Enrollment
544
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Compton, CA
Emerson Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Emerson Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 32/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 060962000980
👥 S:T ratio 5
🌟 Gifted program 70
📋 Attendance 22
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Emerson Elementary earns 32/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median.
- #6 of 20
- elementary schools in Compton · Resource Index
- 32
- Resource Index · Typical
- 23.7:1
- students per teacher
- 64.5%
- free-lunch eligible
Emerson Elementary has class sizes near the California median. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Emerson Elementary ranks #6 of 20 elementary schools in Compton, CA.
School address
District: Compton Unified · California
NCES ID 060962000980 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
23.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
23.7:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
+10% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
64.5%
vs 55.5% California avg
+16% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Emerson Elementary compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Emerson Elementary
Emerson Elementary is a higher-need, mid-sized elementary school in Compton, California, enrolling 544 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 23.7:1 puts it in the larger third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 64.5% lands close to the California typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
With 544 students, its enrollment sits close to the California median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 9,998 scored California schools.
Against 2,039 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #479.
Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (82% of enrollment) (diversity index 30/100).
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 31.4% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Among Compton's elementary schools, it stands alongside Clinton William Jefferson (692 students): Emerson Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (23.7:1 vs 23.9:1).
Compton Unified also operates Dominguez High (1,582 students) and Compton High (1,438 students) alongside Emerson 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 Emerson Elementary compares
Emerson 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 | 23.7:1 | ▲ 10% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 64.5% | ▲ 16% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 544 | top 39% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
23.7:1
Leaner classes than 7% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
544
Bigger than 67% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
64.5%
free-lunch eligible
- 16% 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
23.7:1
students per teacher
- 10% above state mean
Top 69% in California - lower ratio than 31% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
31.4%
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
$15,270
per pupil, district-wide
- below California avg of $16,509
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.2 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 82.4%
African American 14.0%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 1.5%
Two or More 1.1%
White 0.7%
Asian 0.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 82.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 30.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 30.1, Emerson Elementary is less mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Compton Unified, which includes Emerson Elementary.
$15,270
Per student
-8%
vs California
Avg $16,509
-8%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 15.5%
State 70.8%
Federal 13.8%
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 Emerson Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dominguez High | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Compton High | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Centennial High | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Clinton William Jefferson | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Kelly Elementary | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Emerson Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,582
- Students per teacher
- 21.4:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 1,438
- Students per teacher
- 24.8:1
- Resource Index
- 28/100
- Enrollment
- 908
- Students per teacher
- 19.7:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 692
- Students per teacher
- 23.9:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 685
- Students per teacher
- 25.4:1
- Resource Index
- 24/100
Similar elementary schools in Compton
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Clinton William Jefferson
Standard public school
692 students 23.9:1 students per teacher
Kelly Elementary
Standard public school
685 students 25.4:1 students per teacher
Dickison Elementary
Standard public school
681 students 26.2:1 students per teacher
Jefferson Elementary
Standard public school
642 students 24.7:1 students per teacher
Robert F. Kennedy Elementary
Standard public school
610 students 25.4:1 students per teacher
Tibby Elementary
Standard public school
554 students 22.2:1 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 (~544 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Emerson Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Emerson Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Compton 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 Emerson Elementary
How many students attend Emerson Elementary?
Emerson Elementary has 544 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Compton, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Emerson Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Emerson Elementary is 23.7:1, which is 10% higher than the California average of 21.5:1 and 51% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Emerson Elementary?
64.5% of students at Emerson Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Emerson Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Emerson Elementary is Hispanic or Latino at 82.4% of enrollment, in Compton, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Emerson Elementary?
Emerson Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 32/100 (typical 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 Emerson Elementary rank among elementary schools in Compton?
By Resource Investment Index, Emerson Elementary ranks #6 of 20 elementary schools in Compton, 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 Compton on the city page.
Is Emerson Elementary a good school?
Emerson Elementary earns 32/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median. 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 Compton Unified?
Besides Emerson Elementary, Compton Unified also operates Dominguez High (1,582 students), Compton High (1,438 students), and Centennial High (908 students). See the Compton 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.