Enrollment
490
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Lakewood, CA
Riley Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Riley Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 40/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 062250002754
👥 S:T ratio 0
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 60
📋 Attendance 32
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Riley Elementary earns 40/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 90% of California schools.
- #2 of 14
- elementary schools in Lakewood · Resource Index
- 40
- Resource Index · Typical
- 27.2:1
- large classes for California
- 50.7%
- free-lunch eligible
Riley Elementary has class sizes larger than 90% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Riley Elementary ranks #2 of 14 elementary schools in Lakewood, CA.
School address
District: Long Beach Unified · California
NCES ID 062250002754 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
18.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
27.2:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
+27% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
50.7%
vs 55.5% California avg
-9% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Riley Elementary compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Riley Elementary
Riley Elementary is a higher-need, mid-sized elementary school in Lakewood, California, enrolling 490 students.
Class loads run heavy: 27.2:1 is larger than about 90% of California schools and 27% above the 21.5:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 50.7% lands close to the California typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
With 490 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.
Against 1,505 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #162.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (64%) and African American (14%) (diversity index 56/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 203 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 27.3% 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 Lakewood's elementary schools, it stands alongside Intensive Learning Center (646 students): Riley Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (27.2:1 vs 22.3:1).
Long Beach Unified also operates Polytechnic High (3,890 students) and Millikan High (3,408 students) alongside Riley 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 Riley Elementary compares
Riley 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 | 27.2:1 | ▲ 27% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 50.7% | ▼ 9% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 490 | top 47% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
27.2:1
Leaner classes than 3% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
490
Bigger than 60% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
50.7%
free-lunch eligible
- 9% 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
27.2:1
students per teacher
- 27% above state mean
Top 90% in California - lower ratio than 10% of state schools
Well above 20:1, one of the more stretched staffing loads nationally relative to enrollment.
Engagement
27.3%
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
Counselors2.4 FTE
Per 202 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 1 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.2 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 63.9%
African American 13.7%
Asian 9.0%
Two or More 6.3%
White 5.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 1.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 63.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 55.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 55.8, Riley Elementary 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 Riley Elementary.
$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 Riley Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polytechnic High | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Millikan High | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Wilson High | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Lakewood High | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Jordan High | Larger | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Riley Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 3,890
- Students per teacher
- 23.3:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
- Enrollment
- 3,408
- Students per teacher
- 24.7:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
- Enrollment
- 3,349
- Students per teacher
- 22.6:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 2,305
- Students per teacher
- 18.6:1
- Resource Index
- 53/100
- Enrollment
- 2,272
- Students per teacher
- 21.8:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
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
Craig Williams Elementary
Standard public school
478 students 26.6:1 students per teacher
Palms Elementary
Standard public school
463 students 21:1 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 (~490 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~27.2:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Riley Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Riley Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Long Beach 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 Riley Elementary
How many students attend Riley Elementary?
Riley Elementary has 490 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Lakewood, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Riley Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Riley Elementary is 27.2:1, which is 27% higher than the California average of 21.5:1 and 73% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Riley Elementary?
50.7% of students at Riley Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Riley Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Riley Elementary is Hispanic or Latino at 63.9% of enrollment, in Lakewood, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 55.8/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Riley Elementary?
Riley Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 40/100 (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 Riley Elementary rank among elementary schools in Lakewood?
By Resource Investment Index, Riley Elementary ranks #2 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 Riley Elementary a good school?
Riley Elementary earns 40/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 90% 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 Long Beach Unified?
Besides Riley Elementary, 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.
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.