Enrollment
1,125
California · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · South El Monte, CA
South El Monte High
Federal NCES profile for South El Monte High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 38/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 061212000439
👥 S:T ratio 28
📚 AP courses 65
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 44
📋 Attendance 25
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
South El Monte High earns 38/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 78% of California schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most California schools.
- #1 of 3
- public schools in South El Monte · Resource Index
- 38
- Resource Index · Typical
- 18.1:1
- small classes for California
- 58.8%
- free-lunch eligible
South El Monte High has class sizes smaller than 78% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, South El Monte High ranks #1 of 3 public schools in South El Monte, CA.
School address
District: El Monte Union High · California
NCES ID 061212000439 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
62.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18.1:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-16% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
58.8%
vs 55.5% California avg
+6% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How South El Monte High compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at South El Monte High
South El Monte High is a higher-need, large high school in South El Monte, California, enrolling 1,125 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 18.1:1 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 58.8% lands close to the California typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in California, bigger than 91% of state schools at 1,125 students.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 9,998 scored California schools.
Against 667 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #196.
Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (94% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 11/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 13 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 281 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 30.2% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
El Monte Union High also operates Rosemead High (1,691 students) and Arroyo High (1,638 students) alongside South El Monte High.
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 South El Monte High compares
South El Monte High on the metrics families compare, against California and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs California | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 18.1:1 | ▼ 16% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 58.8% | ▲ 6% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 1,125 | top 9% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
18.1:1
Leaner classes than 24% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
1,125
Bigger than 93% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
58.8%
free-lunch eligible
- 6% 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
18.1:1
students per teacher
- 16% below state mean
Top 22% in California - lower ratio than 78% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
30.2%
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
$18,953
per pupil, district-wide
- above California avg of $16,509
Somewhat above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors4.0 FTE
Per 281 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 30 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 94.3%
Asian 4.7%
White 0.5%
African American 0.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Two or More 0.1%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 94.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 10.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 10.9, South El Monte High is less mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
AP courses offered 13
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for El Monte Union High, which includes South El Monte High.
$18,953
Per student
+15%
vs California
Avg $16,509
+14%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 27.5%
State 60.9%
Federal 11.5%
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 South El Monte High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rosemead High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Arroyo High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| El Monte High | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Mountain View High | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Fernando R. Ledesma Continuation High | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to South El Monte High's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,691
- Students per teacher
- 21.4:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 1,638
- Students per teacher
- 20.5:1
- Resource Index
- 27/100
- Enrollment
- 1,383
- Students per teacher
- 18.2:1
- Resource Index
- 29/100
- Enrollment
- 1,123
- Students per teacher
- 17.3:1
- Resource Index
- 26/100
- Enrollment
- 293
- Students per teacher
- 16.3:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
Similar high 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 (~1,125 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~18.1:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on South El Monte High's federal record.
- Compare South El Monte High against another school. Compare schools
- El Monte Union High'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 South El Monte High
How many students attend South El Monte High?
South El Monte High has 1,125 students enrolled. It is a high school in South El Monte, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at South El Monte High?
The student-teacher ratio at South El Monte High is 18.1:1, which is 16% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 15% 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 South El Monte High?
58.8% of students at South El Monte High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of South El Monte High?
The largest demographic group at South El Monte High is Hispanic or Latino at 94.3% of enrollment, in South El Monte, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for South El Monte High?
South El Monte High has a Resource Investment Index of 38/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does South El Monte High rank among public schools in South El Monte?
By Resource Investment Index, South El Monte High ranks #1 of 3 public schools in South El Monte, CA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in South El Monte on the city page.
Is South El Monte High a good school?
South El Monte High earns 38/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 78% of California schools. 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 Union High?
Besides South El Monte High, El Monte Union High also operates Rosemead High (1,691 students), Arroyo High (1,638 students), and El Monte High (1,383 students). See the El Monte Union High 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.