Enrollment
453
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Mcfarland, CA
Browning Road Steam Academy
Federal NCES profile for Browning Road Steam Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 27/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 062423003645
👥 S:T ratio 18
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 9
📋 Attendance 53
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Browning Road Steam Academy earns 27/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most California schools.
- #1 of 3
- elementary schools in Mcfarland · Resource Index
- 27
- Resource Index · Lower
- 20.6:1
- students per teacher
- 87.7%
- free-lunch eligible
Browning Road Steam Academy has class sizes near the California median. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Browning Road Steam Academy ranks #1 of 3 elementary schools in Mcfarland, CA.
School address
District: Mcfarland Unified · California
NCES ID 062423003645 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
22.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
20.6:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
87.7%
vs 55.5% California avg
+58% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Browning Road Steam Academy compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Browning Road Steam Academy
Browning Road Steam Academy is a high-poverty, mid-sized elementary school in Mcfarland, California, enrolling 453 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 20.6:1 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need is high: 87.7% of students qualify for free meals, 58% above the California average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
With 453 students, its enrollment sits close to the California median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 9,998 scored California schools.
Against 1,590 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #751.
Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (100% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 1/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 453 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 19.0% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Its district draws 18.0% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Mcfarland Unified also operates Mcfarland High School Early College (1,027 students) and Kern Avenue Elementary (700 students) alongside Browning Road Steam Academy.
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 Browning Road Steam Academy compares
Browning Road Steam Academy on the metrics families compare, against California and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs California | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 20.6:1 | ▼ 4% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 87.7% | ▲ 58% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 453 | top 52% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
20.6:1
Leaner classes than 14% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
453
Bigger than 55% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
87.7%
free-lunch eligible
- 58% above the California average of 55.5%
Well above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold, among the highest-need profiles in the state; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
20.6:1
students per teacher
- 4% below state mean
Top 40% in California - lower ratio than 60% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
19.0%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$14,602
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 453 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
5
in-school suspensions + 9 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.1 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
Hispanic or Latino 99.6%
White 0.4%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 99.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 0.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 0.8, Browning Road Steam Academy is less mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Mcfarland Unified, which includes Browning Road Steam Academy.
$14,602
Per student
-12%
vs California
Avg $16,509
-12%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 18.1%
State 63.9%
Federal 18.0%
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 Browning Road Steam Academy Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mcfarland High School Early College | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Kern Avenue Elementary | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Horizon Elementary | Similar size | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Mcfarland Junior High | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| San Joaquin High (Continuation) | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Browning Road Steam Academy's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,027
- Students per teacher
- 24.5:1
- Resource Index
- 27/100
- Enrollment
- 700
- Students per teacher
- 23.3:1
- Resource Index
- 24/100
- Enrollment
- 542
- Students per teacher
- 24.6:1
- Resource Index
- 27/100
- Enrollment
- 494
- Students per teacher
- 20.6:1
- Resource Index
- 24/100
- Enrollment
- 43
- Students per teacher
- 21.5:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
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 (~453 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Browning Road Steam Academy's federal record.
- Compare Browning Road Steam Academy against another school. Compare schools
- Mcfarland 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 Browning Road Steam Academy
How many students attend Browning Road Steam Academy?
Browning Road Steam Academy has 453 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Mcfarland, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Browning Road Steam Academy?
The student-teacher ratio at Browning Road Steam Academy is 20.6:1, which is 4% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 31% 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 Browning Road Steam Academy?
87.7% of students at Browning Road Steam Academy are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Browning Road Steam Academy?
The largest demographic group at Browning Road Steam Academy is Hispanic or Latino at 99.6% of enrollment, in Mcfarland, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Browning Road Steam Academy?
Browning Road Steam Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 27/100 (lower 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 Browning Road Steam Academy rank among elementary schools in Mcfarland?
By Resource Investment Index, Browning Road Steam Academy ranks #1 of 3 elementary schools in Mcfarland, 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 Mcfarland on the city page.
Is Browning Road Steam Academy a good school?
Browning Road Steam Academy earns 27/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median. It is also less 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 Mcfarland Unified?
Besides Browning Road Steam Academy, Mcfarland Unified also operates Mcfarland High School Early College (1,027 students), Kern Avenue Elementary (700 students), and Horizon Elementary (542 students). See the Mcfarland 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.