Enrollment
360
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Gardena, CA
Environmental Charter Middle
Federal NCES profile for Environmental Charter Middle, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 29/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 060170812673Charter school
👥 S:T ratio 20
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 28
📋 Attendance 38
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Environmental Charter Middle earns 29/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median.
- #14 of 16
- public schools in Gardena · Resource Index
- 29
- Resource Index · Lower
- 20:1
- students per teacher
- 84.8%
- free-lunch eligible
Environmental Charter Middle has class sizes near the California median. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Environmental Charter Middle ranks #14 of 16 public schools in Gardena, CA.
School address
District: Environmental Charter Middle District · California
NCES ID 060170812673 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
18.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
20:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-7% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
84.8%
vs 55.5% California avg
+53% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Environmental Charter Middle compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Environmental Charter Middle
Environmental Charter Middle is a high-poverty, mid-sized charter middle school in Gardena, California, enrolling 360 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 20:1 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need is high: 84.8% of students qualify for free meals, 53% above the California average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
Enrollment of 360 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 1,432 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #624.
Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (82% of enrollment) (diversity index 32/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 360 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 24.7% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Among Gardena's middle schools, it stands alongside Robert E. Peary Middle (1,082 students): Environmental Charter Middle is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (20:1 vs 18:1).
Environmental Charter Middle District is a single-school charter district, so Environmental Charter Middle 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 Middle compares
Environmental Charter Middle on the metrics families compare, against California and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs California | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 20:1 | ▼ 7% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 84.8% | ▲ 53% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 360 | top 66% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
20:1
Leaner classes than 16% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
360
Bigger than 41% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
84.8%
free-lunch eligible
- 53% above the California average of 55.5%
Well above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold, among the highest-need profiles in the state; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
20:1
students per teacher
- 7% below state mean
Top 35% in California - lower ratio than 65% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
24.7%
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
$18,943
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 360 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 15 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 4.2 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 81.7%
African American 11.7%
Two or More 3.3%
Asian 1.9%
White 0.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.3%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 81.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 31.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 31.7, Environmental Charter Middle is less mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Environmental Charter Middle District, which includes Environmental Charter Middle.
$18,943
Per student
+15%
vs California
Avg $16,509
+14%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 30.0%
State 58.4%
Federal 11.6%
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.
Similar middle schools in Gardena
1 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) serving the same city.
Similar middle 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 (~360 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~20:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Environmental Charter Middle's federal record.
- Compare Environmental Charter Middle against another school. Compare schools
- Environmental Charter Middle 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 Middle
How many students attend Environmental Charter Middle?
Environmental Charter Middle has 360 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Gardena, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Environmental Charter Middle?
The student-teacher ratio at Environmental Charter Middle is 20:1, which is 7% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 27% higher than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Environmental Charter Middle?
84.8% of students at Environmental Charter Middle are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Environmental Charter Middle?
The largest demographic group at Environmental Charter Middle is Hispanic or Latino at 81.7% of enrollment, in Gardena, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Environmental Charter Middle?
Environmental Charter Middle has a Resource Investment Index of 29/100 (lower 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 Environmental Charter Middle rank among public schools in Gardena?
By Resource Investment Index, Environmental Charter Middle ranks #14 of 16 public 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 public schools in Gardena on the city page.
Is Environmental Charter Middle a good school?
Environmental Charter Middle earns 29/100 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 Environmental Charter Middle District?
None; Environmental Charter Middle District is a single-school charter district, and Environmental Charter Middle is its only campus.
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.