Elementary school (grades K-5) · El Monte, CA

Potrero Elementary

Federal NCES profile for Potrero Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 39/100.

2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 061209001356
0/100100/10039/100
👥 S:T ratio
20
🌟 Gifted program
70
🎓 Counselors
0
📋 Attendance
65
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

Potrero Elementary earns 39/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most California schools.

#5 of 21
elementary schools in El Monte · Resource Index
39
Resource Index · Typical
19.9:1
students per teacher
62.1%
free-lunch eligible

Potrero Elementary has class sizes near the California median. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, Potrero Elementary ranks #5 of 21 elementary schools in El Monte, CA.

School address

Enrollment

596

California · 2024-25 NCES data

Teachers (FTE)

30.0

Federal CCD staff survey

Students per teacher

19.9:1

vs 21.5:1 California avg

-7% vs state

Free-lunch eligible

62.1%

vs 55.5% California avg

+12% vs state

Student-teacher ratio in context

How Potrero Elementary compares with California and U.S. medians

At or below state median

Source: NCES Common Core of Data As of 2024-25 federal staff survey Total enrollment ÷ full-time-equivalent classroom teachers

What stands out at Potrero Elementary

Potrero Elementary is a higher-need, mid-sized elementary school in El Monte, California, enrolling 596 students.

Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 19.9:1 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.

Its free-meal eligibility rate of 62.1% lands close to the California typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.

Enrollment of 596 puts it in the larger third of California schools by headcount.

Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 9,998 scored California schools.

Among 1,926 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need California schools statewide, it ranks #170, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.

Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (91% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 17/100).

Counselor access is stretched at roughly 1703 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.

13.9% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.

The surrounding El Monte City spends $21,213 per pupil, 28% above the California average, a better-resourced district than most.

Among El Monte's elementary schools, it stands alongside Durfee Elementary (1,120 students): Potrero Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (19.9:1 vs 22.9:1).

El Monte City also operates Durfee Elementary (1,120 students) and Columbia Elementary (706 students) alongside Potrero 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 Potrero Elementary compares

Potrero 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 19.9:1 ▼ 7% 21.5:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 62.1% ▲ 12% 55.5% 51.7%
Enrollment 596 top 33% - -

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25

19.9:1
Leaner classes than 16% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
596
Bigger than 72% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.

Equity indicators (what these measure)

Economic need
62.1%
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
19.9:1
students per teacher - 7% below state mean
Top 34% in California - lower ratio than 66% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
13.9%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 10-15% range, above the pre-pandemic national baseline but within the broader post-pandemic picture.
Funding equity
$21,213
per pupil, district-wide - above California avg of $16,509
Well above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting substantially higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors0.3 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 16 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.7 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 90.8%
Asian 8.4%
White 0.3%
African American 0.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%

Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 90.8% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 16.8/100

Simpson diversity index - at 16.8, Potrero Elementary is less mixed than the California school average of 46.0.

Programs

Gifted & talented Yes

Funding & spending

District-wide per-pupil expenditure for El Monte City, which includes Potrero Elementary.

$21,213
Per student
+28%
vs California
Avg $16,509
+28%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 25.2%
State 61.0%
Federal 13.8%

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 Potrero Elementary Compares to District-Mates

School Enrollment Economic Profile Student-Teacher Ratio
Durfee Elementary Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
Columbia Elementary Similar size Similar economic need Higher S:T ratio
Rio Hondo Elementary Similar size Lower economic need Similar S:T ratio
Wright Elementary Similar size Similar economic need Similar S:T ratio
Legore Elementary Similar size Similar economic need Higher S:T ratio

Comparisons are relative to Potrero Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.

Other Schools in This District

El Monte City · 5 sibling schools

View district profile

Similar elementary schools in El Monte

6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.

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.

Next steps

Verify locally before acting on Potrero Elementary's federal record.

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 Potrero Elementary

How many students attend Potrero Elementary?

Potrero Elementary has 596 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in El Monte, CA.

What is the student-teacher ratio at Potrero Elementary?

The student-teacher ratio at Potrero Elementary is 19.9:1, which is 7% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 27% 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 Potrero Elementary?

62.1% of students at Potrero Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Potrero Elementary?

The largest demographic group at Potrero Elementary is Hispanic or Latino at 90.8% of enrollment, in El Monte, CA.

What is the Resource Investment Index for Potrero Elementary?

Potrero Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 39/100 (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 Potrero Elementary rank among elementary schools in El Monte?

By Resource Investment Index, Potrero Elementary ranks #5 of 21 elementary schools in El Monte, 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 El Monte on the city page.

Is Potrero Elementary a good school?

Potrero Elementary earns 39/100 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 El Monte City?

Besides Potrero Elementary, El Monte City also operates Durfee Elementary (1,120 students), Columbia Elementary (706 students), and Rio Hondo Elementary (636 students). See the El Monte City district page for the complete list.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) CCD + Public School Universe (2024-25), CRDC (2021-22), F-33 District Finance Survey (FY 2021-22) · 2024-25 Data as of the 2024-25 school year. Coverage from U.S. Department of Education NCES Common Core of Data. Varies by entity type; administrative districts and certain charter networks may report only a subset of fields.

All federal data sources used on this page

Full source list and how we compute each figure: methodology page.

View saved

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.