Buena Terra Elementary

Buena Terra Elementary, a middle-of-the-pack elementary school in Buena Park, California, overseen by Centralia Elementary, caters to 627 students, covering grades K through 6. That puts it 35% above the typical public school in California, which averages around 465 students.

Within Centralia Elementary, which oversees 8 schools and 3,990 students, Buena Terra Elementary is one campus in the system.

In terms of who attends, Buena Terra Elementary logs that the largest single group is Hispanic at 39%, but no single group is in the majority. Other groups include 34% Asian, 17% White, 8% multiracial, 2% Black.

In terms of school funding signals, Staff filings list 24 full-time-equivalent teachers, which works out to roughly 26.1:1 students per teacher. The state averages around 22.3:1, so this campus is higher than the state norm typical. Roughly 56% of students at Buena Terra Elementary qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, often used as a Title I proxy.

After controlling for student poverty, Buena Terra Elementary sits in the top 10% of California schools after the BeatsExpectations adjustment. Predicted proficiency for the school's FRL share is roughly 46.1%; actual is 75.7%, +29.6 points clear of the demographic baseline.

In the broader community, the surrounding county (Orange County) shows that the typical household earns roughly $116,289 per year, 44% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and roughly 7% of residents live below the federal poverty line. In all, Orange County runs 649 public schools (combined enrollment of about 430,458 students), of which Buena Terra Elementary is one.

Raymond Temple Elementary is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.4 miles from this campus. 8 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius. Among the 8 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), Buena Terra Elementary ranks 1st on composite proficiency, above the local average of 49.9%.

Geographically, the school is in a commuter-belt area.

Five-year trend. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Buena Terra Elementary has rose 13%, going from 556 students in 2018 to 627 in 2025. The Asian share of enrollment ticked up from 25% to 34% over that span. Class-load math has fell: from 29.3:1 in 2018 to 26.1:1 in 2025.

On allk12, recent activity here tends to focus on pickup logistics, teacher feedback, and after-school programs. Parents, students, alumni, and staff are welcome to weigh in.