Charleston Elementary

Charleston Elementary operates as a close-knit elementary-level community in Los Banos, California, overseen by Los Banos Unified. Current enrollment sits at 374 students spanning grades K through 6.

Within Los Banos Unified, which oversees 16 schools and 11,020 students, Charleston Elementary is one campus in the system.

Looking at the student body, Charleston Elementary logs that 70% of the student body identifies as Hispanic. Other groups include 25% White, 3% Asian.

Looking at the economic backdrop, Staff filings list 14 full-time-equivalent teachers, which works out to roughly 26.7:1 students per teacher. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 22.3:1, putting Charleston Elementary higher than the state norm the norm. An estimated 74% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, often used as a Title I proxy.

Adjusting for the school's free-and-reduced-lunch share, Charleston Elementary sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 35.7%; this one delivers 42.6%.

Around the school, community-level numbers for Merced County indicate median household earnings sit near $65,510, roughly 15% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and roughly 16% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Charleston Elementary is one of 117 public schools in Merced County (combined enrollment of about 59,456 students).

The closest other public school is Mercey Springs Elementary, roughly 4.5 miles away. Counting just inside five miles, 2 other public schools cluster around Charleston Elementary. Among the 8 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), Charleston Elementary ranks 1st on composite proficiency, above the local average of 24.9%.

Charleston Elementary operates from a low-density location.

Looking at the recent track record. Over the past 7-year window, the student count shrank 7%: 402 students in 2018 compared to 374 in 2025. Hispanic enrollment moved from 61% to 70% across the same window. The student-to-teacher ratio pulled in from 28.7:1 in 2018 to 26.7:1 today.

On the community side, the feed for Charleston Elementary typically covers enrollment questions, classroom assignments, and PTA news. Parents, students, alumni, and staff are welcome to weigh in.