Is West Whittier Elementary a good school?

West Whittier Elementary ranks 2719 th of 5862 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

How many students attend West Whittier Elementary?

In the 2023-24 school year, 362 students attended West Whittier Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of West Whittier Elementary?

Students at West Whittier Elementary are 88% Hispanic, 8% Two or more races, 2% White, 1% Asian.

What schools do graduates of West Whittier Elementary attend?

Students who attend West Whittier Elementary usually go on to attend: Middle : Katherine Edwards Mid School STEAM & Dual Immersion Academy High : Pioneer High

West Whittier Elementary

Summary:

West Whittier Elementary is a public elementary school serving 353 students in grades K-5 in the Whittier City Elementary District in Whittier, California. Over the past several years, the school has maintained a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger, ranking between 2,600-3,300 out of around 5,800 California elementary schools.

West Whittier Elementary faces several challenges, including lower academic performance compared to the district and state averages, with proficiency rates in English Language Arts and Mathematics at 42.51% and 38.46% respectively, versus 46.61% and 35.34% for the district, and 47.04% and 35.54% for the state. The school's performance is particularly low in 4th grade English Language Arts (32.26% proficient) and 4th grade Mathematics (26.56% proficient). Additionally, the school has experienced a significant increase in chronic absenteeism, rising from 7.7% in 2017-2018 to 42.2% in 2021-2022, notably higher than the district average of 28.1%. West Whittier Elementary also has a high percentage of students from low-income families, with 61.47% qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, compared to 49.81% at the highest-performing nearby school, Daniel Phelan Language Academy.

While West Whittier Elementary performs relatively well for certain subgroups, such as Hispanic students and English Language Learners, it lags behind nearby higher-performing schools, such as Christian Sorensen Science Academy and Longfellow Elementary, in overall academic achievement. Addressing the root causes of the school's challenges, particularly the sharp increase in chronic absenteeism, will be crucial for improving student outcomes at West Whittier Elementary.

Detail:

Public K-5

6411 South Norwalk Blvd.
Whittier, CA 90606-1598

(562) 789-3240

District: Whittier City Elementary

SchoolDigger Rank:
2719^th of 5,862 California Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $5,258

Students who attend West Whittier Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Katherine Edwards Mid School STEAM & Dual Immersion Academy
High:	Pioneer High

Student/teacher ratio: 20.8

Number of students: 362

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

87.6%

Two or more races:

8.3%

White:

2.2%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 80.1%

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Performance Trends

Compare Details West Whittier Elementary ranks better than 53.6% of elementary schools in California. It also ranks 7^th among 9 ranked elementary schools in the Whittier City Elementary School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 47.2. (See more...)

Chronic absenteeism in a school refers to a situation where students repeatedly miss school, with the threshold often defined as missing 10% or more of school days for any reason, excused or unexcused.

Student Body

Compare Details Racial makeup is: Hispanic (87.6%), two or more races (8.3%), White (2.2%). (See more...)

Compare Details 80.1% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at West Whittier Elementary is 20.8, which is the 2^nd best among 9 elementary schools in the Whittier City Elementary School District. (See more...)

Compare West Whittier Elementary employs 17.4 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at West Whittier Elementary is $5,258, which is the 3^rd highest among 9 elementary schools in the Whittier City Elementary School District.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

West Whittier Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks West Whittier Elementary 2719^th of 5862 California public elementary schools. (See West Whittier Elementary in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

English Language Learner students:

Special Education students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Male students:

Hispanic students:

Whittier City Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Whittier City Elementary 655^th of 1568 California school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Your rating for West Whittier Elementary?

