Enrollment
816
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Hemet, CA
Whittier Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Whittier Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 10/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 061692002158
👥 S:T ratio 12
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Whittier Elementary earns 10/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median.
- #3 of 13
- elementary schools in Hemet · Resource Index
- 10
- Resource Index · Lower
- 22.1:1
- students per teacher
- 84.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Whittier Elementary has class sizes near the California median. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Whittier Elementary ranks #3 of 13 elementary schools in Hemet, CA.
School address
District: Hemet Unified · California
NCES ID 061692002158 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
37.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
22.1:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
+3% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
84.0%
vs 55.5% California avg
+51% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Whittier Elementary compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Whittier Elementary
Whittier Elementary is a high-poverty, mid-sized elementary school in Hemet, California, enrolling 816 students.
At 22.1:1, 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 is high: 84.0% of students qualify for free meals, 51% above the California average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
Enrollment of 816 puts it in the larger third of California schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 98% of the 9,998 California schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.
Among 1,318 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need California schools statewide, it ranks #1,207, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (71%) and African American (12%) (diversity index 47/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 816 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 64.2% 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 Hemet's elementary schools, it stands alongside Bautista Creek Elementary (959 students): Whittier Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (22.1:1 vs 22.8:1).
Hemet Unified also operates Hemet High (2,414 students) and West Valley High (1,857 students) alongside Whittier 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 Whittier Elementary compares
Whittier 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 | 22.1:1 | ▲ 3% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 84.0% | ▲ 51% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 816 | top 17% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
22.1:1
Leaner classes than 10% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
816
Bigger than 86% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
84.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 51% above the California average of 55.5%
Well above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold, among the highest-need profiles in the state; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
22.1:1
students per teacher
- 3% above state mean
Top 54% in California - lower ratio than 46% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
64.2%
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
$15,767
per pupil, district-wide
- below California avg of $16,509
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 816 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
4
in-school suspensions + 38 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 5.1 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 71.1%
African American 12.0%
White 9.7%
Two or More 5.3%
Asian 1.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 71.1% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 46.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 46.8, Whittier Elementary is about as mixed as the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Hemet Unified, which includes Whittier Elementary.
$15,767
Per student
-4%
vs California
Avg $16,509
-5%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 24.5%
State 60.2%
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 Whittier Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hemet High | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| West Valley High | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Tahquitz High | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Diamond Valley Middle | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Dartmouth Middle | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Whittier Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,414
- Students per teacher
- 23.2:1
- Resource Index
- 19/100
- Enrollment
- 1,857
- Students per teacher
- 22.6:1
- Resource Index
- 16/100
- Enrollment
- 1,761
- Students per teacher
- 22:1
- Resource Index
- 18/100
- Enrollment
- 1,123
- Students per teacher
- 23.9:1
- Resource Index
- 9/100
- Enrollment
- 1,113
- Students per teacher
- 26.5:1
- Resource Index
- 7/100
Similar elementary schools in Hemet
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Bautista Creek Elementary
Standard public school
959 students 22.8:1 students per teacher
Harmony Elementary
Standard public school
826 students 30.6:1 students per teacher
Cawston Elementary
Standard public school
796 students 23.4:1 students per teacher
Hemet Elementary
Standard public school
783 students 30.1:1 students per teacher
Mcsweeny Elementary
Standard public school
781 students 26.9:1 students per teacher
Fruitvale Elementary
Standard public school
778 students 25.1:1 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 (~816 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~22.1:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Whittier Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Whittier Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Hemet 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 Whittier Elementary
How many students attend Whittier Elementary?
Whittier Elementary has 816 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Hemet, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Whittier Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Whittier Elementary is 22.1:1, which is 3% higher than the California average of 21.5:1 and 41% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Whittier Elementary?
84.0% of students at Whittier Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Whittier Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Whittier Elementary is Hispanic or Latino at 71.1% of enrollment, in Hemet, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Whittier Elementary?
Whittier Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 10/100 (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 Whittier Elementary rank among elementary schools in Hemet?
By Resource Investment Index, Whittier Elementary ranks #3 of 13 elementary schools in Hemet, 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 Hemet on the city page.
Is Whittier Elementary a good school?
Whittier Elementary earns 10/100 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 Hemet Unified?
Besides Whittier Elementary, Hemet Unified also operates Hemet High (2,414 students), West Valley High (1,857 students), and Tahquitz High (1,761 students). See the Hemet 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.