Downey High

Located at 11040 Brookshire Ave., in Downey, California, Downey High is a high-enrollment four-year high school that caters to 4,051 students (grades 9 through 12), part of Downey Unified. Compared to the state average of about 838 students per school, that is 383% bigger than typical.

Downey Unified runs 21 schools in total, collectively educating 22,405 students. Downey High is one of those campuses.

On demographics, Downey High reports that 89% of students identify as Hispanic, making the school strongly Hispanic-majority; the rest consists of 5% White, 3% Asian, 3% Black. That is noticeably more Hispanic than the county at large, where the share is closer to 48%.

Looking at school resources, On paper, Downey High has 170 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 23.9:1. That figure is higher than the state norm's 18.2:1 average. An estimated 79% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment. By comparison, Los Angeles County runs at roughly 70%, so the school's eligibility rate is meaningfully above the surrounding baseline.

Adjusting for the school's free-and-reduced-lunch share, Downey High is in the OUTPERFORMING tier of the BeatsExpectations model, which fits a per-state line through proficiency and FRL share. Schools with this campus's poverty mix typically land near 32.3%; this one delivers 47.5%, a residual of +15.2 points.

Across the wider county, Los Angeles County reports that the typical household earns roughly $90,112 per year, roughly 36% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and roughly 10% of residents live below the federal poverty line. In all, Los Angeles County runs 2244 public schools (combined enrollment of about 1,265,907 students), of which Downey High is one.

Rio San Gabriel Elementary is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.8 miles from this campus. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts Downey High at 4th of 9; the average score across the group is 46.8%.

Geographically, the school is in a residential area.

Looking at the recent track record. Over the past 7-year window, the student count changed only slightly: 4,042 students in 2018 compared to 4,051 in 2025.

On this page, the page collects discussion, questions, and updates around pickup logistics, teacher feedback, and after-school programs. Members of the school community can share what they know.