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El Centro, California - 12 schools
An equity score of 71/100 ranks El Centro Elementary #237 of 1517 districts in California (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $17,691 per pupil, El Centro Elementary ranks #428 of 1862 California districts by per-pupil spending (California districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
5,256
Total Enrollment
12
Schools
$17,691
Per-Pupil Spending
Elementary, Middle
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
El Centro Elementary operates 12 public schools serving 5,256 students, placing it among the smaller districts in California. The school portfolio breaks down into 10 elementary, 2 middle schools, a compact enough portfolio that families can compare every campus directly before they move, rent, or enrol. These enrollment and school figures come from the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 release, and the district is based in Imperial County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $17,691 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 9.4% local, 67.6% state, and 23.1% 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 71/100, ranked #237 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 910.7:1 student-counselor ratio, above both the ASCA benchmark and the roughly 408:1 national average, and 41.5% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 95.2% Hispanic or Latino, 2.4% White, 0.8% African American across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Imperial Valley Home School Academy, with a diversity index of 31.6/100.
Its largest campus is Wilson Jr. High, enrolling 605 students (12% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Imperial Valley Home School Academy, at 131 students, a 5x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
El Centro Elementary school enrollment varies 4.6× across entities
El Centro Elementary school enrollment ranges from 131 students (lowest) to 605 students (highest), a spread of 474 students. That relatively narrow ratio reflects an unusually homogeneous campus portfolio, most districts have a wider mix of school sizes. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.
El Centro Elementary has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 70.6% 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). Eligibility here is approaching the 75% concentration-grant threshold; it does not yet unlock the extra funding tier but sits meaningfully above the baseline 50% 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.
El Centro Elementary student-counselor ratio is 911:1 — well above typical (typically associated with unusually large scale or acute resource constraints)
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 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.
El Centro Elementary chronic absenteeism rate is 41.5% — high (typically associated with higher-than-average disruption; recent CRDC data showed elevated rates persisting after pandemic-era schooling changes)
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 Higher values may reflect larger urban scale or recent resource constraints that have widened the gap.
El Centro Elementary has 12 schools, including 2 middle, 10 elementary. Total enrollment is 5,256 students.
How much does El Centro Elementary spend per student?
El Centro Elementary spends $17,691 per student. The district has an equity score of 71/100, ranking #237 in California.
What is the demographic composition of El Centro Elementary?
El Centro Elementary students are 95.2% Hispanic or Latino, 2.4% White, 0.8% African American, 0.4% Asian, averaged across 12 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for El Centro Elementary?
El Centro Elementary has an equity score of 71/100, ranking #237 out of 1517 districts in California.