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Carmela Elementary

Public Grades K-6

5016^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,857 California Elementary Schools

Better than 14% of California elementary schools

Summary

Carmela Elementary is a K-6 public school serving 317 students in the South Whittier Elementary district, a high-need community where nearly all students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.

Academically, the school faces significant challenges, ranking in the bottom quartile of California elementary schools and underperforming compared to nearby schools across all subjects. For example, in English Language Arts, 27.27% of Carmela students are proficient, compared to 39.11% at Loma Vista Elementary in the same district and 53.3% at La Colima Elementary in a neighboring district. This gap is especially pronounced in upper-grade math, where proficiency drops below 9%. There is also a notable and concerning decline in performance among English Language Learners.

Despite these academic struggles, Carmela has a remarkable success story in dramatically improving student attendance, reducing chronic absenteeism from over 40% to 11.2% in just two years—a rate now better than the district average and many comparable schools. This demonstrates the school's capacity for positive change. Interestingly, Carmela receives more funding per student than nearby schools like Loma Vista, yet its academic outcomes are lower, highlighting a complex situation where the school's effective strategies in one area have not yet translated to broader academic improvement.

317

Students ?

21.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$25,414

Per pupil spending ?

94%

Free/discounted lunch ?

13300 Lakeland Rd.
Whittier, CA 90605-3241

(562) 941-2132

District: South Whittier Elementary

Students who attend Carmela Elementary usually attend:

Middle:

Richard L. Graves Middle

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

93.7%

White:

4.1%

African American:

0.9%

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Compare Carmela Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Recently slipping — 23rd percentile in 2022 → 14th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (21% vs 41% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (14th percentile)

!Ranking has slipped from its 23rd-percentile peak (2022) to 14th (2025)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school21%

District avg28%

California avg41%

5,016^th of 5,857

California public elementary schools ?

Bottom 14%▲ up 10 pts since 2015

From bottom 4% (2015) to bottom 14% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

5^th of 5Elementary Schools in the South Whittier Elementary

1081^st of 1,543South Whittier Elementary among California districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	17.9	5016 of 5857	14.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	17.9	5044 of 5869	14.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	17.1	5135 of 5859	12.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	23.1	4536 of 5883	22.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	15.4	5213 of 5789	9.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	20.7	4630 of 5662	18.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	16.8	4967 of 5692	12.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	11.6	5329 of 5614	5.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	11.8	5364 of 5611	4.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	15.7	5006 of 5530	9.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	8.9	5231 of 5390	2.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	20.7	4626 of 5377	14.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	30.1	3843 of 5314	27.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	30.5	3673 of 5193	29.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	22.5	4157 of 5113	18.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	23.3	4049 of 5113	20.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	26.0	3584 of 4818	25.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	27.1	3470 of 4822	28.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2004	22.7	3730 of 4809	22.4%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	22.0	2996 of 3162	5.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	24.4	2917 of 3245	10.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	41.5	1703 of 3311	48.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	32.9	2283 of 3275	30.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	36.1	1994 of 3246	38.6%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	21.3	4583 of 5597	18.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	21.1	4601 of 5612	18.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	23.8	4349 of 5609	22.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	27.7	3960 of 5635	29.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	13.4	5123 of 5492	6.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	25.4	4141 of 5413	23.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	22.4	4280 of 5107	16.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	25.3	4088 of 5107	20.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	22.9	4267 of 5087	16.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	30.8	3639 of 5084	28.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	20.9	4312 of 4963	13.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	28.8	3642 of 4830	24.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	24.6	4395 of 5460	19.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	22.7	4563 of 5517	17.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	23.3	4432 of 5363	17.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	35.8	3352 of 5264	36.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	21.8	4442 of 5173	14.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	29.3	3828 of 5084	24.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	16.9	4969 of 5628	11.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	16.2	5067 of 5643	10.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	12.4	5336 of 5638	5.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	20.7	4646 of 5663	18.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	19.0	4753 of 5510	13.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	17.2	4811 of 5431	11.4%	★☆☆☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)20th percentile+5 vs school

Female (2025)18th percentile+4 vs school

Hispanic (2025)16th percentile~ school

Male (2025)12th percentile-3 vs school

English Language Learner (2024)5th percentile-9 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy27%-22 vs state

Mathematics17%-20 vs state

Science16%-17 vs state

★

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Schools Near Carmela Elementary

