Enrollment
380
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · South San Gabriel, CA
Potrero Heights Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Potrero Heights Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 46/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 062547003806
👥 S:T ratio 24
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 49
📋 Attendance 42
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Potrero Heights Elementary earns 46/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 73% of California schools.
- 46
- Resource Index · Typical
- 19:1
- small classes for California
- 39.5%
- free-lunch eligible
- 380
- students enrolled
Potrero Heights Elementary has class sizes smaller than 73% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Montebello Unified · California
NCES ID 062547003806 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
20.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
19:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-12% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
39.5%
vs 55.5% California avg
-29% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Potrero Heights Elementary compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Potrero Heights Elementary
Potrero Heights Elementary is a mid-sized elementary school in South San Gabriel, California, enrolling 380 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 19:1 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 39.5% of students eligible for free meals.
With 380 students, its enrollment sits close to the California median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 9,998 scored California schools.
Among 1,086 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need California schools statewide, it ranks #66, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (60%) and Asian (34%) (diversity index 52/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 253 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 23.4% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
The surrounding Montebello Unified spends $20,966 per pupil, 27% above the California average, a better-resourced district than most.
Its district draws 24.4% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Montebello Unified also operates Schurr High (2,121 students) and Bell Gardens High (2,046 students) alongside Potrero Heights 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 Heights Elementary compares
Potrero Heights 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 | 19:1 | ▼ 12% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 39.5% | ▼ 29% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 380 | top 63% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
19:1
Leaner classes than 20% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
380
Bigger than 44% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
39.5%
free-lunch eligible
- 29% below the California average of 55.5%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
19:1
students per teacher
- 12% below state mean
Top 27% in California - lower ratio than 73% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
23.4%
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
$20,966
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
Counselors1.5 FTE
Per 253 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 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 60.0%
Asian 33.9%
Two or More 3.4%
White 2.1%
African American 0.5%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 60.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 52.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 52.3, Potrero Heights Elementary is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Montebello Unified, which includes Potrero Heights Elementary.
$20,966
Per student
+27%
vs California
Avg $16,509
+26%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 17.8%
State 57.9%
Federal 24.4%
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 Potrero Heights Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Schurr High | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Bell Gardens High | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Montebello High | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Bell Gardens Intermediate | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Greenwood Elementary | Larger | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Potrero Heights Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,121
- Students per teacher
- 19.3:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 2,046
- Students per teacher
- 18.4:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 1,907
- Students per teacher
- 18.5:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 790
- Students per teacher
- 18.8:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 746
- Students per teacher
- 17.3:1
- Resource Index
- 25/100
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 (~380 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~19:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Potrero Heights Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Potrero Heights Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Montebello 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 Potrero Heights Elementary
How many students attend Potrero Heights Elementary?
Potrero Heights Elementary has 380 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in South San Gabriel, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Potrero Heights Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Potrero Heights Elementary is 19:1, which is 12% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 21% 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 Heights Elementary?
39.5% of students at Potrero Heights Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Potrero Heights Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Potrero Heights Elementary is Hispanic or Latino at 60.0% of enrollment, in South San Gabriel, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 52.3/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Potrero Heights Elementary?
Potrero Heights Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 46/100 (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).
Is Potrero Heights Elementary a good school?
Potrero Heights Elementary earns 46/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 73% of 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 Montebello Unified?
Besides Potrero Heights Elementary, Montebello Unified also operates Schurr High (2,121 students), Bell Gardens High (2,046 students), and Montebello High (1,907 students). See the Montebello 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.