Enrollment
591
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Salinas, CA
Alisal Community
Federal NCES profile for Alisal Community, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 15/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 060195000082
👥 S:T ratio 0
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 30
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Alisal Community earns 15/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 93% of California schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most California schools.
- #14 of 39
- elementary schools in Salinas · Resource Index
- 15
- Resource Index · Lower
- 28.1:1
- large classes for California
- 86.7%
- free-lunch eligible
Alisal Community has class sizes larger than 93% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Alisal Community ranks #14 of 39 elementary schools in Salinas, CA.
School address
District: Alisal Union · California
NCES ID 060195000082 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
21.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
28.1:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
+31% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
86.7%
vs 55.5% California avg
+56% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Alisal Community compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Alisal Community
Alisal Community is a high-poverty, mid-sized elementary school in Salinas, California, enrolling 591 students.
Class loads run heavy: 28.1:1 is larger than about 93% of California schools and 31% above the 21.5:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Economic need is high: 86.7% of students qualify for free meals, 56% above the California average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
Enrollment of 591 puts it in the larger third of California schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 91% of the 9,998 California schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.
Among 1,705 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need California schools statewide, it ranks #1,406, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (99% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 1/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 591 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 27.9% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Among Salinas's elementary schools, it stands alongside Sherwood Elementary (859 students): Alisal Community is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (28.1:1 vs 22:1).
Alisal Union also operates Monte Bella Elementary (812 students) and Fremont Elementary (711 students) alongside Alisal Community.
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 Alisal Community compares
Alisal Community on the metrics families compare, against California and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs California | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 28.1:1 | ▲ 31% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 86.7% | ▲ 56% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 591 | top 33% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
28.1:1
Leaner classes than 2% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
591
Bigger than 72% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
86.7%
free-lunch eligible
- 56% above the California average of 55.5%
Well above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold, among the highest-need profiles in the state; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
28.1:1
students per teacher
- 31% above state mean
Top 93% in California - lower ratio than 7% of state schools
Well above 20:1, one of the more stretched staffing loads nationally relative to enrollment.
Engagement
27.9%
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
$15,875
per pupil, district-wide
- below California avg of $16,509
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 591 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 8 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.5 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 99.3%
White 0.3%
Asian 0.2%
Two or More 0.2%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 99.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 1.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 1.4, Alisal Community is less mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Alisal Union, which includes Alisal Community.
$15,875
Per student
-4%
vs California
Avg $16,509
-4%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 17.0%
State 69.9%
Federal 13.1%
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 Alisal Community Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monte Bella Elementary | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Fremont Elementary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Jesse G. Sanchez Elementary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Frank Paul Elementary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Cesar E. Chavez Elementary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Alisal Community's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 812
- Students per teacher
- 25.4:1
- Resource Index
- 10/100
- Enrollment
- 711
- Students per teacher
- 22.9:1
- Resource Index
- 14/100
- Enrollment
- 646
- Students per teacher
- 21.5:1
- Resource Index
- 14/100
- Enrollment
- 638
- Students per teacher
- 23.6:1
- Resource Index
- 14/100
- Enrollment
- 628
- Students per teacher
- 23.3:1
- Resource Index
- 10/100
Similar elementary schools in Salinas
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Sherwood Elementary
Standard public school
859 students 22:1 students per teacher
Monte Bella Elementary
Standard public school
812 students 25.4:1 students per teacher
Henry F. Kammann Elementary
Standard public school
743 students 25.6:1 students per teacher
Fremont Elementary
Standard public school
711 students 22.9:1 students per teacher
Natividad Elementary
Standard public school
705 students 24.3:1 students per teacher
Mission Park Elementary
Standard public school
657 students 27.4:1 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 (~591 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Alisal Community's federal record.
- Compare Alisal Community against another school. Compare schools
- Alisal Union'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 Alisal Community
How many students attend Alisal Community?
Alisal Community has 591 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Salinas, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Alisal Community?
The student-teacher ratio at Alisal Community is 28.1:1, which is 31% higher than the California average of 21.5:1 and 79% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Alisal Community?
86.7% of students at Alisal Community are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Alisal Community?
The largest demographic group at Alisal Community is Hispanic or Latino at 99.3% of enrollment, in Salinas, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Alisal Community?
Alisal Community has a Resource Investment Index of 15/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Alisal Community rank among elementary schools in Salinas?
By Resource Investment Index, Alisal Community ranks #14 of 39 elementary schools in Salinas, 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 Salinas on the city page.
Is Alisal Community a good school?
Alisal Community earns 15/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 93% of California schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most 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 Alisal Union?
Besides Alisal Community, Alisal Union also operates Monte Bella Elementary (812 students), Fremont Elementary (711 students), and Jesse G. Sanchez Elementary (646 students). See the Alisal Union 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.