Enrollment
210
California · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 060528000498
Benjamin Foxen Elementary — Santa Maria, CA
Federal NCES profile for Benjamin Foxen Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 40/100.
👥 Class size 16
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 74
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 →
The verdict
Benjamin Foxen Elementary earns a D Resource Investment Index (40/100), with class sizes near the California median.
- D
- Resource Index · 40/100
- 21:1
- students per teacher
- 43.4%
- free-lunch eligible
- 210
- students enrolled
School address
District: Blochman Union Elementary · California
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)
9.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
21:1
vs 21.6:1 California avg
-3% 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
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
Benjamin Foxen Elementary reports 210 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 9.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 21:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 3% below the California state mean of 21.6:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.7:1, it is 34% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 43.4% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 22% below the California average and 16% below the national baseline. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 10.5% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Blochman Union Elementary spends $15,119 per pupil district-wide, below the California average of $16,509 and below the national average of $16,593. Revenue comes 40.1% from local sources (property taxes), 52.2% from the state, and 7.7% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 40/100 (D), 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 Benjamin Foxen Elementary 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 | 21:1 | ▼ 3% | 21.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 43.4% | ▼ 22% | 55.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 210 | top 18% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
Class size vs. every US school
Students per teacher (lower means more individual attention)
21 smaller classes than 13% of 92,598 US schools
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US schools. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education — NCES Common Core of Data · 2024-25
School size vs. every US school
Total enrollment — where this school sits by size (neither large nor small is 'better')
210 larger than 21% of 95,891 US schools
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US schools. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education — NCES Common Core of Data · 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
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
21:1
students per teacher
— 3% below state mean
Top 39% in California — lower ratio than 61% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Engagement
10.5%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Between 10–20% — above the pre-pandemic baseline of ~15% nationally but within the current U.S. range.
Funding equity
$15,119
per pupil, district-wide
— below California avg of $16,509
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 210 Top 18% in California — larger than 82% of 10,006 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 9.0
Students per teacher 21:1 -3% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 43.4% -22% vs state
NCES ID 060528000498
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.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 10.5%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 0
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 23.5:1 students per teacher
Bruce (Robert) Elementary
Standard public school
1,050 students 22.1:1 students per teacher
Alvin Elementary
Standard public school
998 students 23.4:1 students per teacher
Tunnell (Martin Luther) Elementary
Standard public school
917 students 22.3:1 students per teacher
Rice (William) Elementary
Standard public school
887 students 24.7:1 students per teacher
Miller (Isaac) Elementary
Standard public school
883 students 24.5:1 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.
Before you act on this record
Treat this page as the federal baseline — then verify locally.
- Compare Benjamin Foxen Elementary side-by-side with another school you're considering on the same NCES measures. Compare schools
- Read the district context — spending per pupil, staffing, and equity ranking are district-level decisions that shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment windows, programs, and boundaries with the school directly — federal data lags the current school year. Choosing guide
Figures are the school's reported federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) — coverage varies by entity type, and PlainSchools does not rate or rank schools.
Frequently asked questions about Benjamin Foxen Elementary
How many students attend Benjamin Foxen Elementary?
Benjamin Foxen Elementary has 210 students enrolled. It is a 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 21:1, which is 3% lower than the California average of 21.6:1 and 34% 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 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%. The school serves a diverse student body in Santa Maria, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Benjamin Foxen Elementary?
Benjamin Foxen Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 40/100 (D) 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.
Is Benjamin Foxen Elementary a good school?
Benjamin Foxen Elementary earns a D Resource Investment Index (40/100), with class sizes near the California median. The Resource Investment Index reflects staffing, counselor access, gifted programs, and attendance reported to NCES, not test scores or academic outcomes, so treat it as a resource snapshot rather than an overall rating.