Enrollment
469
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Santa Barbara, CA
Adams Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Adams Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 48/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 060141406015
👥 S:T ratio 30
🌟 Gifted program 70
📋 Attendance 44
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Adams Elementary earns 48/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 82% of California schools.
- #6 of 20
- elementary schools in Santa Barbara · Resource Index
- 48
- Resource Index · Typical
- 17.4:1
- small classes for California
- 58.6%
- free-lunch eligible
Adams Elementary has class sizes smaller than 82% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Adams Elementary ranks #6 of 20 elementary schools in Santa Barbara, CA.
School address
District: Santa Barbara Unified · California
NCES ID 060141406015 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
27.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.4:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-19% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
58.6%
vs 55.5% California avg
+6% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Adams Elementary compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Adams Elementary
Adams Elementary is a higher-need, mid-sized elementary school in Santa Barbara, California, enrolling 469 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 17.4:1 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 58.6% lands close to the California typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
With 469 students, its enrollment sits close to the California median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 91% of the 9,998 California schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Among 1,744 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need California schools statewide, it ranks #44, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (71%) and White (21%) (diversity index 45/100).
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 22.4% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Among Santa Barbara's elementary schools, it stands alongside Peabody Charter (780 students): Adams Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (17.4:1 vs 24.4:1).
Santa Barbara Unified also operates Dos Pueblos Senior High (2,149 students) and San Marcos Senior High (1,926 students) alongside Adams Elementary.
Sourced from NCES CCD, CRDC, and F-33 (federal records, not a quality verdict). How we source and compute this.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Adams Elementary compares
Adams Elementary on the metrics families compare, against California and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs California | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 17.4:1 | ▼ 19% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 58.6% | ▲ 6% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 469 | top 50% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
17.4:1
Leaner classes than 28% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
469
Bigger than 58% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
58.6%
free-lunch eligible
- 6% above the California average of 55.5%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
17.4:1
students per teacher
- 19% below state mean
Top 18% in California - lower ratio than 82% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
22.4%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$16,366
per pupil, district-wide
- below California avg of $16,509
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
- Common Core of Data (June 2026): enrollment, staffing, and the student-teacher ratio above.
- Civil Rights Data Collection: discipline counts and program access (AP, gifted, special education).
- F-33 School District Finance Survey: the district-wide per-pupil spending figures below.
Three separate federal collections, each on its own reporting cadence - which is why this school's numbers line up on a consistent basis against every other school and state on this site, rather than mixing figures pulled from different survey years.
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 70.6%
White 20.7%
Two or More 7.2%
Asian 1.1%
African American 0.4%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 70.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 45.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 45.3, Adams Elementary is about as mixed as the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Santa Barbara Unified, which includes Adams Elementary.
$16,366
Per student
-1%
vs California
Avg $16,509
-1%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 72.3%
State 18.5%
Federal 9.2%
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2021-22 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.
How Adams Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dos Pueblos Senior High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| San Marcos Senior High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Santa Barbara Senior High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| La Colina Junior High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Goleta Valley Junior High | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Adams Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,149
- Students per teacher
- 22.6:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
- Enrollment
- 1,926
- Students per teacher
- 20.7:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
- Enrollment
- 1,924
- Students per teacher
- 18.9:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 832
- Students per teacher
- 20.3:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
- Enrollment
- 731
- Students per teacher
- 18.7:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
Similar elementary schools in Santa Barbara
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Peabody Charter
Standard public school
780 students 24.4:1 students per teacher
Washington Elementary
Standard public school
477 students 17:1 students per teacher
Roosevelt Elementary
Standard public school
463 students 19.3:1 students per teacher
Franklin Elementary
Standard public school
424 students 18.4:1 students per teacher
Foothill Elementary
Standard public school
413 students 24.3:1 students per teacher
Hollister Elementary
Standard public school
393 students 21.8:1 students per teacher
Similar elementary schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of California, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~469 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~17.4:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Adams Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Adams Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Santa Barbara Unified's spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
Federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) - PlainSchools assigns no subjective rating; the composite quality score is a transparent, reproducible index computed from this cited federal data.
Frequently asked questions about Adams Elementary
How many students attend Adams Elementary?
Adams Elementary has 469 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Santa Barbara, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Adams Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Adams Elementary is 17.4:1, which is 19% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 11% higher than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Adams Elementary?
58.6% of students at Adams Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Adams Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Adams Elementary is Hispanic or Latino at 70.6% of enrollment, in Santa Barbara, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Adams Elementary?
Adams Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 48/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Adams Elementary rank among elementary schools in Santa Barbara?
By Resource Investment Index, Adams Elementary ranks #6 of 20 elementary schools in Santa Barbara, CA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all elementary schools in Santa Barbara on the city page.
Is Adams Elementary a good school?
Adams Elementary earns 48/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 82% of California schools. This is a resource snapshot, not an academic rating; see the Resource Investment Index question above for what the number does and doesn't measure.
What other schools are in Santa Barbara Unified?
Besides Adams Elementary, Santa Barbara Unified also operates Dos Pueblos Senior High (2,149 students), San Marcos Senior High (1,926 students), and Santa Barbara Senior High (1,924 students). See the Santa Barbara Unified district page for the complete list.
Related tools
Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.