Enrollment
708
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Santa Fe Springs, CA
Lake Center Middle
Federal NCES profile for Lake Center Middle, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 35/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 062193002602
👥 S:T ratio 24
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 6
📋 Attendance 39
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Lake Center Middle earns 35/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 72% of California schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most California schools.
- #2 of 5
- public schools in Santa Fe Springs · Resource Index
- 35
- Resource Index · Typical
- 19.1:1
- small classes for California
- 42.9%
- free-lunch eligible
Lake Center Middle has class sizes smaller than 72% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Lake Center Middle ranks #2 of 5 public schools in Santa Fe Springs, CA.
School address
District: Little Lake City Elementary · California
NCES ID 062193002602 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
37.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
19.1:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-11% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
42.9%
vs 55.5% California avg
-23% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Lake Center Middle compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Lake Center Middle
Lake Center Middle is a mid-sized middle school in Santa Fe Springs, California, enrolling 708 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 19.1:1 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 42.9% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 708 puts it in the larger third of California schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 9,998 scored California schools.
Against 1,300 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #330.
Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (91% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 18/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 472 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 24.3% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Little Lake City Elementary also operates Lakeside Middle (509 students) and Lakeview Elementary (457 students) alongside Lake Center Middle.
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 Lake Center Middle compares
Lake Center 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 | 19.1:1 | ▼ 11% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 42.9% | ▼ 23% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 708 | top 23% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
19.1:1
Leaner classes than 19% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
708
Bigger than 81% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
42.9%
free-lunch eligible
- 23% below the California average of 55.5%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
19.1:1
students per teacher
- 11% below state mean
Top 28% in California - lower ratio than 72% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
24.3%
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
$15,895
per pupil, district-wide
- below California avg of $16,509
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors1.5 FTE
Per 472 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 25 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.5 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 90.7%
Asian 3.7%
White 2.4%
African American 1.7%
Two or More 1.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.3%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 90.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 17.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 17.5, Lake Center Middle is less mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Little Lake City Elementary, which includes Lake Center Middle.
$15,895
Per student
-4%
vs California
Avg $16,509
-4%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 24.0%
State 65.3%
Federal 10.7%
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 Lake Center Middle Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lakeside Middle | Smaller | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Lakeview Elementary | Smaller | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Studebaker Elementary | Smaller | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| William W. Orr Elementary | Smaller | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Lakeland Elementary | Smaller | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Lake Center Middle's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 509
- Students per teacher
- 19.6:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 457
- Students per teacher
- 21.8:1
- Resource Index
- 26/100
- Enrollment
- 394
- Students per teacher
- 19.7:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
- Enrollment
- 353
- Students per teacher
- 19.6:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 315
- Students per teacher
- 22.5:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
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 (~708 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~19.1:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Lake Center Middle's federal record.
- Compare Lake Center Middle against another school. Compare schools
- Little Lake City 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 Lake Center Middle
How many students attend Lake Center Middle?
Lake Center Middle has 708 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Santa Fe Springs, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Lake Center Middle?
The student-teacher ratio at Lake Center Middle is 19.1:1, which is 11% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 22% 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 Lake Center Middle?
42.9% of students at Lake Center Middle are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Lake Center Middle?
The largest demographic group at Lake Center Middle is Hispanic or Latino at 90.7% of enrollment, in Santa Fe Springs, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Lake Center Middle?
Lake Center Middle has a Resource Investment Index of 35/100 (typical 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 Lake Center Middle rank among public schools in Santa Fe Springs?
By Resource Investment Index, Lake Center Middle ranks #2 of 5 public schools in Santa Fe Springs, 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 Santa Fe Springs on the city page.
Is Lake Center Middle a good school?
Lake Center Middle earns 35/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 72% 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 Little Lake City Elementary?
Besides Lake Center Middle, Little Lake City Elementary also operates Lakeside Middle (509 students), Lakeview Elementary (457 students), and Studebaker Elementary (394 students). See the Little Lake City 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.