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

Bill Libbon Elementary

Federal NCES profile for Bill Libbon Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 23/100.

2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 060558014505
0/100100/10023/100
👥 S:T ratio
0
🌟 Gifted program
70
📋 Attendance
0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

Bill Libbon Elementary earns 23/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 81% of California schools.

#17 of 24
elementary schools in Santa Maria · Resource Index
23
Resource Index · Lower
25.3:1
large classes for California
66.3%
free-lunch eligible

Bill Libbon Elementary has class sizes larger than 81% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, Bill Libbon Elementary ranks #17 of 24 elementary schools in Santa Maria, CA.

Enrollment

834

California · 2024-25 NCES data

Teachers (FTE)

33.0

Federal CCD staff survey

Students per teacher

25.3:1

vs 21.5:1 California avg

+18% vs state

Free-lunch eligible

66.3%

vs 55.5% California avg

+19% vs state

Student-teacher ratio in context

How Bill Libbon Elementary compares with California and U.S. medians

Larger classes than 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 Bill Libbon Elementary

Bill Libbon Elementary is a higher-need, mid-sized elementary school in Santa Maria, California, enrolling 834 students.

Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 25.3:1 puts it in the larger third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.

Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 66.3% of students eligible for free meals.

Enrollment of 834 puts it in the larger third of California schools by headcount.

Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 9,998 scored California schools.

Against 1,423 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #764.

Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (88% of enrollment) (diversity index 22/100).

Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 41.0% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).

The federal civil-rights collection also records 2 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.

Among Santa Maria's elementary schools, it stands alongside Jimenez Roberto and Dr. Francisco Elementary (1,177 students): Bill Libbon Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (25.3:1 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 Bill Libbon 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 Bill Libbon Elementary compares

Bill Libbon 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 25.3:1 ▲ 18% 21.5:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 66.3% ▲ 19% 55.5% 51.7%
Enrollment 834 top 16% - -

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

25.3:1
Leaner classes than 5% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
834
Bigger than 87% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.

Equity indicators (what these measure)

Economic need
66.3%
free-lunch eligible - 19% 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
25.3:1
students per teacher - 18% above state mean
Top 81% in California - lower ratio than 19% of state schools
Well above 20:1, one of the more stretched staffing loads nationally relative to enrollment.
Engagement
41.0%
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
1
in-school suspensions + 1 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.2 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 2 expulsions.

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 88.1%
White 5.5%
Asian 2.6%
Two or More 1.8%
African American 1.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.6%

Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 88.1% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 22.0/100

Simpson diversity index - at 22.0, Bill Libbon 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 Bill Libbon 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 Bill Libbon 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 Higher economic need Similar S:T ratio
Alvin Elementary Similar size Higher economic need Similar S:T ratio
Fesler (Isaac) Junior High Similar size Higher economic need Lower S:T ratio
Tunnell (Martin Luther) Elementary Similar size Similar economic need Similar S:T ratio

Comparisons are relative to Bill Libbon 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 Bill Libbon 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 Bill Libbon Elementary

How many students attend Bill Libbon Elementary?

Bill Libbon Elementary has 834 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Santa Maria, CA.

What is the student-teacher ratio at Bill Libbon Elementary?

The student-teacher ratio at Bill Libbon Elementary is 25.3:1, which is 18% higher than the California average of 21.5:1 and 61% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.

What percentage of students receive free lunch at Bill Libbon Elementary?

66.3% of students at Bill Libbon Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Bill Libbon Elementary?

The largest demographic group at Bill Libbon Elementary is Hispanic or Latino at 88.1% of enrollment, in Santa Maria, CA.

What is the Resource Investment Index for Bill Libbon Elementary?

Bill Libbon Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 23/100 (lower 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 Bill Libbon Elementary rank among elementary schools in Santa Maria?

By Resource Investment Index, Bill Libbon Elementary ranks #17 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 Bill Libbon Elementary a good school?

Bill Libbon Elementary earns 23/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 81% of 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 Bill Libbon 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.

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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.