Enrollment
261
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Arroyo Grande, CA
Branch Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Branch 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 062308003517
👥 S:T ratio 5
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 51
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Branch Elementary earns 32/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median.
- #2 of 3
- elementary schools in Arroyo Grande · Resource Index
- 32
- Resource Index · Typical
- 23.7:1
- students per teacher
- 22.1%
- free-lunch eligible
Branch Elementary has class sizes near the California median. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Branch Elementary ranks #2 of 3 elementary schools in Arroyo Grande, CA.
School address
District: Lucia Mar Unified · California
NCES ID 062308003517 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
11.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
23.7:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
+10% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
22.1%
vs 55.5% California avg
-60% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Branch Elementary compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Branch Elementary
Branch Elementary is a mid-sized elementary school in Arroyo Grande, California, enrolling 261 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 23.7:1 puts it in the larger third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 22.1% free-meal eligibility runs 60% below the California average.
Enrollment of 261 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 381 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #211.
Its student body is led by White (59%) and Hispanic or Latino (28%) (diversity index 55/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 522 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 19.5% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Among Arroyo Grande's elementary schools, it stands alongside Harloe Elementary (619 students): Branch Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (23.7:1 vs 25.8:1).
Lucia Mar Unified also operates Arroyo Grande High (2,012 students) and Nipomo High (819 students) alongside Branch 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 Branch Elementary compares
Branch 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 | 23.7:1 | ▲ 10% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 22.1% | ▼ 60% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 261 | top 78% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
23.7:1
Leaner classes than 7% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
261
Bigger than 27% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
22.1%
free-lunch eligible
- 60% below the California average of 55.5%
Below the 40% Title I threshold, among the lower-need profiles in the state; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
23.7:1
students per teacher
- 10% above state mean
Top 69% in California - lower ratio than 31% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
19.5%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$13,869
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
Counselors0.5 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
2
in-school suspensions + 1 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.1 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
White 59.4%
Hispanic or Latino 28.4%
Two or More 11.5%
African American 0.4%
Asian 0.4%
Largest group: White at 59.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 55.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 55.3, Branch Elementary is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Lucia Mar Unified, which includes Branch Elementary.
$13,869
Per student
-16%
vs California
Avg $16,509
-16%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 58.3%
State 30.7%
Federal 10.9%
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 Branch Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arroyo Grande High | Larger | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Nipomo High | Larger | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Harloe Elementary | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Dana Elementary | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Lange (Dorothea) Elementary | Larger | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Branch Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,012
- Students per teacher
- 20.3:1
- Resource Index
- 26/100
- Enrollment
- 819
- Students per teacher
- 17.8:1
- Resource Index
- 18/100
- Enrollment
- 619
- Students per teacher
- 25.8:1
- Resource Index
- 26/100
- Enrollment
- 612
- Students per teacher
- 23.5:1
- Resource Index
- 24/100
- Enrollment
- 577
- Students per teacher
- 21.4:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
Similar elementary schools in Arroyo Grande
2 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.
Similar enrollment (~261 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Branch Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Branch Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Lucia Mar 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 Branch Elementary
How many students attend Branch Elementary?
Branch Elementary has 261 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Arroyo Grande, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Branch Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Branch Elementary is 23.7:1, which is 10% higher than the California average of 21.5:1 and 51% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Branch Elementary?
22.1% of students at Branch Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Branch Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Branch Elementary is White at 59.4% of enrollment, in Arroyo Grande, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 55.3/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Branch Elementary?
Branch Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 32/100 (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 Branch Elementary rank among elementary schools in Arroyo Grande?
By Resource Investment Index, Branch Elementary ranks #2 of 3 elementary schools in Arroyo Grande, 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 Arroyo Grande on the city page.
Is Branch Elementary a good school?
Branch Elementary earns 32/100 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 Lucia Mar Unified?
Besides Branch Elementary, Lucia Mar Unified also operates Arroyo Grande High (2,012 students), Nipomo High (819 students), and Harloe Elementary (619 students). See the Lucia Mar 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.