Elementary school (grades K-5) · Norwalk, CA

D. D. Johnston Elementary

Federal NCES profile for D. D. Johnston Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 27/100.

2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 062769004171
0/100100/10027/100
👥 S:T ratio
10
🌟 Gifted program
70
📋 Attendance
0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

D. D. Johnston Elementary earns 27/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most California schools.

#12 of 15
elementary schools in Norwalk · Resource Index
27
Resource Index · Lower
22.6:1
students per teacher
70.5%
free-lunch eligible

D. D. Johnston Elementary has class sizes near the California median. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, D. D. Johnston Elementary ranks #12 of 15 elementary schools in Norwalk, CA.

Enrollment

361

California · 2024-25 NCES data

Teachers (FTE)

16.0

Federal CCD staff survey

Students per teacher

22.6:1

vs 21.5:1 California avg

+5% vs state

Free-lunch eligible

70.5%

vs 55.5% California avg

+27% vs state

Student-teacher ratio in context

How D. D. Johnston Elementary compares with California and U.S. medians

Slightly above state median

Source: NCES Common Core of Data As of 2024-25 federal staff survey Total enrollment ÷ full-time-equivalent classroom teachers

What stands out at D. D. Johnston Elementary

D. D. Johnston Elementary is a higher-need, mid-sized elementary school in Norwalk, California, enrolling 361 students.

At 22.6:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the California median, within a few percentage points of the 21.5:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.

Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 70.5% of students eligible for free meals.

Enrollment of 361 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by headcount.

Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 9,998 scored California schools.

Against 1,636 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #767.

Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (89% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 20/100).

Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 42.1% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).

Among Norwalk's elementary schools, it stands alongside John Dolland Elementary (586 students): D. D. Johnston Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (22.6:1 vs 23.4:1).

Norwalk-La Mirada Unified also operates Norwalk High (2,075 students) and La Mirada High (1,726 students) alongside D. D. Johnston 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 D. D. Johnston Elementary compares

D. D. Johnston 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 22.6:1 ▲ 5% 21.5:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 70.5% ▲ 27% 55.5% 51.7%
Enrollment 361 top 66% - -

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25

22.6:1
Leaner classes than 9% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
361
Bigger than 41% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.

Equity indicators (what these measure)

Economic need
70.5%
free-lunch eligible - 27% 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
22.6:1
students per teacher - 5% above state mean
Top 59% in California - lower ratio than 41% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
42.1%
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
$17,508
per pupil, district-wide - above California avg of $16,509
Somewhat above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 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 89.2%
Asian 4.2%
African American 3.0%
Two or More 2.2%
White 0.8%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.6%

Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 89.2% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 20.1/100

Simpson diversity index - at 20.1, D. D. Johnston Elementary is less mixed than the California school average of 46.0.

Programs

Gifted & talented Yes

Funding & spending

District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Norwalk-La Mirada Unified, which includes D. D. Johnston Elementary.

$17,508
Per student
+6%
vs California
Avg $16,509
+6%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 24.4%
State 65.5%
Federal 10.1%

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 D. D. Johnston Elementary Compares to District-Mates

School Enrollment Economic Profile Student-Teacher Ratio
Norwalk High Larger Similar economic need Higher S:T ratio
La Mirada High Larger Lower economic need Similar S:T ratio
Los Alisos Middle Larger Similar economic need Similar S:T ratio
John H. Glenn High Larger Similar economic need Lower S:T ratio
Reginald M. Benton Middle Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio

Comparisons are relative to D. D. Johnston Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.

Other Schools in This District

Norwalk-La Mirada Unified · 5 sibling schools

View district profile

Similar elementary schools in Norwalk

6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.

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.

Next steps

Verify locally before acting on D. D. Johnston Elementary's federal record.

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 D. D. Johnston Elementary

How many students attend D. D. Johnston Elementary?

D. D. Johnston Elementary has 361 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Norwalk, CA.

What is the student-teacher ratio at D. D. Johnston Elementary?

The student-teacher ratio at D. D. Johnston Elementary is 22.6:1, which is 5% higher than the California average of 21.5:1 and 44% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.

What percentage of students receive free lunch at D. D. Johnston Elementary?

70.5% of students at D. D. Johnston Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of D. D. Johnston Elementary?

The largest demographic group at D. D. Johnston Elementary is Hispanic or Latino at 89.2% of enrollment, in Norwalk, CA.

What is the Resource Investment Index for D. D. Johnston Elementary?

D. D. Johnston Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 27/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).

How does D. D. Johnston Elementary rank among elementary schools in Norwalk?

By Resource Investment Index, D. D. Johnston Elementary ranks #12 of 15 elementary schools in Norwalk, 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 Norwalk on the city page.

Is D. D. Johnston Elementary a good school?

D. D. Johnston Elementary earns 27/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most 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 Norwalk-La Mirada Unified?

Besides D. D. Johnston Elementary, Norwalk-La Mirada Unified also operates Norwalk High (2,075 students), La Mirada High (1,726 students), and Los Alisos Middle (920 students). See the Norwalk-La Mirada Unified district page for the complete list.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) CCD + Public School Universe (2024-25), CRDC (2021-22), F-33 District Finance Survey (FY 2021-22) · 2024-25 Data as of the 2024-25 school year. Coverage from U.S. Department of Education NCES Common Core of Data. Varies by entity type; administrative districts and certain charter networks may report only a subset of fields.

All federal data sources used on this page

Full source list and how we compute each figure: methodology page.

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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.