Elementary school (grades K-5) · Long Beach, CA

Powell Academy for Success

Federal NCES profile for Powell Academy for Success, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 25/100.

2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 062250008025
0/100100/10025/100
👥 S:T ratio
17
🌟 Gifted program
70
🎓 Counselors
14
📋 Attendance
0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

Powell Academy for Success earns 25/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median.

#43 of 47
elementary schools in Long Beach · Resource Index
25
Resource Index · Lower
20.8:1
students per teacher
70.1%
free-lunch eligible

Powell Academy for Success has class sizes near the California median. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, Powell Academy for Success ranks #43 of 47 elementary schools in Long Beach, CA.

Enrollment

706

California · 2024-25 NCES data

Teachers (FTE)

34.0

Federal CCD staff survey

Students per teacher

20.8:1

vs 21.5:1 California avg

-3% vs state

Free-lunch eligible

70.1%

vs 55.5% California avg

+26% vs state

Student-teacher ratio in context

How Powell Academy for Success 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 Powell Academy for Success

Powell Academy for Success is a higher-need, mid-sized elementary school in Long Beach, California, enrolling 706 students.

At 20.8:1, 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.

Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 70.1% of students eligible for free meals.

Enrollment of 706 puts it in the larger third of California schools by headcount.

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

Against 1,870 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #822.

Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (65%) and African American (24%) (diversity index 52/100).

Counselor access is stretched at roughly 431 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.

Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 50.0% 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 Long Beach's elementary schools, it stands alongside Muir K-8 (1,029 students): Powell Academy for Success is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (20.8:1 vs 25.1:1).

Long Beach Unified also operates Polytechnic High (3,890 students) and Millikan High (3,408 students) alongside Powell Academy for Success.

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 Powell Academy for Success compares

Powell Academy for Success on the metrics families compare, against California and U.S. means.

Metric This school vs California California avg U.S. avg
Students per teacher 20.8:1 ▼ 3% 21.5:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 70.1% ▲ 26% 55.5% 51.7%
Enrollment 706 top 23% - -

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

20.8:1
Leaner classes than 13% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
706
Bigger than 81% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.

Equity indicators (what these measure)

Economic need
70.1%
free-lunch eligible - 26% 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
20.8:1
students per teacher - 3% below state mean
Top 42% in California - lower ratio than 58% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
50.0%
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
$16,028
per pupil, district-wide - below California avg of $16,509
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors1.6 FTE
Per 430 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
29
in-school suspensions + 78 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 4.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 15.2 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 64.6%
African American 24.1%
Asian 4.0%
Two or More 3.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 2.5%
White 1.6%

Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 64.6% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 52.1/100

Simpson diversity index - at 52.1, Powell Academy for Success is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.

Programs

Gifted & talented Yes

Funding & spending

District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Long Beach Unified, which includes Powell Academy for Success.

$16,028
Per student
-3%
vs California
Avg $16,509
-3%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 24.5%
State 60.1%
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 Powell Academy for Success Compares to District-Mates

School Enrollment Economic Profile Student-Teacher Ratio
Polytechnic High Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
Millikan High Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
Wilson High Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
Lakewood High Larger Lower economic need Lower S:T ratio
Jordan High Larger Similar economic need Similar S:T ratio

Comparisons are relative to Powell Academy for Success's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.

Other Schools in This District

Long Beach Unified · 5 sibling schools

View district profile

Similar elementary schools in Long Beach

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 Powell Academy for Success'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 Powell Academy for Success

How many students attend Powell Academy for Success?

Powell Academy for Success has 706 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Long Beach, CA.

What is the student-teacher ratio at Powell Academy for Success?

The student-teacher ratio at Powell Academy for Success is 20.8:1, which is 3% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 32% 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 Powell Academy for Success?

70.1% of students at Powell Academy for Success are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Powell Academy for Success?

The largest demographic group at Powell Academy for Success is Hispanic or Latino at 64.6% of enrollment, in Long Beach, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 52.1/100.

What is the Resource Investment Index for Powell Academy for Success?

Powell Academy for Success has a Resource Investment Index of 25/100 (lower 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 Powell Academy for Success rank among elementary schools in Long Beach?

By Resource Investment Index, Powell Academy for Success ranks #43 of 47 elementary schools in Long Beach, 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 Long Beach on the city page.

Is Powell Academy for Success a good school?

Powell Academy for Success earns 25/100 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 Long Beach Unified?

Besides Powell Academy for Success, Long Beach Unified also operates Polytechnic High (3,890 students), Millikan High (3,408 students), and Wilson High (3,349 students). See the Long Beach Unified 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.

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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.