Enrollment
341
California · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 062133002551
Monterey Heights Elementary — Lemon Grove, CA
Federal NCES profile for Monterey Heights Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 17/100.
👥 Class size 20
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 0
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
District: Lemon Grove · California
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
20.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
20:1
vs 21.6:1 California avg
-7% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
54.0%
vs 55.5% California avg
-3% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Monterey Heights Elementary compares with California and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
Monterey Heights Elementary reports 341 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 20.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 20:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 7% below the California state mean of 21.6:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 26% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 54.0% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 3% below the California average and 4% above the national baseline. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 51.0% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Lemon Grove spends $18,197 per pupil district-wide, above the California average of $18,039 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 26.1% from local sources (property taxes), 58.9% from the state, and 14.9% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 17/100 (F), calculated from 3 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Monterey Heights Elementary compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against California state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs California | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 20:1 | ▼ 7% | 21.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 54.0% | ▼ 3% | 55.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 341 | top 31% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Economic need
54.0%
free-lunch eligible
— 3% 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
20:1
students per teacher
— 7% below state mean
Top 29% in California — lower ratio than 71% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
51.0%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$18,197
per pupil, district-wide
— above California avg of $18,039
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
3
in-school suspensions + 9 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.5 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 341 Top 31% in California — larger than 69% of 10,006 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 20.0
Students per teacher 20:1 -7% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 54.0% -3% vs state
NCES ID 062133002551
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 67.7%
Two or More 9.4%
African American 7.9%
White 7.6%
Asian 5.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 1.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.6%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 67.7% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 51.0%
In-school suspensions 3
Out-of-school suspensions 9
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Lemon Grove, which includes Monterey Heights Elementary.
$18,197
Per student
+1%
vs California
Avg $18,039
-7%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 26.1%
State 58.9%
Federal 14.9%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 518
- Students per teacher
- 24.6:1
- Enrollment
- 516
- Students per teacher
- 19.7:1
- Enrollment
- 435
- Students per teacher
- 22.3:1
- Enrollment
- 399
- Students per teacher
- 25.8:1
- Enrollment
- 359
- Students per teacher
- 25:1
Similar elementary schools in Lemon Grove
5 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
San Miguel Elementary
Standard public school
435 students 22.3:1 students per teacher
Lemon Grove Academy Elementary
Standard public school
399 students 25.8:1 students per teacher
Mt. Vernon
Standard public school
359 students 25:1 students per teacher
San Altos Elementary
Standard public school
338 students 18.5:1 students per teacher
Lemon Grove Early Childhood Education Center
Standard public school
142 students 19.8:1 students per teacher
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about Monterey Heights Elementary
How many students attend Monterey Heights Elementary?
Monterey Heights Elementary has 341 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in Lemon Grove, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Monterey Heights Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Monterey Heights Elementary is 20:1, which is 7% lower than the California average of 21.6:1 and 26% higher than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Monterey Heights Elementary?
54.0% of students at Monterey Heights Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Monterey Heights Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Monterey Heights Elementary is Hispanic or Latino at 67.7%. The school serves a diverse student body in Lemon Grove, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Monterey Heights Elementary?
Monterey Heights Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 17/100 (F) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.