns it serves, and their School Grades

How TownRatings grades schools →

Where would my kid go?

The school path for Cerritos. Grade by grade →

K–610 schoolsThis district
7–84 middle schoolsThis district
9–123 high schoolsThis district

Test scores vs. CA

2021–22 · class of 2023
Math proficiency49%
State average 33.1% · 9,910 students tested
Reading / language arts64%
State average 46.7% · 9,921 students tested
Graduation rate (4-year)95%
State average 86.2% · 1,577 in the class

98% of students in the tested grades sat the 2022 tests.

Reported to the U.S. Department of Education (EDFacts via ED Data Express and the Urban Institute); the newest year for each measure.

Where the money goes

fiscal 2024
$19,156 per student · 10% below CA
Spending
Classroom instruction 61%Support & administration 36%Other 3%
Paid for by
Local (mostly property tax) 25%State 66%Federal 9%

Fiscal 2022–24 includes federal pandemic relief (ESSER).

U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of School System Finances.

Enrollment over time
19,506’20
18,848’21
18,304’22
18,034’23
17,570’24

Down 9.9% since 2020–21.

Students
Hispanic 46%Asian 35%Two or more races 7%Black 7%White 4%Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander <1%American Indian/Alaska Native <1%

Schools in the district

30 public schools. Each public school’s letter compares its own 2020–21 reading and math results with California’s other public schools.

Leal (Frank C.) Elementary
Elementary · Grades K–6 · Cerritos
A+
774 students26:1
Nixon (Patricia) Elementary
Elementary · Grades K–6 · Cerritos
A+
681 students26:1
Niemes (John H.) Elementary
Elementary · Grades K–6 · Artesia
A
631 students23:1
Cerritos Elementary
Elementary · Grades K–6 · Cerritos
A+
612 students28:1
Bragg Elementary
Elementary · Grades K–6 · Cerritos
A
602 students25:1
Wittmann (Helen) Elementary
Elementary · Grades K–6 · Cerritos
A+
561 students28:1
Stowers(Cecil B.) Elementary
Elementary · Grades K–6 · Cerritos
A+
547 students26:1
Gonsalves (Joe A.) Elementary
Elementary · Grades K–6 · Cerritos
A+
516 students23:1
Palms Elementary
Elementary · Grades K–6 · Lakewood
A
463 students24:1
Carver (Charles J.) Elementary
Elementary · Grades K–6 · Cerritos
A+
444 students23:1
Elliott (William F) Elementary
Elementary · Grades K–6 · Artesia
A+
425 students25:1
Burbank (Luther) Elementary
Elementary · Grades K–6 · Artesia
A
421 students26:1
Kennedy (John F.) Elementary
Elementary · Grades K–6 · Artesia
A
398 students22:1
Willow Elementary
Elementary · Grades K–6 · Lakewood
C−
346 students20:1
Melbourne (Ella P.) Elementary
Elementary · Grades K–6 · Lakewood
B+
338 students23:1
Aloha Elementary
Elementary · Grades K–6 · Lakewood
B+
302 students20:1
Hawaiian Elementary
Elementary · Grades K–6 · Hawaiian Gardens
B+
298 students19:1
Furgeson (Venn W.) Elementary
Elementary · Grades K–6 · Hawaiian Gardens
297 students19:1
Juarez (Benito) Elementary
Elementary · Grades K–6 · Cerritos
B+
295 students18:1
Whitney (Gretchen) High
High · Grades 7–12 · Cerritos
1,024 students26:1
Carmenita Middle
Middle · Grades 7–8 · Cerritos
A+
639 students25:1
Tetzlaff (Martin B.) Middle
Middle · Grades 7–8 · Cerritos
A+
542 students23:1
Ross (Faye) Middle
Middle · Grades 7–8 · Artesia
A
528 students22:1
Haskell (Pliny Fisk) Middle
Middle · Grades 7–8 · Cerritos
A
403 students21:1
Fedde (Pharis F.) Middle
Middle · Grades 7–8 · Hawaiian Gardens
291 students15:1
ABC Secondary (Alternative)
High · Grades 7–12 · Cerritos
17 students4:1
Cerritos High
High · Grades 9–12 · Cerritos
1,996 students24:1
Gahr (Richard) High
High · Grades 9–12 · Cerritos
1,631 students22:1
Artesia High
High · Grades 9–12 · Lakewood
1,384 students18:1
Tracy (Wilbur) High (Continuation)
High · Grades 9–12 · Cerritos
164 students11:1

Left off: 1 school reporting no students for 2024–25.

Nearby districts

Compare spending and schools next door.

District facts: U.S. Department of Education (NCES school directory 2024–25 and district boundaries) and the U.S. Census Bureau’s school finance survey. Test scores and graduation: state results reported to the U.S. Department of Education (EDFacts via ED Data Express and the Urban Institute). The letters are our own summary, graded within California.