Enrollment
501
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Long Beach, CA
Birney Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Birney Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 36/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 062250002699
👥 S:T ratio 4
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 71
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Birney Elementary earns 36/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 70% of California schools.
- #19 of 47
- elementary schools in Long Beach · Resource Index
- 36
- Resource Index · Typical
- 23.9:1
- large classes for California
- 62.7%
- free-lunch eligible
Birney Elementary has class sizes larger than 70% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Birney Elementary ranks #19 of 47 elementary schools in Long Beach, CA.
School address
District: Long Beach Unified · California
NCES ID 062250002699 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
21.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
23.9:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
+11% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
62.7%
vs 55.5% California avg
+13% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Birney Elementary compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Birney Elementary
Birney Elementary is a higher-need, mid-sized elementary school in Long Beach, California, enrolling 501 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 23.9:1 puts it in the larger third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 62.7% lands close to the California typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
With 501 students, its enrollment sits close to the California median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 9,998 scored California schools.
Against 1,964 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #282.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (59%) and Asian (15%) (diversity index 61/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 147 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 49.5% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 15.4% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Long Beach's elementary schools, it stands alongside Muir K-8 (1,029 students): Birney Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (23.9:1 vs 25.1:1).
Long Beach Unified also operates Polytechnic High (3,890 students) and Millikan High (3,408 students) alongside Birney Elementary.
Sourced from NCES CCD, CRDC, and F-33 (federal records, not a quality verdict). How we source and compute this.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Birney Elementary compares
Birney Elementary on the metrics families compare, against California and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs California | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 23.9:1 | ▲ 11% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 62.7% | ▲ 13% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 501 | top 45% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
23.9:1
Leaner classes than 7% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
501
Bigger than 62% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
62.7%
free-lunch eligible
- 13% above the California average of 55.5%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
23.9:1
students per teacher
- 11% above state mean
Top 70% in California - lower ratio than 30% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
49.5%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$16,028
per pupil, district-wide
- below California avg of $16,509
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors3.4 FTE
Per 146 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 1 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.4 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
- Common Core of Data (June 2026): enrollment, staffing, and the student-teacher ratio above.
- Civil Rights Data Collection: discipline counts and program access (AP, gifted, special education).
- F-33 School District Finance Survey: the district-wide per-pupil spending figures below.
Three separate federal collections, each on its own reporting cadence - which is why this school's numbers line up on a consistent basis against every other school and state on this site, rather than mixing figures pulled from different survey years.
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 58.7%
Asian 14.6%
African American 13.2%
Two or More 6.4%
White 4.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 2.8%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 58.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 61.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 61.0, Birney Elementary is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Long Beach Unified, which includes Birney Elementary.
$16,028
Per student
-3%
vs California
Avg $16,509
-3%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 24.5%
State 60.1%
Federal 15.4%
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2021-22 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.
How Birney Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polytechnic High | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Millikan High | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Wilson High | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Lakewood High | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Jordan High | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Birney Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 3,890
- Students per teacher
- 23.3:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
- Enrollment
- 3,408
- Students per teacher
- 24.7:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
- Enrollment
- 3,349
- Students per teacher
- 22.6:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 2,305
- Students per teacher
- 18.6:1
- Resource Index
- 53/100
- Enrollment
- 2,272
- Students per teacher
- 21.8:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
Similar elementary schools in Long Beach
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Muir K-8
Standard public school
1,029 students 25.1:1 students per teacher
Cubberley K-8
Standard public school
951 students 25:1 students per teacher
Grant Elementary
Standard public school
951 students 25.7:1 students per teacher
Newcomb Academy
Standard public school
914 students 25.4:1 students per teacher
Longfellow Elementary
Standard public school
904 students 27.4:1 students per teacher
Tincher Preparatory
Standard public school
837 students 25.4:1 students per teacher
Similar elementary schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of California, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~501 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~23.9:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Birney Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Birney Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Long Beach Unified's spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
Federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) - PlainSchools assigns no subjective rating; the composite quality score is a transparent, reproducible index computed from this cited federal data.
Frequently asked questions about Birney Elementary
How many students attend Birney Elementary?
Birney Elementary has 501 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Long Beach, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Birney Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Birney Elementary is 23.9:1, which is 11% higher than the California average of 21.5:1 and 52% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Birney Elementary?
62.7% of students at Birney Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Birney Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Birney Elementary is Hispanic or Latino at 58.7% of enrollment, in Long Beach, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 61.0/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Birney Elementary?
Birney Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 36/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Birney Elementary rank among elementary schools in Long Beach?
By Resource Investment Index, Birney Elementary ranks #19 of 47 elementary schools in Long Beach, CA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all elementary schools in Long Beach on the city page.
Is Birney Elementary a good school?
Birney Elementary earns 36/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 70% of California schools. This is a resource snapshot, not an academic rating; see the Resource Investment Index question above for what the number does and doesn't measure.
What other schools are in Long Beach Unified?
Besides Birney Elementary, Long Beach Unified also operates Polytechnic High (3,890 students), Millikan High (3,408 students), and Wilson High (3,349 students). See the Long Beach Unified district page for the complete list.
Related tools
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. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.