El Centro Elementary School District

Public Grades K–8

Elementary and middle schools for El Centro, and parts of Imperial.

At a glance

5,157Students enrolled

13Schools

$20,338Spent per student

21:1Student–teacher ratio

81%Free / reduced lunch

School path

Where would my kid go?

For El Centro

Grades K–8

9 schoolsDepends on your address · see the listThis district

Grades 8

Wilson Jr. High or De Anza Magnet or Kennedy MiddleDepends on your addressThis district

Grades 9–12

Central Union High or Southwest HighDepends on your addressCentral Union High School District

Based on district boundaries from the U.S. Department of Education. Where a town has more than one school at a grade, your street decides; check with the district before you enroll.

Academic performance

Graduation rate 89% at Central Union High School District, which runs the high school (state 87.6%) · class of 2020

Where the money goes

$20,338

per student each year · 4% below the CA average

Spending

Classroom instruction60%

Support & administration34%

Other6%

Paid for by

Local (mostly property tax)13%

State75%

Federal11%

U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of School System Finances (fiscal 2024).

Enrollment · last 5 years

5,292’20

5,234’21

5,256’22

5,182’23

5,157’24

Students

Hispanic · 96%4,944

White · 2%97

Two or more races · 1%54

Black · 1%37

Asian · 0%18

American Indian/Alaska Native · 0%2

Across the district's schools, as reported to NCES.

Schools13 in district · 2 next

Level

All 13 Elementary 10 Middle 2 Other 1

This district · grades K–8

📚

Harding ElementaryElementary · Grades K–6 · 601 students · El Centro

Public 📚

De Anza MagnetElementary · Grades K–8 · 504 students · El Centro

Public 📚

McKinley ElementaryElementary · Grades K–6 · 456 students · El Centro

Public 📚

Margaret Hedrick ElementaryElementary · Grades K–6 · 446 students · El Centro

Public 📚

Martin Luther King Jr. ElementaryElementary · Grades K–6 · 445 students · El Centro

Public 📚

Sunflower ElementaryElementary · Grades K–6 · 427 students · El Centro

Public 📚

Lincoln ElementaryElementary · Grades K–6 · 399 students · El Centro

Public 📚

Desert Garden ElementaryElementary · Grades K–6 · 358 students · El Centro

Public 📚

Booker T. Washington ElementaryElementary · Grades K–6 · 351 students · El Centro

Public 📚

Imperial Valley Home School AcademyElementary · Grades K–8 · 131 students · El Centro

Charter 📚

Wilson Jr. HighMiddle · Grades 7–8 · 605 students · El Centro

Public 📚

Kennedy MiddleMiddle · Grades 7–8 · 434 students · El Centro

Public 📚

El Centro District Wide PreschoolGrades M · El Centro

Public

Where students go next · Central Union High School District

🏫

Central Union HighHigh · Grades 9–12 · 2,006 students · El Centro

B+Public 🏫

Southwest HighHigh · Grades 9–12 · 1,846 students · El Centro

B+Public

School data from the U.S. Department of Education (NCES). Ratings are from neighbors on TownTapestry.

District facts from the U.S. Department of Education (NCES school directory and school district boundaries) and the U.S. Census Bureau's school finance survey. Neighbor ratings reflect opinions, not an official measure of school quality.