Enrollment
601
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · El Centro, CA
Harding Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Harding Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 37/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 061203001334
👥 S:T ratio 0
🌟 Gifted program 70
📋 Attendance 40
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Harding Elementary earns 37/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 86% of California schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most California schools.
- #2 of 13
- elementary schools in El Centro · Resource Index
- 37
- Resource Index · Typical
- 26.1:1
- large classes for California
- 60.1%
- free-lunch eligible
Harding Elementary has class sizes larger than 86% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Harding Elementary ranks #2 of 13 elementary schools in El Centro, CA.
School address
District: El Centro Elementary · California
NCES ID 061203001334 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
23.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
26.1:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
+21% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
60.1%
vs 55.5% California avg
+8% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Harding Elementary compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Harding Elementary
Harding Elementary is a higher-need, mid-sized elementary school in El Centro, California, enrolling 601 students.
Class loads run heavy: 26.1:1 is larger than about 86% of California schools and 21% above the 21.5:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 60.1% lands close to the California typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 601 puts it in the larger third of California schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 9,998 scored California schools.
Against 1,827 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #229.
Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (93% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 13/100).
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 24.0% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Its district draws 23.1% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among El Centro's elementary schools, it stands alongside Mccabe Elementary (1,109 students): Harding Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (26.1:1 vs 23.1:1).
El Centro Elementary also operates Wilson Jr. High (605 students) and De Anza Magnet (504 students) alongside Harding 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 Harding Elementary compares
Harding 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 | 26.1:1 | ▲ 21% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 60.1% | ▲ 8% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 601 | top 32% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
26.1:1
Leaner classes than 4% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
601
Bigger than 73% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
60.1%
free-lunch eligible
- 8% 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
26.1:1
students per teacher
- 21% above state mean
Top 86% in California - lower ratio than 14% of state schools
Well above 20:1, one of the more stretched staffing loads nationally relative to enrollment.
Engagement
24.0%
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
$17,691
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 93.2%
White 3.8%
Two or More 1.8%
African American 0.8%
Asian 0.3%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 93.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 13.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 13.0, Harding Elementary is less mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for El Centro Elementary, which includes Harding Elementary.
$17,691
Per student
+7%
vs California
Avg $16,509
+7%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 9.4%
State 67.6%
Federal 23.1%
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 Harding Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wilson Jr. High | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| De Anza Magnet | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Mckinley Elementary | Similar size | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Margaret Hedrick Elementary | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary | Smaller | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Harding Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 605
- Students per teacher
- 18.9:1
- Resource Index
- 27/100
- Enrollment
- 504
- Students per teacher
- 25.2:1
- Resource Index
- 23/100
- Enrollment
- 456
- Students per teacher
- 25.3:1
- Resource Index
- 28/100
- Enrollment
- 446
- Students per teacher
- 21.2:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 445
- Students per teacher
- 26.2:1
- Resource Index
- 23/100
Similar elementary schools in El Centro
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Mccabe Elementary
Standard public school
1,109 students 23.1:1 students per teacher
De Anza Magnet
Standard public school
504 students 25.2:1 students per teacher
Mckinley Elementary
Standard public school
456 students 25.3:1 students per teacher
Margaret Hedrick Elementary
Standard public school
446 students 21.2:1 students per teacher
Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary
Standard public school
445 students 26.2:1 students per teacher
Sunflower Elementary
Standard public school
427 students 28.5:1 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 (~601 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~26.1:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Harding Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Harding Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- El Centro Elementary'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 Harding Elementary
How many students attend Harding Elementary?
Harding Elementary has 601 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in El Centro, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Harding Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Harding Elementary is 26.1:1, which is 21% higher than the California average of 21.5:1 and 66% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Harding Elementary?
60.1% of students at Harding Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Harding Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Harding Elementary is Hispanic or Latino at 93.2% of enrollment, in El Centro, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Harding Elementary?
Harding Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 37/100 (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 Harding Elementary rank among elementary schools in El Centro?
By Resource Investment Index, Harding Elementary ranks #2 of 13 elementary schools in El Centro, 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 El Centro on the city page.
Is Harding Elementary a good school?
Harding Elementary earns 37/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 86% of California schools. 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 El Centro Elementary?
Besides Harding Elementary, El Centro Elementary also operates Wilson Jr. High (605 students), De Anza Magnet (504 students), and Mckinley Elementary (456 students). See the El Centro Elementary 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.