Enrollment
493
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Oakland, CA
Ascend
Federal NCES profile for Ascend, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 37/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 060170408677Charter school
👥 S:T ratio 6
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 67
📋 Attendance 43
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Ascend earns 37/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most California schools.
- #2 of 67
- elementary schools in Oakland · Resource Index
- 37
- Resource Index · Typical
- 23.5:1
- students per teacher
- 74.8%
- free-lunch eligible
Ascend has class sizes near the California median. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Ascend ranks #2 of 67 elementary schools in Oakland, CA.
School address
District: Ascend District · California
NCES ID 060170408677 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
21.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
23.5:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
+9% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
74.8%
vs 55.5% California avg
+35% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Ascend compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Ascend
Ascend is a higher-need, mid-sized charter elementary school in Oakland, California, enrolling 493 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 23.5:1 puts it in the larger third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 74.8% of students eligible for free meals.
With 493 students, its enrollment sits close to the California median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 9,998 scored California schools.
Against 2,172 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #236.
Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (91% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 18/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 164 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 22.7% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Among Oakland's elementary schools, it stands alongside Yu Ming Charter (959 students): Ascend is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (23.5:1 vs 24:1).
Ascend District is a single-school charter district, so Ascend operates independently rather than alongside district-mates.
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 Ascend compares
Ascend on the metrics families compare, against California and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs California | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 23.5:1 | ▲ 9% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 74.8% | ▲ 35% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 493 | top 46% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
23.5:1
Leaner classes than 7% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
493
Bigger than 61% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
74.8%
free-lunch eligible
- 35% 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
23.5:1
students per teacher
- 9% above state mean
Top 67% in California - lower ratio than 33% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
22.7%
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
$15,899
per pupil, district-wide
- below California avg of $16,509
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 164 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
9
in-school suspensions + 11 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 4.1 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 90.5%
African American 5.1%
Asian 2.4%
Two or More 1.8%
White 0.2%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 90.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 17.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 17.7, Ascend is less mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Ascend District, which includes Ascend.
$15,899
Per student
-4%
vs California
Avg $16,509
-4%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 32.5%
State 56.8%
Federal 10.7%
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.
Similar elementary schools in Oakland
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Yu Ming Charter
Standard public school
959 students 24:1 students per teacher
Melrose Leadership Academy
Standard public school
722 students 21.9:1 students per teacher
Lockwood Steam Academy Elementary
Standard public school
678 students 27.1:1 students per teacher
Lincoln Elementary
Standard public school
664 students 25.5:1 students per teacher
American Indian Public Charter School Ii
Standard public school
617 students 36.3:1 students per teacher
Greenleaf
Standard public school
613 students 21.9:1 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 (~493 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~23.5:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Ascend's federal record.
- Compare Ascend against another school. Compare schools
- Ascend District'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 Ascend
How many students attend Ascend?
Ascend has 493 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Oakland, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Ascend?
The student-teacher ratio at Ascend is 23.5:1, which is 9% higher than the California average of 21.5:1 and 50% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Ascend?
74.8% of students at Ascend are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Ascend?
The largest demographic group at Ascend is Hispanic or Latino at 90.5% of enrollment, in Oakland, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Ascend?
Ascend has a Resource Investment Index of 37/100 (typical 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 Ascend rank among elementary schools in Oakland?
By Resource Investment Index, Ascend ranks #2 of 67 elementary schools in Oakland, 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 Oakland on the city page.
Is Ascend a good school?
Ascend earns 37/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median. 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 Ascend District?
None; Ascend District is a single-school charter district, and Ascend is its only campus.
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.