Griffiths (Gordon) Middle

Griffiths (Gordon) Middle operates as a heavily attended intermediate school in Downey, California, part of Downey Unified. Current enrollment sits at 1,264 students spanning grades 6 through 8. That puts it 92% above the typical public school in California, which averages around 659 students.

Griffiths (Gordon) Middle is one of 21 schools operated by Downey Unified, a district that educates 22,405 students overall.

On the student-mix side, Griffiths (Gordon) Middle shows that 89% of students identify as Hispanic, making the school strongly Hispanic-majority. Beyond that, the school records 6% White, 2% Asian, 2% Black. That is meaningfully more Hispanic than the county at large, where the share is closer to 48%.

On the income-and-resources front, Staff filings list 54 full-time-equivalent teachers, which works out to roughly 23.3:1 students per teacher. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 20.7:1, putting Griffiths (Gordon) Middle higher than the state norm the norm. Around 77% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment.

On a residual basis (actual vs predicted given the student mix), Griffiths (Gordon) Middle 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 33.6%; this one delivers 49.3%, a residual of +15.7 points.

In the area at large, Los Angeles County reports that median household income runs about $90,112, 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 Griffiths (Gordon) Middle is one.

Nearest neighbor: Price (Maude) Elementary, around 0.1 miles off. Counting just inside five miles, 8 other public schools cluster around Griffiths (Gordon) Middle. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts Griffiths (Gordon) Middle at 3rd of 9; the average score across the group is 39.4%.

Geographically, the school is in a commuter-belt area.

Over the past 7-year window. Over the past 7-year window, the student count held roughly steady: 1,254 students in 2018 compared to 1,264 in 2025.

On allk12, members of the Griffiths (Gordon) Middle community share and discuss enrollment questions, classroom assignments, and PTA news. Parents, students, alumni, and staff are welcome to weigh in.