Is Carmela Elementary a good school?

Carmela Elementary ranks in the bottom 14.1% of California elementary schools.

How many students attend Carmela Elementary?

In the 2023-24 school year, 337 students attended Carmela Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Carmela Elementary?

Students at Carmela Elementary are 95% Hispanic, 3% White.

What schools do graduates of Carmela Elementary attend?

Students who attend Carmela Elementary usually go on to attend: Middle : Richard L. Graves Middle

Carmela Elementary

Summary:

Carmela Elementary is a public elementary school located in Whittier, California, serving 347 students in grades K-6. The school is part of the South Whittier Elementary School District, which is ranked 1156 out of 1568 districts in the state and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Carmela Elementary faces significant challenges, including a sharp increase in chronic absenteeism rates, from 8.2% in 2018-2019 to 40.1% in 2022-2023, which is much higher than the state average and surrounding schools in the district. Academically, the school consistently performs below state and district averages in Smarter Balanced Assessments for English Language Arts and Mathematics, with proficiency rates ranging from 16.98% to 30% in ELA and 2.78% to 32.5% in Math, compared to state averages of 42.8% to 47.04% in ELA and 34.31% to 45.64% in Math. The school's performance in CAST Science assessments is also significantly lower than the state and district averages. Carmela Elementary's student subgroups, such as female students, male students, Hispanic students, English Language Learners, and students from low socioeconomic backgrounds, consistently perform below their peers at the state level across multiple academic measures.

Interestingly, the nearby Loma Vista Elementary and Howard J. McKibben Elementary schools within the South Whittier Elementary School District generally perform better than Carmela Elementary across academic measures, but they also have high rates of free and reduced-price lunch recipients, ranging from 84.71% to 91.79%, suggesting that the socioeconomic challenges faced by Carmela Elementary are not unique to the school. Addressing the high chronic absenteeism rates and providing targeted interventions and support to address the specific needs of Carmela Elementary's student population could be crucial in helping the school improve its overall academic performance.

Detail:

Public K-6

13300 Lakeland Rd.
Whittier, CA 90605-3241

(562) 941-2132

District: South Whittier Elementary

SchoolDigger Rank:
5037^th of 5,862 California Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $5,999

Students who attend Carmela Elementary usually attend:

Middle:

Richard L. Graves Middle

Student/teacher ratio: 20.5

Number of students: 337

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

95.0%

White:

3.3%

Asian:

0.9%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 95.3%

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Compare Carmela Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Carmela Elementary ranks worse than 85.9% of elementary schools in California. It also ranks last among 5 ranked elementary schools in the South Whittier Elementary School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 17.86. (See more...)

Chronic absenteeism in a school refers to a situation where students repeatedly miss school, with the threshold often defined as missing 10% or more of school days for any reason, excused or unexcused.

Student Body

Compare Details Racial makeup is: Hispanic (95%), White (3.3%), Asian (0.9%). (See more...)

Compare Details 95.3% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. This is the highest percentage in the South Whittier Elementary School District. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Carmela Elementary is 20.5, which is the lowest among 5 elementary schools in the South Whittier Elementary School District! (See more...)

Compare Carmela Elementary employs 16.4 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Carmela Elementary is $5,999. 2 elementary schools in the South Whittier Elementary School District spend more per student.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Carmela Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Carmela Elementary 5037^th of 5862 California public elementary schools. (See Carmela Elementary in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

English Language Learner students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Male students:

Hispanic students:

South Whittier Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks South Whittier Elementary 1156^th of 1568 California school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for Carmela Elementary

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Rank History for all students at Carmela Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2004	22.68	3730^th	4809	22.4%
2005	27.15	3470^th	4822	28.0%
2006	26.01	3584^th	4818	25.6%
2007	23.30	4049^th	5113	20.8%
2008	22.54	4157^th	5113	18.7%
2009	30.50	3673^rd	5193	29.3%
2010	30.07	3843^rd	5314	27.7%
2011	20.70	4626^th	5377	14.0%
2012	8.92	5231^st	5390	2.9%
2013	15.69	5006^th	5530	9.5%
2015	11.75	5364^th	5611	4.4%
2016	11.64	5329^th	5614	5.1%
2017	16.80	4967^th	5692	12.7%
2018	20.66	4630^th	5662	18.2%
2019	15.40	5213^th	5789	9.9%
2022	23.11	4536^th	5883	22.9%
2023	17.06	5148^th	5874	12.4%
2024	17.86	5037^th	5862	14.1%

