Enrollment
484
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Calexico, CA
Kennedy Gardens Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Kennedy Gardens Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 10/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 060690000638
👥 S:T ratio 8
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 3
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Kennedy Gardens Elementary earns 10/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most California schools.
- #4 of 7
- elementary schools in Calexico · Resource Index
- 10
- Resource Index · Lower
- 23:1
- students per teacher
- 84.7%
- free-lunch eligible
Kennedy Gardens Elementary has class sizes near the California median. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Kennedy Gardens Elementary ranks #4 of 7 elementary schools in Calexico, CA.
School address
District: Calexico Unified · California
NCES ID 060690000638 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
21.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
23:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
+7% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
84.7%
vs 55.5% California avg
+53% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Kennedy Gardens Elementary compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Kennedy Gardens Elementary
Kennedy Gardens Elementary is a high-poverty, mid-sized elementary school in Calexico, California, enrolling 484 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 23:1 puts it in the larger third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need is high: 84.7% of students qualify for free meals, 53% above the California average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
With 484 students, its enrollment sits close to the California median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 98% of the 9,998 California schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.
Among 1,865 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need California schools statewide, it ranks #1,764, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (99% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 3/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 484 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 75.6% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 20.4% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Calexico's elementary schools, it stands alongside Cesar Chavez Elementary (765 students): Kennedy Gardens Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (23:1 vs 23.9:1).
Calexico Unified also operates Calexico High (2,746 students) and Cesar Chavez Elementary (765 students) alongside Kennedy Gardens 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 Kennedy Gardens Elementary compares
Kennedy Gardens 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 | 23:1 | ▲ 7% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 84.7% | ▲ 53% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 484 | top 48% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
23:1
Leaner classes than 8% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
484
Bigger than 60% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
84.7%
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
23:1
students per teacher
- 7% above state mean
Top 62% in California - lower ratio than 38% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
75.6%
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
$18,535
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 484 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
5
in-school suspensions + 3 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.7 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 98.6%
White 0.8%
African American 0.2%
Asian 0.2%
Two or More 0.2%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 98.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 2.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 2.8, Kennedy Gardens Elementary is less mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Calexico Unified, which includes Kennedy Gardens Elementary.
$18,535
Per student
+12%
vs California
Avg $16,509
+12%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 10.2%
State 69.5%
Federal 20.4%
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 Kennedy Gardens Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Calexico High | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Cesar Chavez Elementary | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Enrique Camarena Jr. High | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Jefferson Elementary | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| William Moreno Junior High | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Kennedy Gardens Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,746
- Students per teacher
- 22.3:1
- Resource Index
- 16/100
- Enrollment
- 765
- Students per teacher
- 23.9:1
- Resource Index
- 9/100
- Enrollment
- 674
- Students per teacher
- 23.2:1
- Resource Index
- 9/100
- Enrollment
- 625
- Students per teacher
- 25:1
- Resource Index
- 7/100
- Enrollment
- 618
- Students per teacher
- 21.3:1
- Resource Index
- 11/100
Similar elementary schools in Calexico
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Cesar Chavez Elementary
Standard public school
765 students 23.9:1 students per teacher
Jefferson Elementary
Standard public school
625 students 25:1 students per teacher
Rockwood Elementary
Standard public school
617 students 26.8:1 students per teacher
Dool Elementary
Standard public school
568 students 21.8:1 students per teacher
Blanche Charles Elementary
Standard public school
419 students 22.1:1 students per teacher
Mains Elementary
Standard public school
408 students 22.7:1 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 (~484 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~23:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Kennedy Gardens Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Kennedy Gardens Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Calexico 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 Kennedy Gardens Elementary
How many students attend Kennedy Gardens Elementary?
Kennedy Gardens Elementary has 484 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Calexico, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Kennedy Gardens Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Kennedy Gardens Elementary is 23:1, which is 7% higher than the California average of 21.5:1 and 46% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Kennedy Gardens Elementary?
84.7% of students at Kennedy Gardens Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Kennedy Gardens Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Kennedy Gardens Elementary is Hispanic or Latino at 98.6% of enrollment, in Calexico, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Kennedy Gardens Elementary?
Kennedy Gardens Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 10/100 (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 Kennedy Gardens Elementary rank among elementary schools in Calexico?
By Resource Investment Index, Kennedy Gardens Elementary ranks #4 of 7 elementary schools in Calexico, 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 Calexico on the city page.
Is Kennedy Gardens Elementary a good school?
Kennedy Gardens Elementary earns 10/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median. 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 Calexico Unified?
Besides Kennedy Gardens Elementary, Calexico Unified also operates Calexico High (2,746 students), Cesar Chavez Elementary (765 students), and Enrique Camarena Jr. High (674 students). See the Calexico 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.