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Rank History for West Whittier Elementary

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Rank History for all students at West Whittier Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2004	31.49	3159^th	4809	34.3%
2005	32.19	3150^th	4822	34.7%
2006	27.84	3467^th	4818	28.0%
2007	40.10	2900^th	5113	43.3%
2008	43.17	2770^th	5113	45.8%
2009	45.08	2750^th	5193	47.0%
2010	30.33	3824^th	5314	28.0%
2011	45.11	2891^st	5377	46.2%
2012	36.39	3503^rd	5390	35.0%
2013	33.86	3752^nd	5530	32.2%
2015	17.09	4904^th	5611	12.6%
2016	32.34	3580^th	5614	36.2%
2017	41.42	3018^th	5692	47.0%
2018	47.54	2685^th	5662	52.6%
2019	48.85	2657^th	5789	54.1%
2022	43.88	2857^th	5883	51.4%
2023	37.39	3325^th	5874	43.4%
2024	47.20	2719^th	5862	53.6%

See the entire list of California Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at West Whittier Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	33.03	2179^th	3246	32.9%
2019	39.86	1795^th	3275	45.2%
2024	46.21	1396^th	3160	55.8%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for English Language Learner Students!

Rank History for Special Education students at West Whittier Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	17.30	2348^th	2420	3.0%
2024	32.49	1678^th	2634	36.3%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at West Whittier Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	62.86	1578^th	5084	69.0%
2019	65.09	1449^th	5173	72.0%
2022	57.66	1818^th	5264	65.5%
2023	44.20	2752^nd	5374	48.8%
2024	60.55	1757^th	5511	68.1%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at West Whittier Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	48.45	2572^nd	5413	52.5%
2019	52.24	2378^th	5492	56.7%
2022	51.02	2367^th	5635	58.0%
2023	40.53	2985^th	5617	46.9%
2024	60.69	1925^th	5605	65.7%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Disabled students at West Whittier Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	42.60	966^th	2128	54.6%
2019	32.76	1637^th	2585	36.7%
2022	17.35	2192^nd	2227	1.6%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Disabled Students!

Rank History for Male students at West Whittier Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	45.73	2687^th	5431	50.5%
2019	46.08	2672^nd	5510	51.5%
2022	37.10	3196^th	5663	43.6%
2023	34.88	3421^st	5650	39.5%
2024	36.11	3333^rd	5636	40.9%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at West Whittier Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	63.83	1447^th	4830	70.0%
2019	61.96	1580^th	4963	68.2%
2022	57.87	1743^rd	5084	65.7%
2023	51.88	2128^th	5098	58.3%
2024	60.22	1674^th	5102	67.2%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Hispanic Students!

Data source: test scores: California Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Data source: California Department of Education

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Enrollment information for West Whittier Elementary

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	48	2	8	420	0	n/a	n/a	0	478
1989	53	4	6	462	0	n/a	n/a	0	525
1990	40	2	8	442	0	n/a	n/a	0	492
1991	43	3	8	457	0	n/a	n/a	0	511
1992	46	0	10	473	0	n/a	n/a	0	529
1993	40	6	15	478	0	n/a	n/a	0	539
1994	35	3	8	486	0	n/a	n/a	0	532
1995	25	3	11	521	0	n/a	n/a	0	560
1996	25	3	11	521	0	n/a	n/a	0	560
1997	22	3	9	525	0	n/a	n/a	0	559
1998	5	1	5	447	0	n/a	n/a	0	458
1999	25	0	11	467	0	n/a	n/a	0	503
2000	20	2	3	471	0	n/a	n/a	0	496
2001	11	7	4	471	0	n/a	n/a	0	493
2002	4	0	2	449	0	n/a	n/a	8	463
2003	4	0	2	449	0	n/a	n/a	8	463
2004	5	0	1	435	0	n/a	n/a	11	452
2005	9	3	1	460	0	n/a	n/a	0	473
2006	9	2	0	463	0	n/a	n/a	14	488
2007	5	3	0	441	1	n/a	n/a	12	462
2008	6	3	1	409	n/a	n/a	n/a	0	419
2009	7	2	1	441	0	0	8	0	459
2010	3	4	1	430	0	0	1	0	439
2011	1	4	0	408	0	0	7	0	420
2012	2	3	0	392	0	0	16	0	413
2013	3	1	0	402	0	0	11	0	417
2014	7	2	1	394	0	0	10	0	414
2015	3	0	1	373	0	0	7	0	384
2016	2	0	1	359	0	0	12	0	374
2017	2	1	2	344	0	0	9	0	358
2018	5	3	2	331	0	0	7	0	348
2019	5	3	2	371	0	0	9	0	390
2020	5	3	1	350	0	0	8	0	367
2021	7	3	2	335	0	0	14	0	361
2022	6	3	1	309	0	0	29	0	348
2023	8	2	6	305	0	0	32	0	353
2024	8	2	5	317	0	0	30	0	362

