Carmela Elementary

Carmela Elementary is an elementary-level community of low-enrollment scale in Whittier, California, operated by South Whittier Elementary, teacheing 317 students in grades K through 6. Compared to the state average of about 465 students per school, that is 32% smaller than typical.

Within South Whittier Elementary, which oversees 6 schools and 2,253 students, Carmela Elementary is one campus in the system.

For racial and ethnic makeup, Carmela Elementary records that 94% of students identify as Hispanic, making the school strongly Hispanic-majority. Beyond that, the school logs 4% White. By comparison, Los Angeles County as a whole is about 48% Hispanic, so the school skews noticeably more Hispanic than its surroundings.

In terms of school funding signals, The school reports having 15 full-time-equivalent teachers, for a student-teacher ratio near 21.1:1. That figure is tighter than the state norm's 22.3:1 average. Around 94% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, often used as a Title I proxy. Set against Los Angeles County (around 70%), the school's rate is north of typical.

On a demographically-adjusted basis, Carmela Elementary sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 23.5%; this one delivers 20.6%.

In the surrounding community, community-level numbers for Los Angeles County indicate median household income runs about $90,112, roughly 36% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and roughly 10% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Carmela Elementary is one of 2244 public schools in Los Angeles County (combined enrollment of about 1,265,907 students).

Loma Vista Elementary is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.5 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), Carmela Elementary ranks 8th on composite proficiency, below the local average of 35.9%.

Carmela Elementary operates from a residential location.

Looking at the recent track record. Over the past 7-year window, the student count declined 23%: 414 students in 2018 compared to 317 in 2025. The student-to-teacher ratio narrowed from 24.4:1 in 2018 to 21.1:1 today.

On allk12, members of the Carmela Elementary community share and discuss sports schedules, lunch menu changes, and school spirit week. Contributors range from current parents to recent graduates and teachers.