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Immunizations Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				CAST Science (2025)		Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy (2025)					Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics (2025)					% Completely Immunized (2022)	% Polio (2022)	% Hepatitis B (2022)	% Varicella (2022)	% DTP (2022)	% MMR (2022)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	CAST Science 5th Grade	CAST Science All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 3rd Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 4th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 5th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 6th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 3rd Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 4th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 5th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 6th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics All Grades	% Completely Immunized KG	% Polio KG	% Hepatitis B KG	% Varicella KG	% DTP KG	% MMR KG	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Carmela Elementary	Public	K-6	13300 Lakeland Rd.	Whittier	90605	Los Angeles County	South Whittier Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(562) 941-2132	317	15	21.1	94.0%	13 (4.1%)	3 (0.9%)	297 (93.7%)	3 (0.9%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	17.9	5016^th of 5857 public elementary schools	14.4%		17.9	5044^th of 5869 public elementary schools	14.1%	28	15.9	15.9	18.0	36.0	34.9	18.2	27.3	24.0	21.6	9.3	8.8	16.9							$25,414	$24,170	$1,244
Loma Vista Elementary	Public	K-6	13463 East Meyer Rd.	Whittier	90605	Los Angeles County	South Whittier Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(562) 941-4712	379	16	23.6	92.3%	9 (2.4%)	4 (1.1%)	362 (95.5%)	3 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	38.8	3297^th of 5857 public elementary schools	43.7%		37.2	3350^th of 5869 public elementary schools	42.9%	53	15.0	15.0	42.9	30.4	45.0	36.2	39.1	51.0	41.3	28.3	25.5	36.1							$20,814	$19,732	$1,082
Howard J. McKibben Elementary	Public	K-6	10550 Mills Ave.	Whittier	90604	Los Angeles County	South Whittier Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(562) 944-9878	430	18	23.8	86.3%	15 (3.5%)	2 (0.5%)	401 (93.3%)	8 (1.9%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.5%)	38.1	3337^th of 5857 public elementary schools	43.0%		41.2	3116^th of 5869 public elementary schools	46.9%	221	26.7	26.7	31.7	38.8	44.4	31.3	36.1	48.3	46.9	26.7	14.3	35.0							$17,166	$16,156	$1,010
Lake Marie Elementary	Public	K-6	10001 Carmenita Rd.	Whittier	90605	Los Angeles County	South Whittier Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(562) 944-0208	186	8	23.2	87.1%	7 (3.8%)	0 (0.0%)	173 (93.0%)	3 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.6%)	52	2494^th of 5857 public elementary schools	57.4%		24.7	4394^th of 5869 public elementary schools	25.1%	1900	31.3	31.3	37.5	50.0	62.5	55.2	52.3	25.0	37.5	40.6	31.0	33.9							$31,112	$29,846	$1,266
Ceres Elementary	Public	K-5	10601 South Ceres Ave.	Whittier	90604	Los Angeles County	East Whittier City Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(562) 464-2200	492	22	22.3	67.1%	28 (5.7%)	0 (0.0%)	440 (89.4%)	11 (2.2%)	5 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (1.6%)	68.7	1654^th of 5857 public elementary schools	71.8%		68.2	1675^th of 5869 public elementary schools	71.5%	21	33.3	33.3	49.5	54.7	60.3		54.1	57.9	54.7	52.4		55.4							$2,760	$1,266	$1,494
Los Altos Elementary	Public	K-6	12001 Bona Vista Ln.	Whittier	90604	Los Angeles County	South Whittier Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(562) 941-3711	457	21	21.7	91.0%	13 (2.8%)	3 (0.7%)	431 (94.3%)	3 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (1.5%)	22.4	4639^th of 5857 public elementary schools	20.8%		23.8	4489^th of 5869 public elementary schools	23.5%	150	20.0	20.0	29.1	28.3	25.5	38.6	30.4	16.1	24.2	21.8	18.3	20.2							$18,890	$17,790	$1,100
Mulberry Elementary	Public	K-5	14029 East Mulberry Dr.	Whittier	90605	Los Angeles County	East Whittier City Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(562) 789-7100	447	17	25.5	77.0%	21 (4.7%)	1 (0.2%)	398 (89.0%)	10 (2.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	16 (3.6%)	64.5	1864^th of 5857 public elementary schools	68.2%		65.3	1805^th of 5869 public elementary schools	69.2%	59	34.2	34.2	56.3	40.6	60.5		52.9	57.8	40.9	55.3		51.5	94.2	96.5		96.5	95.4		$3,695	$2,148	$1,547
La Colima Elementary	Public	K-5	11225 Miller Rd.	Whittier	90604	Los Angeles County	East Whittier City Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(562) 789-7200	378	18	20.8	77.2%	18 (4.8%)	3 (0.8%)	334 (88.4%)	8 (2.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (4.0%)	62.1	1955^th of 5857 public elementary schools	66.6%		47.3	2718^th of 5869 public elementary schools	53.7%	763	27.1	27.1	60.0	44.1	55.9		53.3	63.6	47.5	42.9		50.5	96.9			96.9	96.9	96.9	$3,329	$1,704	$1,625
Lakeland Elementary	Public	K-5	11224 Bombardier Ave.	Norwalk	90650	Los Angeles County	Little Lake City Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(562) 868-8887	315	15	21.0	77.5%	17 (5.4%)	9 (2.9%)	258 (81.9%)	29 (9.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.6%)	74.4	1401^st of 5857 public elementary schools	76.1%		60.1	2061^st of 5869 public elementary schools	64.9%	660	41.1	41.1	60.7	65.9	53.6		59.6	64.3	63.6	42.9		56.4	85.0	90.3	85.0		85.0	90.3	$15,752	$14,280	$1,472
Paddison Elementary	Public	K-5	12100 Crewe St.	Norwalk	90650	Los Angeles County	Little Lake City Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(562) 868-7741	296	15	19.6	79.7%	5 (1.7%)	6 (2.0%)	268 (90.5%)	15 (5.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.7%)	72.9	1475^th of 5857 public elementary schools	74.8%		62.5	1961^st of 5869 public elementary schools	66.6%	486	29.1	29.1	57.1	62.2	66.7		61.9	64.3	60.0	45.5		56.4							$18,720	$17,128	$1,592

Frequently Asked Questions about Carmela Elementary

What schools do graduates of Carmela Elementary attend?

Students who attend Carmela Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Richard L. Graves Middle

What is the racial makeup of Carmela Elementary?

Students at Carmela Elementary are 94% Hispanic, 4% White.

What district is Carmela Elementary in?

South Whittier Elementary

How many students attend Carmela Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 317 students attended Carmela Elementary.

Is Carmela Elementary a good school?

Carmela Elementary ranks in the bottom 14.4% of California elementary schools.

Rate Carmela Elementary!

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the California Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.