See the entire list of California Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Carmela Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	36.13	1994^th	3246	38.6%
2019	32.89	2283^rd	3275	30.3%
2022	41.53	1703^rd	3311	48.6%
2023	24.42	2921^st	3250	10.1%
2024	22.04	2994^th	3160	5.3%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for English Language Learner Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Carmela Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	29.27	3828^th	5084	24.7%
2019	21.79	4442^nd	5173	14.1%
2022	35.76	3352^nd	5264	36.3%
2023	23.26	4440^th	5374	17.4%
2024	22.70	4558^th	5511	17.3%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Carmela Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	25.38	4141^st	5413	23.5%
2019	13.44	5123^rd	5492	6.7%
2022	27.72	3960^th	5635	29.7%
2023	23.79	4355^th	5617	22.5%
2024	21.10	4594^th	5605	18.0%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Male students at Carmela Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	17.19	4811^th	5431	11.4%
2019	18.97	4753^rd	5510	13.7%
2022	20.67	4646^th	5663	18.0%
2023	12.44	5347^th	5650	5.4%
2024	16.17	5060^th	5636	10.2%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at Carmela Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	28.78	3642^nd	4830	24.6%
2019	20.88	4312^th	4963	13.1%
2022	30.83	3639^th	5084	28.4%
2023	22.89	4276^th	5098	16.1%
2024	25.31	4083^rd	5102	20.0%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Hispanic Students!

Data source: test scores: California Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Data source: California Department of Education

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Enrollment information for Carmela Elementary

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1998	11	0	0	692	0	n/a	n/a	0	703
1999	40	7	4	787	2	n/a	n/a	0	840
2000	26	10	4	945	2	n/a	n/a	0	987
2001	24	17	2	997	1	n/a	n/a	1	1042
2002	20	9	3	890	0	n/a	n/a	0	922
2003	20	9	3	890	0	n/a	n/a	0	922
2004	10	10	3	799	1	n/a	n/a	0	823
2005	12	7	2	739	0	n/a	n/a	0	760
2006	12	5	0	654	0	n/a	n/a	0	671
2007	9	3	1	604	0	n/a	n/a	2	619
2008	8	4	2	614	n/a	n/a	n/a	0	628
2009	7	5	3	585	0	2	1	0	603
2010	17	6	2	538	0	3	0	0	566
2011	21	0	3	539	0	3	0	0	566
2012	25	0	2	544	0	6	0	0	577
2013	16	0	1	515	0	3	0	0	535
2014	14	3	1	490	0	2	0	0	510
2015	7	2	1	478	0	2	0	0	490
2016	6	3	0	442	0	3	0	0	454
2017	6	3	0	431	0	0	0	0	440
2018	7	2	2	403	0	0	0	0	414
2019	4	1	1	383	0	0	0	0	389
2020	5	2	3	363	0	0	0	0	373
2021	6	2	3	335	0	0	1	0	347
2022	8	2	3	315	0	0	1	0	329
2023	8	1	3	335	0	0	0	0	347
2024	11	2	3	320	0	0	1	0	337

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Carmela Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1998	703	35.0	20.1	94.9
1999	840	41.0	20.5	95
2000	987	44.0	22.4	99.7
2001	1042	47.0	22.2	86.1
2002	922	42.0	22.0	74.6
2003	922	42.0	22.0	74.6
2004	823	36.0	22.9	91.7
2005	760	33.0	23.0	93.4
2006	671	30.0	22.4	86.9
2007	619	28.0	22.1	92.1
2008	628	28.5	22.0	78.2
2009	603	28.0	19.5	85.4
2010	566	25.0	22.6	93.8
2011	566	n/a	n/a	84.3
2012	577	18.0	32.0	n/a
2013	535	18.0	29.7	88.8
2014	510	18.0	28.3	86.1
2015	490	17.0	28.8	93.1
2016	454	19.0	23.8	93.8
2017	440	20.0	22.0	91.4
2018	414	17.0	24.3	93.2
2019	389	15.3	25.3	93.3
2020	373	n/a	n/a	91.2
2021	347	15.0	23.1	88.8
2022	329	15.5	21.1	86.9
2023	347	16.0	21.6	89
2024	337	16.4	20.5	95.3

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Carmela Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1998	703	35.0	20.1	94.9
1999	840	41.0	20.5	95
2000	987	44.0	22.4	99.7
2001	1042	47.0	22.2	86.1
2002	922	42.0	22.0	74.6
2003	922	42.0	22.0	74.6
2004	823	36.0	22.9	91.7
2005	760	33.0	23.0	93.4
2006	671	30.0	22.4	86.9
2007	619	28.0	22.1	92.1
2008	628	28.5	22.0	78.2
2009	603	28.0	19.5	85.4
2010	566	25.0	22.6	93.8
2011	566	n/a	n/a	84.3
2012	577	18.0	32.0	n/a
2013	535	18.0	29.7	88.8
2014	510	18.0	28.3	86.1
2015	490	17.0	28.8	93.1
2016	454	19.0	23.8	93.8
2017	440	20.0	22.0	91.4
2018	414	17.0	24.3	93.2
2019	389	15.3	25.3	93.3
2020	373	n/a	n/a	91.2
2021	347	15.0	23.1	88.8
2022	329	15.5	21.1	86.9
2023	347	16.0	21.6	89
2024	337	16.4	20.5	95.3

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.

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