Public schools in El Centro, CA
El Centro has 24 public schools with a 2024-25 address in the city: 6 high, 2 middle, 13 elementary, 3 other, enrolling 11,861 students. They are run by 6 districts and agencies; El Centro Elementary runs 12 of them.
NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25: schools open that year with enrollment · method
The 6 districts and agencies that run El Centro's public schools
Each district decides who can enroll where; its page holds its schools, spending and teachers.
| District | Schools in El Centro | District students, fall 2022 | Spending per student, FY23 |
|---|---|---|---|
| El Centro Elementary | 12 | 5,256 | $17,901 |
| Central Union High | 5 | 4,093 | $19,038 |
| Imperial County Office of Education | 4 | 860 | not reported |
| McCabe Union Elementary | 1 | 1,209 | $14,989 |
| Meadows Union Elementary | 1 | 384 | $21,172 |
| Ballington Academy for the Arts and Sciences District | 1 | 238 | $17,361 |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25: school location city and operating agency; NCES F-33 fiscal year 2022-23: district fall membership and current spending per student. Schools on a city's edge can serve students from outside it.
6 high schools in El Centro, 4,316 students
| School | Students 2024‑25 | Per teacher | Free lunch | District |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Central Union High | 2,006 | 20.9 | 58.7% | Central Union High |
| Southwest High | 1,846 | 19.5 | 59.4% | Central Union High |
| Imperial Pathways Charter | 246 | 23.0 | 85.8% | Imperial County Office of Education |
| Desert Oasis High (Continuation) | 138 | 14.0 | 85.5% | Central Union High |
| Mt. Signal Virtual Academy | 60 | 25.2 | 68.3% | Central Union High |
| Phoenix Rising High | 20 | 7.5 | 85.0% | Central Union High |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (membership, staff, lunch); level from the directory. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count.
2 middle schools in El Centro, 1,039 students
| School | Students 2024‑25 | Per teacher | Free lunch | District |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wilson Jr. High | 605 | 18.6 | 66.1% | El Centro Elementary |
| Kennedy Middle | 434 | 17.1 | 75.8% | El Centro Elementary |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (membership, staff, lunch); level from the directory. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count.
13 elementary schools in El Centro, 5,809 students
| School | Students 2024‑25 | Per teacher | Free lunch | District |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| McCabe Elementary | 1,109 | 23.7 | 34.6% | McCabe Union Elementary |
| Harding Elementary | 601 | 24.0 | 60.1% | El Centro Elementary |
| De Anza Magnet | 504 | 23.9 | 59.7% | El Centro Elementary |
| McKinley Elementary | 456 | 25.3 | 78.5% | El Centro Elementary |
| Margaret Hedrick Elementary | 446 | 22.3 | 69.5% | El Centro Elementary |
| Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary | 445 | 23.4 | 80.7% | El Centro Elementary |
| Sunflower Elementary | 427 | 21.4 | 68.1% | El Centro Elementary |
| Lincoln Elementary | 399 | 21.0 | 81.5% | El Centro Elementary |
| Desert Garden Elementary | 358 | 22.4 | 72.3% | El Centro Elementary |
| Meadows Elementary | 352 | 18.5 | 73.0% | Meadows Union Elementary |
The other 3 elementary schools
| School | Students 2024‑25 | Per teacher | Free lunch | District |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington Elementary | 351 | 18.5 | 91.5% | El Centro Elementary |
| Ballington Academy for the Arts and Sciences | 230 | 19.2 | 69.6% | Ballington Academy for the Arts and Sciences District |
| Imperial Valley Home School Academy | 131 | 26.2 | 47.3% | El Centro Elementary |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (membership, staff, lunch); level from the directory. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count.
3 other schools in El Centro, 697 students
| School | Students 2024‑25 | Per teacher | Free lunch | District |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Imperial County Special Education | 481 | 53.4 | 6.4% | Imperial County Office of Education |
| Valley Academy | 205 | 19.3 | 88.8% | Imperial County Office of Education |
| Imperial County Juvenile Hall/Community | 11 | 8.3 | 72.7% | Imperial County Office of Education |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (membership, staff, lunch); level from the directory. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count.
How El Centro's public schools compare with California's
The median El Centro school has 21.2 students per full-time teacher, about the same as the California median of 21.6. Its median school enrolls 413 students (state 471).
| El Centro | California | |
|---|---|---|
| Median students per teacher | 21.2 | 21.6 |
| Median school size (students) | 413 | 471 |
| Schools with a schoolwide Title I program (2021-22) | not reported | not reported |
| Schools where every student eats free (CEP) | 94% | 74% |
| Charter schools | 13% | 13% |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (membership, staff, lunch program, charter status; the 24 El Centro schools and the 9,918 California schools open that year with students); Title I status CCD 2021-22. Students per teacher counts 2024-25 teachers and ratios from 3 to 99.
What to look at next in El Centro
- El Centro ElementaryRuns 12 of El Centro's 24 public schools and spent $17,901 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$17,901
- Central Union High, the largest high school in El Centro2,006 students in 2024-25, 20.9 per teacher.2,006
- Compare El Centro Elementary with Central Union HighEl Centro's two largest operators side by side: enrollment, spending and schools.
- The largest public schools in CaliforniaCalifornia's 50 largest schools open in 2024-25, by enrollment.
- Find the school district for an El Centro addressA home's district, not its city, decides which public schools it can enroll in.
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (schools and their operating agencies); NCES F-33 finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23 (spending per student).
Choosing among them: how to choose a school district with the federal data, and what a Title I school is.
Other cities in California
- Los Angeles564 schools
- San Diego283 schools
- San Jose232 schools
- Sacramento197 schools
- Fresno179 schools
- Bakersfield146 schools
- San Francisco123 schools
- Stockton122 schools
Questions about schools in El Centro
How many public schools are in El Centro, CA?
24 public schools with an address in El Centro were open in 2024-25: 6 high, 2 middle, 13 elementary, 3 other, enrolling 11,861 students. 3 are charter schools.What is the largest high school in El Centro?
Central Union High, with 2,006 students in 2024-25 (Central Union High).Which districts run El Centro's schools?
El Centro Elementary (12 schools), Central Union High (5 schools), Imperial County Office of Education (4 schools), McCabe Union Elementary (1 school), and 2 more. A school's district, not its city, decides who can enroll.
These figures are for information and are not a substitute for the district's enrollment office, which confirms the school a home is assigned to.
Sources
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School directory, membership, staff and lunch files · 2024-25
Source: NCES Common Core of Data Public school search (the official record of each school) · 2024-25