Enrollment
463
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Lakewood, CA
Palms Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Palms Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 35/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 060162000025
👥 S:T ratio 16
🌟 Gifted program 70
📋 Attendance 18
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Palms Elementary earns 35/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median.
- #5 of 14
- elementary schools in Lakewood · Resource Index
- 35
- Resource Index · Typical
- 21:1
- students per teacher
- 62.3%
- free-lunch eligible
Palms Elementary has class sizes near the California median. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Palms Elementary ranks #5 of 14 elementary schools in Lakewood, CA.
School address
District: Abc Unified · California
NCES ID 060162000025 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
22.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
21:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-2% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
62.3%
vs 55.5% California avg
+12% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Palms Elementary compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Palms Elementary
Palms Elementary is a higher-need, mid-sized elementary school in Lakewood, California, enrolling 463 students.
At 21:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the California median, within a few percentage points of the 21.5:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 62.3% lands close to the California typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
With 463 students, its enrollment sits close to the California median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 9,998 scored California schools.
Against 1,908 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #338.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (59%) and African American (17%) (diversity index 60/100).
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 32.8% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Among Lakewood's elementary schools, it stands alongside Intensive Learning Center (646 students): Palms Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (21:1 vs 22.3:1).
Abc Unified also operates Cerritos High (1,996 students) and Gahr (Richard) High (1,631 students) alongside Palms 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 Palms Elementary compares
Palms 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 | 21:1 | ▼ 2% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 62.3% | ▲ 12% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 463 | top 51% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
21:1
Leaner classes than 13% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
463
Bigger than 57% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
62.3%
free-lunch eligible
- 12% 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
21:1
students per teacher
- 2% below state mean
Top 43% in California - lower ratio than 57% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
32.8%
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
$15,031
per pupil, district-wide
- below California avg of $16,509
Somewhat 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
0
in-school suspensions + 2 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.4 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 59.2%
African American 16.8%
Asian 12.1%
Two or More 9.3%
White 1.9%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.6%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 59.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 59.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 59.8, Palms Elementary is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Abc Unified, which includes Palms Elementary.
$15,031
Per student
-9%
vs California
Avg $16,509
-9%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 22.1%
State 68.2%
Federal 9.7%
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 Palms Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cerritos High | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Gahr (Richard) High | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Artesia High | Larger | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Whitney (Gretchen) High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Leal (Frank C.) Elementary | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Palms Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,996
- Students per teacher
- 22.2:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 1,631
- Students per teacher
- 20.9:1
- Resource Index
- 29/100
- Enrollment
- 1,384
- Students per teacher
- 18.5:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 1,024
- Students per teacher
- 26.3:1
- Resource Index
- 52/100
- Enrollment
- 774
- Students per teacher
- 28.7:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
Similar elementary schools in Lakewood
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Intensive Learning Center
Standard public school
646 students 22.3:1 students per teacher
Esther Lindstrom Elementary
Standard public school
552 students 23:1 students per teacher
Stephen Foster Elementary
Standard public school
501 students 21.8:1 students per teacher
Riley Elementary
Standard public school
490 students 27.2:1 students per teacher
Craig Williams Elementary
Standard public school
478 students 26.6:1 students per teacher
Cleveland Elementary
Standard public school
450 students 26.5:1 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 (~463 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~21:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Palms Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Palms Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Abc 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 Palms Elementary
How many students attend Palms Elementary?
Palms Elementary has 463 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Lakewood, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Palms Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Palms Elementary is 21:1, which is 2% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 34% 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 Palms Elementary?
62.3% of students at Palms Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Palms Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Palms Elementary is Hispanic or Latino at 59.2% of enrollment, in Lakewood, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 59.8/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Palms Elementary?
Palms Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 35/100 (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 Palms Elementary rank among elementary schools in Lakewood?
By Resource Investment Index, Palms Elementary ranks #5 of 14 elementary schools in Lakewood, 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 Lakewood on the city page.
Is Palms Elementary a good school?
Palms Elementary earns 35/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median. 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 Abc Unified?
Besides Palms Elementary, Abc Unified also operates Cerritos High (1,996 students), Gahr (Richard) High (1,631 students), and Artesia High (1,384 students). See the Abc 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.