Richard L. Graves Middle

Set in Whittier, California, Richard L. Graves Middle is an intimate intermediate school, run under South Whittier Elementary. It educates 484 students across grades 6 through 8. That puts it 27% leaner than the typical public school in California, which averages around 659 students.

South Whittier Elementary runs 6 schools in total, collectively educating 2,253 students. Richard L. Graves Middle is one of those campuses.

On demographics, Richard L. Graves Middle logs that nearly all students (95%) are Hispanic. The remainder reads as 2% Asian. That is considerably more Hispanic than the county at large, where the share is closer to 48%.

Looking at school resources, Richard L. Graves Middle lists 25 full-time-equivalent teachers, putting the student-to-teacher ratio at about 19.6:1. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 20.7:1, putting Richard L. Graves Middle tighter than the state norm the norm. About 92% of enrolled students meet the income threshold for free or reduced-price lunch, which schools and policymakers use as a rough income-mix signal. That share is above Los Angeles County's rate of about 70%.

On a demographically-adjusted basis, Richard L. Graves Middle tracks the demographic baseline. The model predicts 24.5% given the school's FRL share; actual proficiency is 27.7%.

In the area at large, Los Angeles County reports that median household earnings sit near $90,112, roughly 36% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 10%. In all, Los Angeles County runs 2244 public schools (combined enrollment of about 1,265,907 students), of which Richard L. Graves Middle is one.

Lake Marie Elementary is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.2 miles from this campus. 8 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius. Among the 7 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), Richard L. Graves Middle ranks 5th on composite proficiency, below the local average of 34.8%.

Richard L. Graves Middle operates from an outer-ring location.

Five-year trend. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Richard L. Graves Middle has declined 25%, going from 645 students in 2018 to 484 in 2025. The student-to-teacher ratio tightened from 21.6:1 in 2018 to 19.6:1 today.

Within the allk12 community for this school, posts here usually surface around pickup logistics, teacher feedback, and after-school programs. Parents, students, alumni, and staff are welcome to weigh in.