B+
Downey Unified School District
Public school districtGrades K–12
Serves Downey, and parts of South Gate, Bellflower and Bell Gardens.
Students
22,405
Schools
21
Spent per student
$19,524
CA $21,206
Students per teacher
24:1
Free or reduced lunch
78%
Debt
$353.8M
fiscal 2024
What stands out about Downey Unified School District
- School Grade B+: better than 74% of California districts
- Graduation rate (4-year) 7 pts above the state
- Spends 8% less per student than the CA average
- 24 students per teacher
- Debt of $353.8M, about $15,791 per student
Where would my kid go?
The school path for El Modena.
K–828 schoolsOrange Unified School District
827 middle schoolsOrange Unified School District
85 middle schoolsOrange Unified School District
Test scores vs. CA
2019–20Graduation rate (4-year)95%
State average 87.6%
Where the money goes
fiscal 2024$19,524 per student · 8% below CA
Spending
Classroom instruction 65%Support & administration 30%Other 5%
Paid for by
Local (mostly property tax) 23%State 67%Federal 10%
U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of School System Finances.
Enrollment over time
22,162’20
21,357’21
21,997’22
22,358’23
22,405’24
About steady.
Students
Hispanic 89%White 5%Black 3%Asian 2%Two or more races <1%Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander <1%American Indian/Alaska Native <1%
Schools in the district
21 public schools.
Rio Hondo Elementary
838 students23:1
Lewis (Ed C.) Elementary
810 students23:1
Carpenter (C. C.) Elementary
796 students27:1
Gallatin Elementary
788 students25:1
Price (Maude) Elementary
757 students24:1
Rio San Gabriel Elementary
747 students26:1
Alameda Elementary
744 students24:1
Williams (Spencer V.) Elementary
736 students23:1
Imperial Elementary
653 students23:1
Gauldin (A.L.) Elementary
641 students22:1
Unsworth (Edith) Elementary
633 students22:1
Ward (E. W.) Elementary
543 students23:1
Old River Elementary
540 students30:1
Stauffer (Mary R.) Middle
1,329 students24:1
Doty (Wendy Lopour) Middle
1,304 students25:1
Griffiths (Gordon) Middle
1,264 students23:1
Sussman (Edward A.) Middle
1,240 students21:1
Downey High
4,051 students24:1
Warren (Earl) High
3,609 students24:1
Columbus (Christopher) High
368 students16:1
Woodruff Academy
14 students8:1
Nearby districts
Compare spending and schools next door.
Whittier Union High School DistrictNorwalk, Pico Rivera, Santa Fe Springs
$23,421per student
Little Lake City Elementary School DistrictNorwalk, Santa Fe Springs
$23,106per student
Los Angeles Unified School DistrictBell, Cudahy
$25,643per student
Montebello Unified School DistrictBell, Commerce
$24,212per student
District facts: U.S. Department of Education (NCES directory and district boundaries) and the U.S. Census Bureau school finance survey. Test scores and graduation: EDFacts via the Urban Institute Education Data Portal. Neighbor ratings are opinions.