Enrollment
306
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Foster City, CA
Brewer Island Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Brewer Island Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 52/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 063492005404
👥 S:T ratio 32
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 39
📋 Attendance 66
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Brewer Island Elementary earns 52/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 83% of California schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most California schools.
- #1 of 4
- elementary schools in Foster City · Resource Index
- 52
- Resource Index · Higher
- 17:1
- small classes for California
- 8.1%
- free-lunch eligible
Brewer Island Elementary has class sizes smaller than 83% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Brewer Island Elementary ranks #1 of 4 elementary schools in Foster City, CA.
School address
District: San Mateo-Foster City · California
NCES ID 063492005404 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
18.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-21% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
8.1%
vs 55.5% California avg
-85% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Brewer Island Elementary compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Brewer Island Elementary
Brewer Island Elementary is a lower-poverty, mid-sized elementary school in Foster City, California, enrolling 306 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 17:1 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 8.1% free-meal eligibility runs 85% below the California average.
Enrollment of 306 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 94% of the 9,998 California schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Among 327 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need California schools statewide, it ranks #19, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by Asian (50%) and Hispanic or Latino (20%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 67/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 306 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
13.7% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Among Foster City's elementary schools, it stands alongside Foster City Elementary (624 students): Brewer Island Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (17:1 vs 18.9:1).
San Mateo-Foster City also operates Bowditch Middle (929 students) and Borel Middle (903 students) alongside Brewer Island 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 Brewer Island Elementary compares
Brewer Island 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 | 17:1 | ▼ 21% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 8.1% | ▼ 85% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 306 | top 73% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
17:1
Leaner classes than 30% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
306
Bigger than 33% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
8.1%
free-lunch eligible
- 85% 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
17:1
students per teacher
- 21% below state mean
Top 17% in California - lower ratio than 83% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
13.7%
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
$17,395
per pupil, district-wide
- above California avg of $16,509
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 306 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
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
Asian 50.3%
Hispanic or Latino 20.3%
Two or More 13.7%
White 13.4%
African American 1.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 1.0%
Largest group: Asian at 50.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 66.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 66.9, Brewer Island Elementary is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for San Mateo-Foster City, which includes Brewer Island Elementary.
$17,395
Per student
+5%
vs California
Avg $16,509
+5%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 79.9%
State 14.6%
Federal 5.4%
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 Brewer Island Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bowditch Middle | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Borel Middle | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Bayside Academy | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Abbott Middle | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Foster City Elementary | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Brewer Island Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 929
- Students per teacher
- 20.2:1
- Resource Index
- 51/100
- Enrollment
- 903
- Students per teacher
- 18.1:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
- Enrollment
- 840
- Students per teacher
- 19.1:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 721
- Students per teacher
- 16.4:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 624
- Students per teacher
- 18.9:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
Similar elementary schools in Foster City
3 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 (~306 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~17:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Brewer Island Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Brewer Island Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- San Mateo-Foster City'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 Brewer Island Elementary
How many students attend Brewer Island Elementary?
Brewer Island Elementary has 306 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Foster City, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Brewer Island Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Brewer Island Elementary is 17:1, which is 21% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 8% 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 Brewer Island Elementary?
8.1% of students at Brewer Island Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Brewer Island Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Brewer Island Elementary is Asian at 50.3% of enrollment, in Foster City, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 66.9/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Brewer Island Elementary?
Brewer Island Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 52/100 (higher 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 Brewer Island Elementary rank among elementary schools in Foster City?
By Resource Investment Index, Brewer Island Elementary ranks #1 of 4 elementary schools in Foster City, 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 Foster City on the city page.
Is Brewer Island Elementary a good school?
Brewer Island Elementary earns 52/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 83% of California schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most 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 San Mateo-Foster City?
Besides Brewer Island Elementary, San Mateo-Foster City also operates Bowditch Middle (929 students), Borel Middle (903 students), and Bayside Academy (840 students). See the San Mateo-Foster City 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.