Elementary school (grades K-5) · Santa Maria, CA

Battles (Washington) Elementary

Federal NCES profile for Battles (Washington) Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 32/100.

2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 060558009323
0/100100/10032/100
👥 S:T ratio
17
🌟 Gifted program
70
📋 Attendance
9
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

Battles (Washington) Elementary earns 32/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most California schools.

#4 of 24
elementary schools in Santa Maria · Resource Index
32
Resource Index · Typical
20.8:1
students per teacher
77.4%
free-lunch eligible

Battles (Washington) Elementary has class sizes near the California median. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, Battles (Washington) Elementary ranks #4 of 24 elementary schools in Santa Maria, CA.

Enrollment

769

California · 2024-25 NCES data

Teachers (FTE)

37.0

Federal CCD staff survey

Students per teacher

20.8:1

vs 21.5:1 California avg

-3% vs state

Free-lunch eligible

77.4%

vs 55.5% California avg

+39% vs state

Student-teacher ratio in context

How Battles (Washington) Elementary compares with California and U.S. medians

At or below state median

Source: NCES Common Core of Data As of 2024-25 federal staff survey Total enrollment ÷ full-time-equivalent classroom teachers

What stands out at Battles (Washington) Elementary

Battles (Washington) Elementary is a high-poverty, mid-sized elementary school in Santa Maria, California, enrolling 769 students.

At 20.8:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the California median, within a few percentage points of the 21.5:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.

Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 77.4% of students eligible for free meals.

Enrollment of 769 puts it in the larger third of California schools by headcount.

Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 9,998 scored California schools.

Against 1,671 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #333.

Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (97% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 5/100).

Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 36.2% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).

Among Santa Maria's elementary schools, it stands alongside Jimenez Roberto and Dr. Francisco Elementary (1,177 students): Battles (Washington) Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (20.8:1 vs 29.4:1).

Santa Maria-Bonita also operates Jimenez Roberto and Dr. Francisco Elementary (1,177 students) and Bruce (Robert) Elementary (1,050 students) alongside Battles (Washington) 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 Battles (Washington) Elementary compares

Battles (Washington) 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 20.8:1 ▼ 3% 21.5:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 77.4% ▲ 39% 55.5% 51.7%
Enrollment 769 top 19% - -

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25

20.8:1
Leaner classes than 13% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
769
Bigger than 84% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.

Equity indicators (what these measure)

Economic need
77.4%
free-lunch eligible - 39% 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
20.8:1
students per teacher - 3% below state mean
Top 42% in California - lower ratio than 58% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
36.2%
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
$14,410
per pupil, district-wide - below California avg of $16,509
Somewhat 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
16
in-school suspensions + 11 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.5 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 97.3%
Asian 1.2%
Two or More 1.0%
White 0.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%

Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 97.3% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 5.3/100

Simpson diversity index - at 5.3, Battles (Washington) Elementary is less mixed than the California school average of 46.0.

Programs

Gifted & talented Yes

Funding & spending

District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Santa Maria-Bonita, which includes Battles (Washington) Elementary.

$14,410
Per student
-13%
vs California
Avg $16,509
-13%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 19.7%
State 68.7%
Federal 11.6%

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 Battles (Washington) Elementary Compares to District-Mates

School Enrollment Economic Profile Student-Teacher Ratio
Jimenez Roberto and Dr. Francisco Elementary Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
Bruce (Robert) Elementary Larger Similar economic need Higher S:T ratio
Alvin Elementary Larger Higher economic need Higher S:T ratio
Fesler (Isaac) Junior High Larger Similar economic need Lower S:T ratio
Tunnell (Martin Luther) Elementary Similar size Similar economic need Higher S:T ratio

Comparisons are relative to Battles (Washington) Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.

Other Schools in This District

Santa Maria-Bonita · 5 sibling schools

View district profile

Similar elementary schools in Santa Maria

6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.

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.

Next steps

Verify locally before acting on Battles (Washington) Elementary's federal record.

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 Battles (Washington) Elementary

How many students attend Battles (Washington) Elementary?

Battles (Washington) Elementary has 769 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Santa Maria, CA.

What is the student-teacher ratio at Battles (Washington) Elementary?

The student-teacher ratio at Battles (Washington) Elementary is 20.8:1, which is 3% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 32% 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 Battles (Washington) Elementary?

77.4% of students at Battles (Washington) Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Battles (Washington) Elementary?

The largest demographic group at Battles (Washington) Elementary is Hispanic or Latino at 97.3% of enrollment, in Santa Maria, CA.

What is the Resource Investment Index for Battles (Washington) Elementary?

Battles (Washington) Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 32/100 (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 Battles (Washington) Elementary rank among elementary schools in Santa Maria?

By Resource Investment Index, Battles (Washington) Elementary ranks #4 of 24 elementary schools in Santa Maria, 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 Maria on the city page.

Is Battles (Washington) Elementary a good school?

Battles (Washington) Elementary earns 32/100 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 Santa Maria-Bonita?

Besides Battles (Washington) Elementary, Santa Maria-Bonita also operates Jimenez Roberto and Dr. Francisco Elementary (1,177 students), Bruce (Robert) Elementary (1,050 students), and Alvin Elementary (998 students). See the Santa Maria-Bonita district page for the complete list.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) CCD + Public School Universe (2024-25), CRDC (2021-22), F-33 District Finance Survey (FY 2021-22) · 2024-25 Data as of the 2024-25 school year. Coverage from U.S. Department of Education NCES Common Core of Data. Varies by entity type; administrative districts and certain charter networks may report only a subset of fields.

All federal data sources used on this page

Full source list and how we compute each figure: methodology page.

View saved

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.