Public schools in Whittier, CA
Whittier has 42 public schools with a 2024-25 address in the city: 6 high, 7 middle, 29 elementary, enrolling 25,230 students. They are run by 6 districts and agencies; East Whittier City Elementary runs 13 of them.
NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25: schools open that year with enrollment · method
The 6 districts and agencies that run Whittier's public schools
Each district decides who can enroll where; its page holds its schools, spending and teachers.
| District | Schools in Whittier | District students, fall 2022 | Spending per student, FY23 |
|---|---|---|---|
| East Whittier City Elementary | 13 | 7,717 | $17,792 |
| Whittier City Elementary | 12 | 5,495 | $18,539 |
| Whittier Union High | 6 | 10,614 | $21,281 |
| South Whittier Elementary School District | 6 | 2,317 | $22,722 |
| Lowell Joint School District | 3 | 3,014 | $14,481 |
| Los Nietos | 2 | 1,253 | $21,383 |
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 Whittier, 7,933 students
| School | Students 2024‑25 | Per teacher | Free lunch | District |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| La Serna High | 2,372 | 25.9 | 39.5% | Whittier Union High |
| California High | 2,261 | 22.1 | 62.2% | Whittier Union High |
| Whittier High | 1,652 | 21.4 | 70.0% | Whittier Union High |
| Pioneer High | 1,000 | 18.8 | 71.0% | Whittier Union High |
| Frontier High (Continuation) | 364 | 13.2 | 63.5% | Whittier Union High |
| Sierra Vista High (Alternative) | 284 | 22.0 | 73.9% | Whittier 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.
7 middle schools in Whittier, 5,292 students
| School | Students 2024‑25 | Per teacher | Free lunch | District |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Granada Middle | 989 | 20.4 | 40.0% | East Whittier City Elementary |
| East Whittier Middle | 985 | 22.3 | 51.4% | East Whittier City Elementary |
| Katherine Edwards Middle | 894 | 21.0 | 59.7% | Whittier City Elementary |
| Rancho-Starbuck Intermediate | 687 | 23.3 | 36.4% | Lowell Joint |
| Hillview Middle | 643 | 19.1 | 58.2% | East Whittier City Elementary |
| Walter F. Dexter Middle | 610 | 21.4 | 73.3% | Whittier City Elementary |
| Richard L. Graves Middle | 484 | 19.6 | 78.3% | South Whittier 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.
29 elementary schools in Whittier, 12,005 students
| School | Students 2024‑25 | Per teacher | Free lunch | District |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ocean View Elementary | 668 | 26.2 | 34.7% | East Whittier City Elementary |
| Leffingwell Elementary | 551 | 24.5 | 34.3% | East Whittier City Elementary |
| Wallen L. Andrews Elementary | 542 | 20.8 | 44.3% | Whittier City Elementary |
| Jordan Elementary | 516 | 24.6 | 41.5% | Lowell Joint |
| Daniel Phelan Elementary | 507 | 24.6 | 48.3% | Whittier City Elementary |
| Longfellow Elementary | 499 | 23.2 | 61.5% | Whittier City Elementary |
| Scott Avenue Elementary | 494 | 24.5 | 40.3% | East Whittier City Elementary |
| Ceres Elementary | 492 | 22.4 | 49.8% | East Whittier City Elementary |
| Orchard Dale Elementary | 472 | 22.5 | 46.0% | East Whittier City Elementary |
| Meadow Green Elementary | 470 | 24.7 | 38.7% | Lowell Joint |
The other 19 elementary schools
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 Whittier's public schools compare with California's
The median Whittier school has 22.9 students per full-time teacher, more than the California median of 21.6. Its median school enrolls 468 students (state 471).
| Whittier | California | |
|---|---|---|
| Median students per teacher | 22.9 | 21.6 |
| Median school size (students) | 468 | 471 |
| Schools with a schoolwide Title I program (2021-22) | not reported | not reported |
| Schools where every student eats free (CEP) | 93% | 74% |
| Charter schools | 0% | 13% |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (membership, staff, lunch program, charter status; the 42 Whittier 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 Whittier
- East Whittier City ElementaryRuns 13 of Whittier's 42 public schools and spent $17,792 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$17,792
- La Serna High, the largest high school in Whittier2,372 students in 2024-25, 25.9 per teacher.2,372
- Compare East Whittier City Elementary with Whittier City ElementaryWhittier'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 a Whittier 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 Whittier
How many public schools are in Whittier, CA?
42 public schools with an address in Whittier were open in 2024-25: 6 high, 7 middle, 29 elementary, enrolling 25,230 students.What is the largest high school in Whittier?
La Serna High, with 2,372 students in 2024-25 (Whittier Union High).Which districts run Whittier's schools?
East Whittier City Elementary (13 schools), Whittier City Elementary (12 schools), Whittier Union High (6 schools), South Whittier Elementary School District (6 schools), 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