Enrollment
341
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Paramount, CA
Los Cerritos
Federal NCES profile for Los Cerritos, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 32/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 062985004651
👥 S:T ratio 24
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 32
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Los Cerritos earns 32/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 74% of California schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most California schools.
- #2 of 10
- elementary schools in Paramount · Resource Index
- 32
- Resource Index · Typical
- 18.9:1
- small classes for California
- 81.9%
- free-lunch eligible
Los Cerritos has class sizes smaller than 74% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Los Cerritos ranks #2 of 10 elementary schools in Paramount, CA.
School address
District: Paramount Unified · California
NCES ID 062985004651 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
18.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18.9:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-12% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
81.9%
vs 55.5% California avg
+48% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Los Cerritos compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Los Cerritos
Los Cerritos is a high-poverty, mid-sized elementary school in Paramount, California, enrolling 341 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 18.9:1 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 81.9% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 341 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 1,419 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #444.
Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (96% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 8/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 341 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 75.4% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 15.4% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Paramount's elementary schools, it stands alongside Leona Jackson (517 students): Los Cerritos is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (18.9:1 vs 16.2:1).
Paramount Unified also operates Paramount High (3,400 students) and Hollydale (794 students) alongside Los Cerritos.
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 Los Cerritos compares
Los Cerritos on the metrics families compare, against California and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs California | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 18.9:1 | ▼ 12% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 81.9% | ▲ 48% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 341 | top 69% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
18.9:1
Leaner classes than 20% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
341
Bigger than 38% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
81.9%
free-lunch eligible
- 48% 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
18.9:1
students per teacher
- 12% below state mean
Top 26% in California - lower ratio than 74% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
75.4%
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
$18,707
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 341 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 1 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.3 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 95.9%
African American 2.6%
Two or More 0.9%
White 0.6%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 95.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 8.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 8.0, Los Cerritos is less mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Paramount Unified, which includes Los Cerritos.
$18,707
Per student
+13%
vs California
Avg $16,509
+13%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 17.4%
State 67.2%
Federal 15.4%
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 Los Cerritos Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paramount High | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Hollydale | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Alondra Middle | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Frank J. Zamboni | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Paramount Park Middle | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Los Cerritos's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 3,400
- Students per teacher
- 18.7:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
- Enrollment
- 794
- Students per teacher
- 21.5:1
- Resource Index
- 26/100
- Enrollment
- 735
- Students per teacher
- 18.8:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
- Enrollment
- 650
- Students per teacher
- 18.1:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
- Enrollment
- 551
- Students per teacher
- 21.2:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
Similar elementary schools in Paramount
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Leona Jackson
Standard public school
517 students 16.2:1 students per teacher
Major Lynn Mokler
Standard public school
510 students 21.3:1 students per teacher
Abraham Lincoln
Standard public school
502 students 20.9:1 students per teacher
Theodore Roosevelt
Standard public school
491 students 21.3:1 students per teacher
Wesley Gaines
Standard public school
449 students 28.1:1 students per teacher
Howard Tanner
Standard public school
428 students 23.8:1 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 (~341 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Los Cerritos's federal record.
- Compare Los Cerritos against another school. Compare schools
- Paramount 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 Los Cerritos
How many students attend Los Cerritos?
Los Cerritos has 341 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Paramount, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Los Cerritos?
The student-teacher ratio at Los Cerritos is 18.9:1, which is 12% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 20% 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 Los Cerritos?
81.9% of students at Los Cerritos are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Los Cerritos?
The largest demographic group at Los Cerritos is Hispanic or Latino at 95.9% of enrollment, in Paramount, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Los Cerritos?
Los Cerritos has a Resource Investment Index of 32/100 (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 Los Cerritos rank among elementary schools in Paramount?
By Resource Investment Index, Los Cerritos ranks #2 of 10 elementary schools in Paramount, 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 Paramount on the city page.
Is Los Cerritos a good school?
Los Cerritos earns 32/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 74% 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 Paramount Unified?
Besides Los Cerritos, Paramount Unified also operates Paramount High (3,400 students), Hollydale (794 students), and Alondra Middle (735 students). See the Paramount 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.