Enrollment
454
California · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Gardena, CA
Environmental Charter High - Gardena
Federal NCES profile for Environmental Charter High - Gardena, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 38/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 060255714580Charter school
👥 S:T ratio 0
📚 AP courses 10
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 55
📋 Attendance 94
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Environmental Charter High - Gardena earns 38/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 98% of California schools.
- #1 of 4
- high schools in Gardena · Resource Index
- 38
- Resource Index · Typical
- 34.9:1
- large classes for California
- 77.4%
- free-lunch eligible
Environmental Charter High - Gardena has class sizes larger than 98% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Environmental Charter High - Gardena ranks #1 of 4 high schools in Gardena, CA.
School address
NCES ID 060255714580 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
13.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
34.9:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
+62% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
77.4%
vs 55.5% California avg
+39% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Environmental Charter High - Gardena compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Environmental Charter High - Gardena
Environmental Charter High - Gardena is a high-poverty, mid-sized charter high school in Gardena, California, enrolling 454 students.
Class loads run heavy: 34.9:1 is larger than about 98% of California schools and 62% above the 21.5:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 77.4% of students eligible for free meals.
With 454 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.
Among 2,102 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need California schools statewide, it ranks #73, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (76%) and African American (17%) (diversity index 39/100).
No Advanced Placement courses are reported for this campus in the federal data.
Counselor coverage is strong, about 227 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Attendance holds up well here: only 2.6% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
Among Gardena's high schools, it stands alongside Gardena Senior High (1,343 students): Environmental Charter High - Gardena is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (34.9:1 vs 17.2:1).
Environmental Charter High - Gardena District is a single-school charter district, so Environmental Charter High - Gardena operates independently rather than alongside district-mates.
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 Environmental Charter High - Gardena compares
Environmental Charter High - Gardena on the metrics families compare, against California and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs California | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 34.9:1 | ▲ 62% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 77.4% | ▲ 39% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 454 | top 52% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
34.9:1
Leaner classes than 1% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
454
Bigger than 55% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
77.4%
free-lunch eligible
- 39% 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
34.9:1
students per teacher
- 62% above state mean
Top 98% in California - lower ratio than 2% of state schools
Well above 20:1, one of the more stretched staffing loads nationally relative to enrollment.
Engagement
2.6%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 5%, comfortably under the pre-pandemic national baseline for chronic absenteeism.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 227 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 5 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.1 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 76.4%
African American 16.5%
Two or More 4.8%
Asian 1.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.9%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 76.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 38.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 38.7, Environmental Charter High - Gardena is less mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
AP program Not offered
Similar high schools in Gardena
3 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
Similar high 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 (~454 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~34.9:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Environmental Charter High - Gardena's federal record.
- Compare Environmental Charter High - Gardena against another school. Compare schools
- Environmental Charter High - Gardena District'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 Environmental Charter High - Gardena
How many students attend Environmental Charter High - Gardena?
Environmental Charter High - Gardena has 454 students enrolled. It is a high school in Gardena, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Environmental Charter High - Gardena?
The student-teacher ratio at Environmental Charter High - Gardena is 34.9:1, which is 62% higher than the California average of 21.5:1 and 122% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Environmental Charter High - Gardena?
77.4% of students at Environmental Charter High - Gardena are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Environmental Charter High - Gardena?
The largest demographic group at Environmental Charter High - Gardena is Hispanic or Latino at 76.4% of enrollment, in Gardena, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Environmental Charter High - Gardena?
Environmental Charter High - Gardena has a Resource Investment Index of 38/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Environmental Charter High - Gardena rank among high schools in Gardena?
By Resource Investment Index, Environmental Charter High - Gardena ranks #1 of 4 high schools in Gardena, CA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all high schools in Gardena on the city page.
Is Environmental Charter High - Gardena a good school?
Environmental Charter High - Gardena earns 38/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 98% 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 Environmental Charter High - Gardena District?
None; Environmental Charter High - Gardena District is a single-school charter district, and Environmental Charter High - Gardena is its only campus.
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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.