Enrollment
230
California · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 060174412184 Charter school
Ballington Academy for the Arts and Sciences — El Centro, CA
Federal NCES profile for Ballington Academy for the Arts and Sciences, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 15/100.
👥 Class size 14
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 0
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
11.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
21.6:1
vs 21.6:1 California avg
+0% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
71.0%
vs 55.5% California avg
+28% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Ballington Academy for the Arts and Sciences compares with California and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
Ballington Academy for the Arts and Sciences reports 230 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 11.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 21.6:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 0% above the California state mean of 21.6:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 36% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 71.0% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 28% above the California average and 37% above the national baseline. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 47.4% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Ballington Academy for the Arts and Sciences District spends $17,175 per pupil district-wide, below the California average of $18,039 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 5.8% from local sources (property taxes), 72.1% from the state, and 22.0% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 15/100 (F), calculated from 3 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Ballington Academy for the Arts and Sciences compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against California state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs California | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 21.6:1 | ▼ 0% | 21.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 71.0% | ▲ 28% | 55.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 230 | top 19% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Economic need
71.0%
free-lunch eligible
— 28% 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
21.6:1
students per teacher
— 0% above state mean
Top 45% in California — lower ratio than 55% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Engagement
47.4%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$17,175
per pupil, district-wide
— below California avg of $18,039
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
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
Enrollment 230 Top 19% in California — larger than 81% of 10,006 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 11.0
Students per teacher 21.6:1 +0% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 71.0% +28% vs state
NCES ID 060174412184
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 97.0%
White 1.7%
Two or More 0.9%
Asian 0.4%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 97.0% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 47.4%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Ballington Academy for the Arts and Sciences District, which includes Ballington Academy for the Arts and Sciences.
$17,175
Per student
-5%
vs California
Avg $18,039
-12%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 5.8%
State 72.1%
Federal 22.0%
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 El Centro
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Mccabe Elementary
Standard public school
1,109 students 25.2:1 students per teacher
Harding Elementary
Standard public school
601 students 24:1 students per teacher
De Anza Magnet
Standard public school
504 students 25.5:1 students per teacher
Mckinley Elementary
Standard public school
456 students 25.5:1 students per teacher
Margaret Hedrick Elementary
Standard public school
446 students 22.9:1 students per teacher
Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary
Standard public school
445 students 25.5:1 students per teacher
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about Ballington Academy for the Arts and Sciences
How many students attend Ballington Academy for the Arts and Sciences?
Ballington Academy for the Arts and Sciences has 230 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in El Centro, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Ballington Academy for the Arts and Sciences?
The student-teacher ratio at Ballington Academy for the Arts and Sciences is 21.6:1, which is 0% higher than the California average of 21.6:1 and 36% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Ballington Academy for the Arts and Sciences?
71.0% of students at Ballington Academy for the Arts and Sciences are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Ballington Academy for the Arts and Sciences?
The largest demographic group at Ballington Academy for the Arts and Sciences is Hispanic or Latino at 97.0%. The school serves a diverse student body in El Centro, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Ballington Academy for the Arts and Sciences?
Ballington Academy for the Arts and Sciences has a Resource Investment Index of 15/100 (F) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.