Smiley Elementary

Smiley Elementary, a mid-tier K-5 school in Redlands, California, one of the schools within Redlands Unified, works with 634 students, covering grades K through 5. By comparison, California's public schools average about 465 students each, so Smiley Elementary sits 36% larger than that benchmark.

Redlands Unified runs 25 schools in total, collectively educating 19,105 students. Smiley Elementary is one of those campuses.

Looking at the student body, Smiley Elementary reports that the largest single group is Hispanic, at 55% of enrollment. Beyond that, the school records 20% White, 9% Asian, 8% Black, 6% multiracial. That composition is broadly in line with San Bernardino County as a whole.

Looking at school resources, On paper, Smiley Elementary has 25 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 25.4:1. That figure is higher than the state norm's 22.3:1 average. Around 57% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, often used as a Title I proxy. By comparison, San Bernardino County runs at roughly 74%, so the school's eligibility rate is somewhat below the surrounding baseline.

Adjusting for the school's free-and-reduced-lunch share, Smiley Elementary sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 45.7%; this one delivers 53.0%.

In the area at large, ACS estimates for San Bernardino County put the typical household earns roughly $85,478 per year, roughly 23% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and roughly 11% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Across San Bernardino County's 583 public schools (combined enrollment of about 393,648 students), Smiley Elementary is one campus in the mix.

Cope Middle is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.3 miles from this campus. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts Smiley Elementary at 3rd of 6; the average score across the group is 48.9%.

Geographically, the school is in a downtown area.

Over the past 7-year window. Over the past 7-year window, the student count rose 3%: 614 students in 2018 compared to 634 in 2025. White enrollment moved from 34% to 20% across the same window.

On this page, members of the Smiley Elementary community share and discuss fundraisers, lost-and-found posts, and report-card season. Contributors range from current parents to recent graduates and teachers.