Enrollment
240
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Santa Clara, CA
Bowers Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Bowers Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 34/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 063543006033
👥 S:T ratio 26
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 52
📋 Attendance 26
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Bowers Elementary earns 34/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 76% of California schools.
- #4 of 16
- elementary schools in Santa Clara · Resource Index
- 34
- Resource Index · Typical
- 18.5:1
- small classes for California
- 55.2%
- free-lunch eligible
Bowers Elementary has class sizes smaller than 76% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Bowers Elementary ranks #4 of 16 elementary schools in Santa Clara, CA.
School address
District: Santa Clara Unified · California
NCES ID 063543006033 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
13.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18.5:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-14% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
55.2%
vs 55.5% California avg
-1% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Bowers Elementary compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Bowers Elementary
Bowers Elementary is a higher-need, mid-sized elementary school in Santa Clara, California, enrolling 240 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 18.5:1 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 55.2% lands close to the California typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 240 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 9,998 scored California schools.
Against 665 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #253.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (54%) and Asian (28%) (diversity index 62/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 240 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 29.6% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding Santa Clara Unified spends $24,038 per pupil, 46% above the California average, a better-resourced district than most.
Among Santa Clara's elementary schools, it stands alongside Laurelwood Elementary (571 students): Bowers Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (18.5:1 vs 26:1).
Santa Clara Unified also operates Santa Clara High (1,663 students) and Adrian Wilcox High (1,614 students) alongside Bowers 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 Bowers Elementary compares
Bowers 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 | 18.5:1 | ▼ 14% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 55.2% | ▼ 1% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 240 | top 80% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
18.5:1
Leaner classes than 22% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
240
Bigger than 24% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
55.2%
free-lunch eligible
- 1% 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
18.5:1
students per teacher
- 14% below state mean
Top 24% in California - lower ratio than 76% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
29.6%
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
$24,038
per pupil, district-wide
- above California avg of $16,509
Well above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting substantially higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 240 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 7 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.9 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 53.8%
Asian 28.3%
White 8.8%
Two or More 6.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 1.7%
African American 1.3%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 53.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 61.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 61.8, Bowers Elementary is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Santa Clara Unified, which includes Bowers Elementary.
$24,038
Per student
+46%
vs California
Avg $16,509
+45%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 81.9%
State 13.2%
Federal 4.9%
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 Bowers Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Clara High | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Adrian Wilcox High | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Juan Cabrillo Middle | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Marian a. Peterson Middle | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Buchser Middle | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Bowers Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,663
- Students per teacher
- 18.1:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
- Enrollment
- 1,614
- Students per teacher
- 17.5:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
- Enrollment
- 796
- Students per teacher
- 18.5:1
- Resource Index
- 26/100
- Enrollment
- 759
- Students per teacher
- 21.7:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 711
- Students per teacher
- 18.2:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
Similar elementary schools in Santa Clara
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Laurelwood Elementary
Standard public school
571 students 26:1 students per teacher
Don Callejon
Standard public school
568 students 15.4:1 students per teacher
Millikin Elementary
Standard public school
504 students 22.9:1 students per teacher
Dwight D. Eisenhower Elementary
Standard public school
453 students 25.2:1 students per teacher
Central Park Elementary
Standard public school
419 students 22.1:1 students per teacher
Scott Lane Elementary
Standard public school
406 students 21.4:1 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 (~240 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~18.5:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Bowers Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Bowers Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Santa Clara Unified'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 Bowers Elementary
How many students attend Bowers Elementary?
Bowers Elementary has 240 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Santa Clara, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Bowers Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Bowers Elementary is 18.5:1, which is 14% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 18% 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 Bowers Elementary?
55.2% of students at Bowers Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Bowers Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Bowers Elementary is Hispanic or Latino at 53.8% of enrollment, in Santa Clara, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 61.8/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Bowers Elementary?
Bowers Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 34/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Bowers Elementary rank among elementary schools in Santa Clara?
By Resource Investment Index, Bowers Elementary ranks #4 of 16 elementary schools in Santa Clara, 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 Clara on the city page.
Is Bowers Elementary a good school?
Bowers Elementary earns 34/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 76% 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 Clara Unified?
Besides Bowers Elementary, Santa Clara Unified also operates Santa Clara High (1,663 students), Adrian Wilcox High (1,614 students), and Juan Cabrillo Middle (796 students). See the Santa Clara Unified district page for the complete list.
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.