Eastside Union Elementary

Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. District totals are aggregated directly from the schools reporting under this district in the source records. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.

Lancaster, California - 6 schools

An equity score of 70/100 ranks Eastside Union Elementary #265 of 1517 districts in California (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.

At $17,290 per pupil, Eastside Union Elementary ranks #491 of 1862 California districts by per-pupil spending (California districts). NCES F-33 finance data.

3,126
Total Enrollment
6
Schools
$17,290
Per-Pupil Spending
Elementary, Middle
School Types

District-Level NCES Analysis

Eastside Union Elementary operates 6 public schools serving 3,126 students, placing it among the smallest districts in California. The school portfolio breaks down into 5 elementary, 1 middle schools, a small enough portfolio that most families will interact with nearly every campus in the district at some point. These enrollment and school figures come from the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 release, and the district is based in Los Angeles County.

Per-pupil expenditure runs $17,290 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, in the upper half of 1862 California districts by per-pupil spending. See how California compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 14.0% local, 68.5% state, and 17.5% federal, a state-revenue-heavy mix that insulates the district somewhat from local property-tax volatility, though it ties funding to state budget cycles. The district's equity score is 70/100, ranked #265 of 1517 in California against a state average of 50, notably more even than the typical district in the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.

a 447.3:1 student-counselor ratio, above both the ASCA benchmark and the roughly 408:1 national average, and 48.4% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 62.5% Hispanic or Latino, 28.0% African American, 3.2% White across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Eastside Academy/Transitional Learning Center, with a diversity index of 54.0/100.

Its largest campus is Gifford C. Cole Middle, enrolling 697 students (23% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Eastside Academy/Transitional Learning Center, at 10 students, a 70x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.

Gifford C. Cole Middle accounts for 22.3% of all Eastside Union Elementary student enrollment

That concentration means Eastside Union Elementary-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the dominant entity. Grade band: middle. A single dominant campus often anchors a district's program offerings and staffing patterns; the share helps explain why district-wide averages may not reflect the typical neighbourhood-school experience. When one entity dominates a region's footprint, its programmatic and budget decisions effectively set policy for a majority of the affected population.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data NCES Common Core of Data

Eastside Union Elementary school enrollment varies 70× across entities

Eastside Union Elementary school enrollment ranges from 10 students (lowest) to 697 students (highest), a spread of 687 students. That ratio is an extreme outlier spread — among the widest gaps observed anywhere in this dataset. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data NCES Common Core of Data

Eastside Union Elementary has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 83.2% of the population qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch

free or reduced-price lunch eligibility is the federal threshold for Title I funding allocations, established under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA, 2015). Areas above 75% eligibility — including this one — receive concentration grants on top of the basic Title I formula. 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.

Source: ESSA Title I Part A; ED EDFacts file system ESSA Title I Part A; ED EDFacts file system

Eastside Union Elementary student-counselor ratio is 447:1 — high (typically associated with staffing constraints that limit per-student counselor time; CRDC data shows higher ratios cluster in larger urban systems)

student-counselor ratio is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: the ratio counts FTE counselors against total enrollment, districts that contract intervention or social-emotional staff outside the counselor classification may be under-counted Higher values may reflect larger urban scale or recent resource constraints that have widened the gap.

Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection NCES Civil Rights Data Collection

Eastside Union Elementary chronic absenteeism rate is 48.4% — well above typical (typically associated with unusually large scale or acute resource constraints)

chronic absenteeism rate is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: a student is chronically absent if they miss ≥10% of enrolled days for any reason, illness, family obligations, or disengagement Values this far above typical often signal acute resource constraints or a structurally different scale than most peers — worth reading alongside the underlying counts, not the ratio alone.

Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection 2021-22 NCES Civil Rights Data Collection 2021-22

Where does the funding come from?

17.5%
Federal
68.5%
State
14.0%
Local

Funding Equity

70
Equity Score
265 / 1517
State Rank
50
State Average

This district scores well on funding equity, with balanced funding sources and good resource allocation.

Student Demographics

Average demographic composition across 6 schools in Eastside Union Elementary.

White 3.2%
Hispanic or Latino 62.5%
African American 28.0%
Asian 0.9%
Multiracial 4.9%
Other 0.6%

Source: NCES CCD School Membership 2024-25.

Student-body diversity

Average diversity index 47.9/100

Average Simpson diversity index across Eastside Union Elementary's schools, about the same as the California average of 46.0.

Most mixed schools

  1. 1 Eastside Academy/Transitional Learning Center 54.0
  2. 2 Enterprise Elementary 52.6
  3. 3 Columbia Elementary 49.2
  4. 4 Gifford C. Cole Middle 48.9
  5. 5 Tierra Bonita Elementary 46.1

Programs & Resources

447.3:1
Student-Counselor Ratio
48.4%
Chronically Absent

Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) 2021-22.

Schools in Eastside Union Elementary

School Enrollment
Gifford C. Cole Middle
697
Enterprise Elementary
646
Tierra Bonita Elementary
636
Columbia Elementary
620
Eastside Elementary
423
Eastside Academy/Transitional Learning Center
10

How Eastside Union Elementary Compares to Similar-Size Districts

The California districts closest to this one in total enrollment.

District Enrollment Spending Funding Mix
Weaver Union Similar size Lower spending Similar funding mix
Beverly Hills Unified Similar size Higher spending More locally funded
Eureka Union Similar size Lower spending More locally funded
Lemon Grove Similar size Similar spending More locally funded
Lafayette Elementary Similar size Similar spending More locally funded

Comparisons are relative to Eastside Union Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data and the F-33 Finance Survey.

Nearby Districts in California

Top districts in the same state, compare side-by-side for enrollment, spending, and demographics.

Los Angeles Unified
427,795 students · 785 schools · $21,940/pupil
Compare vs Eastside Union Elementary →
San Diego Unified
93,893 students · 175 schools · $18,665/pupil
Compare vs Eastside Union Elementary →
Fresno Unified
69,668 students · 101 schools · $18,783/pupil
Compare vs Eastside Union Elementary →
Long Beach Unified
65,554 students · 84 schools · $16,028/pupil
Compare vs Eastside Union Elementary →
Elk Grove Unified
62,061 students · 67 schools · $14,134/pupil
Compare vs Eastside Union Elementary →

Compare Eastside Union Elementary

See how this district compares to others in enrollment, spending, demographics, and academic resources.

Compare vs Los Angeles Unified →

Frequently Asked Questions

How many schools are in Eastside Union Elementary?

Eastside Union Elementary has 6 schools, including 1 middle, 5 elementary. Total enrollment is 3,126 students.

How much does Eastside Union Elementary spend per student?

Eastside Union Elementary spends $17,290 per student. The district has an equity score of 70/100, ranking #265 in California.

What is the demographic composition of Eastside Union Elementary?

Eastside Union Elementary students are 62.5% Hispanic or Latino, 28.0% African American, 3.2% White, 0.9% Asian, averaged across 6 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.

What is the equity score for Eastside Union Elementary?

Eastside Union Elementary has an equity score of 70/100, ranking #265 out of 1517 districts in California.