Ocotillo Elementary

Ocotillo Elementary is an elementary-level community of average-sized scale in Palmdale, California, overseen by Palmdale Elementary, teacheing 588 students in grades K through 5. That puts it 26% bigger than the typical public school in California, which averages around 465 students.

Ocotillo Elementary is one of 29 schools operated by Palmdale Elementary, a district that works with 17,941 students overall.

Looking at the student body, Ocotillo Elementary records that Hispanic students make up the majority at 71%. Beyond that, the school logs 17% Black, 6% White, 3% multiracial. The wider county runs roughly 48% Hispanic, putting the school's mix visibly more Hispanic than the area baseline.

Looking at school resources, On paper, Ocotillo Elementary has 22 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 26.9:1. The state averages around 22.3:1, so this campus is higher than the state norm typical. Around 79% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, which schools and policymakers use as a rough income-mix signal. That share is higher than Los Angeles County's rate of about 70%.

With demographic context factored in, Ocotillo Elementary sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 32.4%; this one delivers 30.9%.

In the surrounding community, community-level numbers for Los Angeles County indicate median household earnings sit near $90,112, about 36% of the adult population holds a bachelor's degree or above, and roughly 10% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Across Los Angeles County's 2244 public schools (combined enrollment of about 1,265,907 students), Ocotillo Elementary is one campus in the mix.

Nearest neighbor: Dos Caminos Dual Immersion, around 0.6 miles off. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts Ocotillo Elementary at 3rd of 7; the average score across the group is 27.3%.

Geographically, the school is in an outer-ring area.

Five-year trend. Ocotillo Elementary's enrollment has declined 21% since 2018, when it stood at 744 (now 588). Over the same period, the White share contracted from 11% to 6%.

In the discussion threads here, members of the Ocotillo Elementary community share and discuss science fair prep, picture-day reminders, and bus-route questions. Contributors range from current parents to recent graduates and teachers.