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.
Montebello, California - 29 schools
An equity score of 87/100 ranks Montebello Unified #21 of 1517 districts in California (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $20,966 per pupil, Montebello Unified ranks #196 of 1862 California districts by per-pupil spending (California districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
Montebello Unified operates 29 public schools serving 20,446 students, placing it in the mid-size range in California. The school portfolio breaks down into 17 elementary, 6 middle, 5 high, 1 combined schools, giving families a clear picture of grade-band coverage 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 Los Angeles County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $20,966 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 17.8% local, 57.9% state, and 24.4% 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 87/100, ranked #21 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.
Academic infrastructure includes 3 of 29 schools offering Advanced Placement (52 AP courses district-wide), a 440.2:1 student-counselor ratio, above both the ASCA benchmark and the roughly 408:1 national average, and 38.8% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 95.1% Hispanic or Latino, 3.0% Asian, 1.1% White across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Potrero Heights Elementary, with a diversity index of 52.3/100.
Its largest campus is Schurr High, enrolling 2,121 students (11% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Montebello Community Day, at 22 students, a 96x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
Montebello Unified school enrollment ranges from 22 students (lowest) to 2,121 students (highest), a spread of 2,099 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
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.
Source: ESSA Title I Part A; ED EDFacts file system ESSA Title I Part A; ED EDFacts file system
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
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.
Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection 2021-22 NCES Civil Rights Data Collection 2021-22
This district scores well on funding equity, with balanced funding sources and good resource allocation.
Average demographic composition across 29 schools in Montebello Unified.
Source: NCES CCD School Membership 2024-25.
Average Simpson diversity index across Montebello Unified's schools, below the California average of 46.0.
Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) 2021-22.
| School | Enrollment |
|---|---|
| Schurr High | 2,121 |
| Bell Gardens High | 2,046 |
| Montebello High | 1,907 |
| Bell Gardens Intermediate | 790 |
| Greenwood Elementary | 746 |
| Montebello Intermediate | 733 |
| Cesar E. Chavez Elementary | 702 |
| Washington Elementary | 685 |
| La Merced Intermediate | 682 |
| La Merced Academy | 665 |
| Suva Intermediate | 650 |
| Bell Gardens Elementary | 624 |
| Rosewood Park | 585 |
| Macy Intermediate | 576 |
| Eastmont Intermediate | 562 |
| Suva Elementary | 562 |
| Bella Vista Elementary | 530 |
| Joseph a. Gascon Elementary | 513 |
| Wilcox Elementary | 479 |
| Garfield Elementary | 455 |
| Winter Gardens Elementary | 399 |
| Potrero Heights Elementary | 380 |
| Fremont Elementary | 366 |
| Montebello Park Elementary | 365 |
| Applied Technology Center | 295 |
| Bandini Elementary | 260 |
| Montebello Gardens Elementary | 230 |
| Vail High (Continuation) | 219 |
| Montebello Community Day | 22 |
The California districts closest to this one in total enrollment.
| District | Enrollment | Spending | Funding Mix |
|---|---|---|---|
| Folsom-Cordova Unified | Similar size | Lower spending | More locally funded |
| Fairfield-Suisun Unified | Similar size | Lower spending | More locally funded |
| Madera Unified | Similar size | Lower spending | Similar funding mix |
| Lake Elsinore Unified | Similar size | Lower spending | Similar funding mix |
| William S. Hart Union High | Similar size | Lower spending | More locally funded |
Comparisons are relative to Montebello Unified's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data and the F-33 Finance Survey.
Top districts in the same state, compare side-by-side for enrollment, spending, and demographics.
See how this district compares to others in enrollment, spending, demographics, and academic resources.
Compare vs Los Angeles Unified →Montebello Unified has 29 schools, including 5 high, 6 middle, 17 elementary, 1 combined. Total enrollment is 20,446 students.
Montebello Unified spends $20,966 per student. The district has an equity score of 87/100, ranking #21 in California.
Montebello Unified students are 95.1% Hispanic or Latino, 3.0% Asian, 1.1% White, 0.4% African American, averaged across 29 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
Montebello Unified has an equity score of 87/100, ranking #21 out of 1517 districts in California.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.