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San Rafael, California - 8 schools
An equity score of 49/100 ranks San Rafael City Elementary #782 of 1517 districts in California (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $16,402 per pupil, San Rafael City Elementary ranks #654 of 1862 California districts by per-pupil spending (California districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
4,290
Total Enrollment
8
Schools
$16,402
Per-Pupil Spending
Elementary, Middle
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
San Rafael City Elementary operates 8 public schools serving 4,290 students, placing it among the smaller districts in California. The school portfolio breaks down into 7 elementary, 1 middle schools, a compact enough portfolio that families can compare every campus directly before they move, rent, or enrol. These enrollment and school figures come from the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 release, and the district is based in Marin County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $16,402 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, in the upper half of 1862 California districts by per-pupil spending. See how California compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 45.6% local, 43.9% state, and 10.5% federal, a balanced mix across local, state, and federal sources, spreading budget risk across funding cycles rather than concentrating it in one. The district's equity score is 49/100, ranked #782 of 1517 in California against a state average of 50, in line with the typical spread seen across the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.
a 376.8:1 student-counselor ratio, well above the ASCA benchmark though still under the roughly 408:1 national average, and 18.2% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 68.5% Hispanic or Latino, 23.2% White, 2.4% Asian across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Sun Valley Elementary, with a diversity index of 60.0/100.
Its largest campus is James B. Davidson Middle, enrolling 1,052 students (24% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Laurel Dell Elementary, at 287 students, a 4x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
James B. Davidson Middle accounts for 24.3% of all San Rafael City Elementary student enrollment
That concentration means San Rafael City Elementary-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the dominant entity. Grade band: middle. A single dominant campus often anchors a district's program offerings and staffing patterns; the share helps explain why district-wide averages may not reflect the typical neighbourhood-school experience. When one entity dominates a region's footprint, its programmatic and budget decisions effectively set policy for a majority of the affected population.
San Rafael City Elementary school enrollment varies 3.7× across entities
San Rafael City Elementary school enrollment ranges from 287 students (lowest) to 1,052 students (highest), a spread of 765 students. That relatively narrow ratio reflects an unusually homogeneous campus portfolio, most districts have a wider mix of school sizes. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.
San Rafael City Elementary has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 63.2% of the population qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch
free or reduced-price lunch eligibility is the federal threshold for Title I funding allocations, established under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA, 2015). Eligibility here is approaching the 75% concentration-grant threshold; it does not yet unlock the extra funding tier but sits meaningfully above the baseline 50% majority mark. Regions with eligibility this high typically draw a substantially larger federal funding share relative to their local tax base, which can either offset or reinforce existing gaps depending on allocation policy.
San Rafael City Elementary student-counselor ratio is 377:1 — high (typically associated with staffing constraints that limit per-student counselor time; CRDC data shows higher ratios cluster in larger urban systems)
student-counselor ratio is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: the ratio counts FTE counselors against total enrollment, districts that contract intervention or social-emotional staff outside the counselor classification may be under-counted Higher values may reflect larger urban scale or recent resource constraints that have widened the gap.
San Rafael City Elementary chronic absenteeism rate is 18.2% — near the typical range (US average ~28) — aligned with the national post-pandemic baseline of roughly 28% chronic absenteeism
chronic absenteeism rate is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: a student is chronically absent if they miss ≥10% of enrolled days for any reason, illness, family obligations, or disengagement Variation between sub-units within San Rafael City Elementary is typically wider than the San Rafael City Elementary-aggregate figure suggests.
How many schools are in San Rafael City Elementary?
San Rafael City Elementary has 8 schools, including 1 middle, 7 elementary. Total enrollment is 4,290 students.
How much does San Rafael City Elementary spend per student?
San Rafael City Elementary spends $16,402 per student. The district has an equity score of 49/100, ranking #782 in California.
What is the demographic composition of San Rafael City Elementary?
San Rafael City Elementary students are 68.5% Hispanic or Latino, 23.2% White, 2.4% Asian, 0.9% African American, averaged across 8 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for San Rafael City Elementary?
San Rafael City Elementary has an equity score of 49/100, ranking #782 out of 1517 districts in California.