Cortada Elementary

Cortada Elementary is a tight-knit elementary school in El Monte, California, part of El Monte City. The school caters to 322 students in grades K through 6. Compared to the state average of about 465 students per school, that is 31% below typical.

Within El Monte City, which oversees 15 schools and 6,913 students, Cortada Elementary is one campus in the system.

In terms of who attends, Cortada Elementary logs that nearly all students (84%) are Hispanic. Other groups include 15% Asian. That is considerably more Hispanic than the county at large, where the share is closer to 48%.

Looking at the economic backdrop, Cortada Elementary records 16 full-time-equivalent teachers, putting the student-to-teacher ratio at about 20.1:1. That figure is tighter than the state norm's 22.3:1 average. Roughly 93% of students at Cortada Elementary qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment. That share is north of Los Angeles County's rate of about 70%.

On a demographically-adjusted basis, Cortada Elementary is in the OUTPERFORMING tier of the BeatsExpectations model, which fits a per-state line through proficiency and FRL share. Schools with this campus's poverty mix typically land near 24.2%; this one delivers 41.0%, a residual of +16.8 points.

Across the wider county, ACS estimates for Los Angeles County put median household income runs about $90,112, roughly 36% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and the poverty rate sits near 10%. In all, Los Angeles County runs 2244 public schools (combined enrollment of about 1,265,907 students), of which Cortada Elementary is one.

The closest other public school is Potrero Elementary, roughly 0.4 miles away. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools. On composite proficiency, Cortada Elementary comes 3rd of 9 in the immediate cluster, ahead of the nearby-schools average of 36.8%.

Cortada Elementary operates from a commuter-belt location.

Looking at the recent track record. Over the past 7-year window, the student count ticked down 20%: 405 students in 2018 compared to 322 in 2025. Class-load math has tightened: from 23.8:1 in 2018 to 20.1:1 in 2025.

On the community side, the page collects discussion, questions, and updates around sports schedules, lunch menu changes, and school spirit week. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.