7 public K-12 schools in El Cerrito from NCES Common Core of Data: enrollment, grade span, demographics, and Civil Rights Data Collection statistics for every active campus.
7 public schools ranked by quality score. NCES CCD 2024-25 data.
The highest-ranked of El Cerrito's 7 public schools is El Cerrito High, scoring 44/100, against a city average of 35/100. Computed live across every El Cerrito campus reporting to NCES.
How the El Cerrito Public-School Landscape Breaks Down
El Cerrito, CA enrolls 4,600 students across 7 public schools reporting to the National Center for Education Statistics. Of those, 2 are charter schools, giving families genuine alternatives to the traditional neighbourhood assignment model. The average student-teacher ratio across the city is 23:1, and the composite quality score, derived from student-teacher ratio, counselor access, gifted-program availability, and CRDC attendance data, averages 35/100. Schools must report at least five campuses in a city to appear in this listing, which is why very small towns may redirect to the broader county or state view.
The most-resourced campus in El Cerrito on this index is El Cerrito High, at 44/100 on the Resource Investment Index with 1,460 enrolled students. What the index does and doesn't measure; click any school below for its full component breakdown.
El Cerrito spans 3 districts, each filing its own NCES F-33 return, per-pupil spending can vary between neighbouring campuses. Sort the table below by enrollment, level, or district; click any school for its full profile.
El Cerrito High accounts for 31.7% of all El Cerrito public-school enrollment
That dominant concentration means El Cerrito-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the dominant entity. Grade level: High. A dominant campus often anchors a city's program landscape and absorbs a disproportionate share of district capital and staffing decisions. When one entity dominates a region's footprint, its programmatic and budget decisions effectively set policy for a majority of the affected population.
El Cerrito school enrollment varies 3.6× across entities
El Cerrito school enrollment ranges from 403 students (lowest) to 1,460 students (highest), a spread of 1,057 students. That relatively narrow ratio reflects an unusually homogeneous school portfolio for a city this size. Per-school staffing, programme depth, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same city based on enrollment shape, a 200-student magnet runs a different operational model than a 2,000-student comprehensive high school.
El Cerrito student-teacher ratio is 23.0:1 — high (typically associated with larger urban scale or staffing constraints that have widened the headcount gap)
student-teacher ratio is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: the ratio counts FTE classroom teachers against total enrollment, push-in specialists, English-language aides, special-education co-teachers, and counselors are not included in most reporting Higher values may reflect larger urban scale or recent resource constraints that have widened the gap.
El Cerrito has higher-than-average charter school authorisation eligibility — 28.6% of the population qualifies for charter-school enrollment options
charter-school enrollment options eligibility is the federal threshold for charter school authorisation funding allocations, established under the state-specific charter law. Eligibility here is approaching the 30% concentration-grant threshold; it does not yet unlock the extra funding tier but sits meaningfully above the baseline 10% majority mark. Regions with eligibility this high typically draw a substantially larger federal funding share relative to their local tax base, which can either offset or reinforce existing gaps depending on allocation policy.
Most racially and ethnically mixed schools in El Cerrito
Ranked by the Simpson student-body diversity index (0-100) from NCES race and ethnicity data, where higher means a more evenly mixed student body. It measures mix, not quality.
The highest-ranked school in El Cerrito is El Cerrito High with a quality score of 44/100. There are 7 public schools in El Cerrito with 4,600 total students.
How many schools are in El Cerrito, CA? ▼
El Cerrito has 7 public schools with a total enrollment of 4,600 students. 2 are charter schools. Average student-teacher ratio: 23:1.
Data from NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 and Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) 2021-22. Quality scores based on student-teacher ratio,
counselor access, gifted programs, and attendance. Schools must have 5+ in the city to be listed.
Disclaimer: This information is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Data is sourced from the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD). Consult a qualified professional before making decisions based on this data.
Read our methodology, which explains how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
