Enrollment
1,218
California · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 060985011247
El Cerrito Middle — Corona, CA
Federal NCES profile for El Cerrito Middle, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 35/100.
👥 Class size 0
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 3
📋 Attendance 69
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
District: Corona-Norco Unified · California
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
44.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
27:1
vs 21.6:1 California avg
+25% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
34.2%
vs 55.5% California avg
-38% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How El Cerrito Middle compares with California and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
El Cerrito Middle reports 1,218 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 44.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 27:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 25% above the California state mean of 21.6:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 70% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 34.2% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 38% below the California average and 34% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 487 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 12.4% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Corona-Norco Unified spends $14,996 per pupil district-wide, below the California average of $18,039 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 26.7% from local sources (property taxes), 61.1% from the state, and 12.2% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 35/100 (F), calculated from 4 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How El Cerrito Middle compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against California state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs California | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 27:1 | ▲ 25% | 21.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 34.2% | ▼ 38% | 55.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 1,218 | top 92% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Economic need
34.2%
free-lunch eligible
— 38% below the California average of 55.5%
Below the 40% Title I threshold — federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
27:1
students per teacher
— 25% above state mean
Top 93% in California — lower ratio than 7% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Engagement
12.4%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Between 10–20% — above the pre-pandemic baseline of ~15% nationally but within the current U.S. range.
Funding equity
$14,996
per pupil, district-wide
— below California avg of $18,039
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors2.5 FTE
Per 487 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
27
in-school suspensions + 24 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 4.2 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 8 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 1,218 Top 92% in California — larger than 8% of 10,006 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 44.0
Students per teacher 27:1 +25% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 34.2% -38% vs state
NCES ID 060985011247
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 41.1%
White 28.3%
Asian 16.7%
African American 7.6%
Two or More 5.0%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.6%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 41.1% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 2.5
Students per counselor 487:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 12.4%
In-school suspensions 27
Out-of-school suspensions 24
Expulsions 8
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Corona-Norco Unified, which includes El Cerrito Middle.
$14,996
Per student
-17%
vs California
Avg $18,039
-23%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 26.7%
State 61.1%
Federal 12.2%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 4,353
- Students per teacher
- 25.8:1
- Enrollment
- 3,577
- Students per teacher
- 25.8:1
- Enrollment
- 2,712
- Students per teacher
- 25.1:1
- Enrollment
- 2,307
- Students per teacher
- 23.9:1
- Enrollment
- 2,032
- Students per teacher
- 24.1:1
Similar middle schools in Corona
4 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) serving the same city.
Citrus Hills Intermediate
Standard public school
919 students 26.7:1 students per teacher
Corona Fundamental Intermediate
Standard public school
754 students 26.2:1 students per teacher
Auburndale Intermediate
Standard public school
640 students 21.9:1 students per teacher
Letha Raney Intermediate
Standard public school
537 students 22.8:1 students per teacher
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about El Cerrito Middle
How many students attend El Cerrito Middle?
El Cerrito Middle has 1,218 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Corona, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at El Cerrito Middle?
The student-teacher ratio at El Cerrito Middle is 27:1, which is 25% higher than the California average of 21.6:1 and 70% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at El Cerrito Middle?
34.2% of students at El Cerrito Middle are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of El Cerrito Middle?
The largest demographic group at El Cerrito Middle is Hispanic or Latino at 41.1%. The school serves a diverse student body in Corona, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for El Cerrito Middle?
El Cerrito Middle has a Resource Investment Index of 35/100 (F) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.