Thompson Elementary

Thompson Elementary, a rural-scale elementary campus in El Monte, California, run under El Monte City, serves 21 students, covering grades K through 8. That puts it 95% smaller than the typical public school in California, which averages around 465 students.

Across the 15 schools in El Monte City (6,913 students total), Thompson Elementary accounts for its share of the district's footprint.

Looking at the student body, Thompson Elementary reports that nearly all students (86%) are Hispanic. Beyond that, the school shows 14% Asian. By comparison, Los Angeles County as a whole is about 48% Hispanic, so the school skews meaningfully more Hispanic than its surroundings.

On the income-and-resources front, Thompson Elementary shows 3 full-time-equivalent teachers, putting the student-to-teacher ratio at about 7.0:1. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 22.3:1, putting Thompson Elementary tighter than the state norm the norm. About 86% of enrolled students meet the income threshold for free or reduced-price lunch, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment. By comparison, Los Angeles County runs at roughly 70%, so the school's eligibility rate is somewhat above the surrounding baseline.

In the surrounding community, ACS estimates for Los Angeles County put median household earnings sit near $90,112, 36% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 10%. Across Los Angeles County's 2244 public schools (combined enrollment of about 1,265,907 students), Thompson Elementary is one campus in the mix.

Durfee Elementary is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.0 miles from this campus. Counting just inside five miles, 8 other public schools cluster around Thompson Elementary.

The school occupies an outer-ring site.

Five-year trend. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Thompson Elementary has fell 32%, going from 31 students in 2018 to 21 in 2025. Over the same period, the Hispanic share rose from 71% to 86%. The student-to-teacher ratio narrowed from 10.3:1 in 2018 to 7.0:1 today.

On the community side, members of the Thompson Elementary community share and discuss science fair prep, picture-day reminders, and bus-route questions. Posting is open to anyone connected to the school.