Closing the Gap in Compton: Big Wins for Students
A four-year partnership. A districtwide commitment to student support. And results that speak for themselves, especially when it comes to equitable access and postsecondary opportunity.
Over four years of partnership between Compton Unified School District (CUSD) in California and Hatching Results, the work has centered on strengthening a comprehensive school counseling program aligned with the ASCA National Model®. Together, we prioritized sustained, job-embedded professional learning including:
Implementing of Tier 1 and Tier 2 supports within a Multi-Tiered, Multi-Domain System of Support
Strategically using quantitative and qualitative data to guide decision
Communicating impact and monitoring outcomes over time
Compton Unified School District (CUSD) is located in eastern Los Angeles County and serves 19,430 students across 40 schools. The district’s diverse student community includes 92% socio-economically disadvantaged students and 23% English learners, and school counseling systems are helping ensure opportunity is expanded, not limited, by circumstance.
One of the inspiring spotlights comes from Dominguez High School, where school counselors are working to eliminate barriers to post-secondary education through intentional, student-centered systems. Their impact recently gained attention in an SFGATE article highlighting an extraordinary outcome: an exceptional rate of UC Berkeley acceptances.
Here’s an excerpt from the article that captures both the context and the magnitude of the achievement—high need, high aspiration, and high results:
“Joining Mission High near the top of the admit list in the Chronicle’s ranking was Dominguez High School in Compton, which according to the U.S. News World & Report rankings, has a student population of 99.8% ethnic minority groups, with 59% of students classified as “economically disadvantaged.” Between 2022 to 2024, Dominguez High had a 30% acceptance rate to UC Berkeley, with 39 students out of 132 applicants admitted. For fall 2024 specifically, six of 28 applicants from Dominguez High, or 29%, were admitted to UC Berkeley.”
This is a powerful example of Closing-the-Gap data, and a reminder that outcomes like this are designed, not accidental. Whitney Triplett, VP of Partner Services for Hatching Results, shared: “That type of admission data doesn't happen by accident - it speaks to the level of intentionality that school counselors are putting into a postsecondary advising strategy.”
A huge shout-out to Dominguez High School’s 12th grade school counselors, Kimberly Roman, Monique Buycks, Cynthia Washington, and Lori Body, as well as Higher Education Coordinator Richard Ramirez and CUSD’s Senior Director of College & Career Readiness, Dr. Jorge Torres. This team’s leadership reflects high expectations, student advocacy, and systems that open doors.
And this story extends well beyond one campus. Across the district, CUSD schools and school counseling programs have earned high-level recognition for student supports, school climate, and closing achievement gaps across 2024, 2025, and 2026.
In 2024, the California PBIS Coalition recognized CUSD, with 16 schools receiving state recognition for excellence in Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS). That same year, the district received the Power of Hope Award, specifically honoring the impact of school counselors and mental health support systems.
CUSD schools were also named California Distinguished Schools in 2024 (Bunche Middle, Davis Middle, Whaley Middle, Willowbrook Middle, and Compton Early College High School) and again in 2025 (Roosevelt Elementary and Tibby Elementary), based in part on academic excellence and School Climate indicators on the California School Dashboard.
In 2025, Willowbrook Middle School earned the National Blue Ribbon School designation—one of only 31 schools in California to receive this federal honor, recognizing strong support systems and leadership in school climate.
That same year, Tibby Elementary and Laurel Street Elementary were named among the top nine schools in the nation by the National Center for Urban School Transformation (NCUST), recognized as America’s Best Schools for exceptional outcomes and student supports.
In 2026, Kelly Elementary School was designated a California School to Watch, recognized for middle-grade academic excellence and a commitment to whole-child supports.
These recognitions reflect real gains in student outcomes. CUSD’s graduation rate increased from 89% in 2023 to 93.7% in 2025, demonstrating progress toward on-time completion and stronger districtwide systems.
College and career readiness also rose substantially: the College/Career Indicator (CCI) increased from 43.1% in 2023 to 70.6% in 2025, reflecting expanded pathways and stronger postsecondary preparedness.
Chronic absenteeism declined dramatically from 23.6% in 2023 to 5.1% in 2025 (including a 10.1% decline in 2025 alone), showing progress in engagement, belonging, and consistent attendance supports.
Student behavior indicators improved as well, with suspension rates declining to 1.3% in 2025, reinforcing a continued commitment to positive school climate and restorative supports.
Across each of these areas, Compton USD is performing better than the state average on the California School Dashboard, a meaningful indicator of sustained systems change.
At the heart of this success is the consistent, coordinated work of school counselors, district leaders, and school teams—building sustainable systems that last. This partnership strengthened school counselor leadership, deepened school counselor–administrator collaboration, and elevated program advocacy, resulting in a shared districtwide vision and consistent practices that support positive student outcomes.