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at West Whittier Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	478	18.6	25.6	n/a
1989	525	19.6	26.7	n/a
1990	492	17.5	28.1	n/a
1991	511	18.8	27.1	n/a
1992	529	19.1	27.6	74.5
1993	539	18.5	29.1	77.4
1994	532	18.4	28.9	82.7
1995	560	19.1	29.3	87.3
1996	560	19.1	29.3	87.3
1997	559	21.2	26.4	95
1998	458	21.7	21.1	90.8
1999	503	21.0	24.0	88.7
2000	496	22.5	22.0	86.9
2001	493	24.5	20.1	78.9
2002	463	23.0	20.1	80.2
2003	463	23.0	20.1	80.2
2004	452	23.8	19.0	79.8
2005	473	24.5	19.3	77.6
2006	488	25.5	19.1	84
2007	462	23.5	19.7	83.1
2008	419	24.0	17.5	91.9
2009	459	22.0	20.0	83.2
2010	439	19.0	23.1	87.9
2011	420	n/a	n/a	84.3
2012	413	14.4	28.6	n/a
2013	417	14.5	28.7	84.7
2014	414	16.1	25.7	80
2015	384	16.0	24.0	83.6
2016	374	17.0	22.0	89.3
2017	358	17.0	21.0	86
2018	348	15.1	23.0	85.9
2019	390	14.1	27.6	83.6
2020	367	n/a	n/a	82.3
2021	361	16.0	22.5	79.5
2022	348	n/a	n/a	76.4
2023	353	17.4	20.2	61.5
2024	362	17.4	20.8	80.1

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio West Whittier Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	478	18.6	25.6	n/a
1989	525	19.6	26.7	n/a
1990	492	17.5	28.1	n/a
1991	511	18.8	27.1	n/a
1992	529	19.1	27.6	74.5
1993	539	18.5	29.1	77.4
1994	532	18.4	28.9	82.7
1995	560	19.1	29.3	87.3
1996	560	19.1	29.3	87.3
1997	559	21.2	26.4	95
1998	458	21.7	21.1	90.8
1999	503	21.0	24.0	88.7
2000	496	22.5	22.0	86.9
2001	493	24.5	20.1	78.9
2002	463	23.0	20.1	80.2
2003	463	23.0	20.1	80.2
2004	452	23.8	19.0	79.8
2005	473	24.5	19.3	77.6
2006	488	25.5	19.1	84
2007	462	23.5	19.7	83.1
2008	419	24.0	17.5	91.9
2009	459	22.0	20.0	83.2
2010	439	19.0	23.1	87.9
2011	420	n/a	n/a	84.3
2012	413	14.4	28.6	n/a
2013	417	14.5	28.7	84.7
2014	414	16.1	25.7	80
2015	384	16.0	24.0	83.6
2016	374	17.0	22.0	89.3
2017	358	17.0	21.0	86
2018	348	15.1	23.0	85.9
2019	390	14.1	27.6	83.6
2020	367	n/a	n/a	82.3
2021	361	16.0	22.5	79.5
2022	348	n/a	n/a	76.4
2023	353	17.4	20.2	61.5
2024	362	17.4	20.8	80.1

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.

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