Lorena Falasco Elementary

Lorena Falasco Elementary, a mid-tier K-5 school in Los Banos, California, run under Los Banos Unified, enrolls 669 students, covering grades K through 6. By comparison, California's public schools average about 465 students each, so Lorena Falasco Elementary sits 44% bigger than that benchmark.

Lorena Falasco Elementary is one of 16 schools operated by Los Banos Unified, a district that caters to 11,020 students overall.

On the student-mix side, Lorena Falasco Elementary reports that 92% of students identify as Hispanic, making the school strongly Hispanic-majority. The remainder is composed of 4% White. That is visibly more Hispanic than the county at large, where the share is closer to 63%.

Looking at school resources, The school currently runs with 26 full-time-equivalent teachers, for a student-teacher ratio near 25.7:1. That figure is higher than the state norm's 22.3:1 average. Roughly 77% of students at Lorena Falasco Elementary qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, often used as a Title I proxy.

After controlling for student poverty, Lorena Falasco Elementary tracks the demographic baseline. The model predicts 33.6% given the school's FRL share; actual proficiency is 25.1%.

Around the school, community-level numbers for Merced County indicate median household income runs about $65,510, roughly 15% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and the poverty rate sits near 16%. Across Merced County's 117 public schools (combined enrollment of about 59,456 students), Lorena Falasco Elementary is one campus in the mix.

The closest other public school is San Luis High (Continuation), roughly 0.7 miles away. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools. Among the 6 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), Lorena Falasco Elementary ranks 3rd on composite proficiency, beneath the local average of 27.9%.

Geographically, the school is in a town-based area.

Looking at the recent track record. Over the past 7-year window, the student count shrank 23%: 873 students in 2018 compared to 669 in 2025. Class-load math has tightened: from 29.1:1 in 2018 to 25.7:1 in 2025.

On the community side, recent activity here tends to focus on science fair prep, picture-day reminders, and bus-route questions. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.