Enrollment
210
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Santa Maria, CA
Benjamin Foxen Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Benjamin Foxen Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 37/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 060528000498
👥 S:T ratio 7
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 74
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Benjamin Foxen Elementary earns 37/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median.
- #2 of 24
- elementary schools in Santa Maria · Resource Index
- 37
- Resource Index · Typical
- 23.3:1
- students per teacher
- 43.4%
- free-lunch eligible
Benjamin Foxen Elementary has class sizes near the California median. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Benjamin Foxen Elementary ranks #2 of 24 elementary schools in Santa Maria, CA.
School address
District: Blochman Union Elementary · California
NCES ID 060528000498 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
9.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
23.3:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
+8% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
43.4%
vs 55.5% California avg
-22% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Benjamin Foxen Elementary compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Benjamin Foxen Elementary
Benjamin Foxen Elementary is a mid-sized elementary school in Santa Maria, California, enrolling 210 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 23.3:1 puts it in the larger third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 43.4% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 210 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 9,998 scored California schools.
Against 445 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #136.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (47%) and White (46%) (diversity index 57/100).
10.5% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Among Santa Maria's elementary schools, it stands alongside Jimenez Roberto and Dr. Francisco Elementary (1,177 students): Benjamin Foxen Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (23.3:1 vs 29.4:1).
Blochman Union Elementary operates only this one school, so Benjamin Foxen Elementary has no district-mates to compare against locally.
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 Benjamin Foxen Elementary compares
Benjamin Foxen 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 | 23.3:1 | ▲ 8% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 43.4% | ▼ 22% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 210 | top 82% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
23.3:1
Leaner classes than 8% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
210
Bigger than 21% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
43.4%
free-lunch eligible
- 22% below the California average of 55.5%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
23.3:1
students per teacher
- 8% above state mean
Top 65% in California - lower ratio than 35% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
10.5%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 10-15% range, above the pre-pandemic national baseline but within the broader post-pandemic picture.
Funding equity
$15,119
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
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 47.1%
White 45.7%
Two or More 5.2%
Asian 1.0%
African American 0.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.5%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 47.1% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 56.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 56.6, Benjamin Foxen Elementary is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Blochman Union Elementary, which includes Benjamin Foxen Elementary.
$15,119
Per student
-8%
vs California
Avg $16,509
-9%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 40.1%
State 52.2%
Federal 7.7%
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 Santa Maria
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Jimenez Roberto and Dr. Francisco Elementary
Standard public school
1,177 students 29.4:1 students per teacher
Bruce (Robert) Elementary
Standard public school
1,050 students 24.4:1 students per teacher
Alvin Elementary
Standard public school
998 students 25.6:1 students per teacher
Tunnell (Martin Luther) Elementary
Standard public school
917 students 25.5:1 students per teacher
Rice (William) Elementary
Standard public school
887 students 24:1 students per teacher
Miller (Isaac) Elementary
Standard public school
883 students 25.2:1 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 (~210 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~23.3:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Benjamin Foxen Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Benjamin Foxen Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Blochman Union Elementary'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 Benjamin Foxen Elementary
How many students attend Benjamin Foxen Elementary?
Benjamin Foxen Elementary has 210 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Santa Maria, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Benjamin Foxen Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Benjamin Foxen Elementary is 23.3:1, which is 8% higher than the California average of 21.5:1 and 48% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Benjamin Foxen Elementary?
43.4% of students at Benjamin Foxen Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Benjamin Foxen Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Benjamin Foxen Elementary is Hispanic or Latino at 47.1% of enrollment, in Santa Maria, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 56.6/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Benjamin Foxen Elementary?
Benjamin Foxen Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 37/100 (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 Benjamin Foxen Elementary rank among elementary schools in Santa Maria?
By Resource Investment Index, Benjamin Foxen Elementary ranks #2 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 Benjamin Foxen Elementary a good school?
Benjamin Foxen Elementary earns 37/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median. 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 Blochman Union Elementary?
None reported; Blochman Union Elementary operates only Benjamin Foxen Elementary as a public school district in NCES's records.
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.