Enrollment
498
California · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 062241002676
Buena Vista Elementary — Lompoc, CA
Federal NCES profile for Buena Vista Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 20/100.
👥 Class size 9
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 41
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
District: Lompoc Unified · California
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
21.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
22.7:1
vs 21.6:1 California avg
+5% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
30.0%
vs 55.5% California avg
-46% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Buena Vista Elementary compares with California and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
Buena Vista Elementary reports 498 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 21.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 22.7:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 5% above the California state mean of 21.6:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 43% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 30.0% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 46% below the California average and 42% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 498 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 23.5% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Lompoc Unified spends $16,378 per pupil district-wide, below the California average of $18,039 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 25.4% from local sources (property taxes), 62.9% from the state, and 11.7% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 20/100 (F), calculated from 4 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Buena Vista Elementary compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against California state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs California | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 22.7:1 | ▲ 5% | 21.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 30.0% | ▼ 46% | 55.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 498 | top 54% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Economic need
30.0%
free-lunch eligible
— 46% below the California average of 55.5%
Below the 40% Title I threshold — federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
22.7:1
students per teacher
— 5% above state mean
Top 57% in California — lower ratio than 43% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Engagement
23.5%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$16,378
per pupil, district-wide
— below California avg of $18,039
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 498 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 2 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.4 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 498 Top 54% in California — larger than 46% of 10,006 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 21.0
Students per teacher 22.7:1 +5% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 30.0% -46% vs state
NCES ID 062241002676
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 45.4%
White 41.8%
Two or More 8.2%
Asian 2.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.0%
African American 0.8%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 45.4% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 498:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 23.5%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 2
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Lompoc Unified, which includes Buena Vista Elementary.
$16,378
Per student
-9%
vs California
Avg $18,039
-16%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 25.4%
State 62.9%
Federal 11.7%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,593
- Students per teacher
- 19.4:1
- Enrollment
- 1,060
- Students per teacher
- 18.7:1
- Enrollment
- 768
- Students per teacher
- 24:1
- Enrollment
- 744
- Students per teacher
- 19.7:1
- Enrollment
- 634
- Students per teacher
- 23.9:1
Similar elementary schools in Lompoc
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Arthur Hapgood Elementary
Standard public school
768 students 24:1 students per teacher
Miguelito Elementary
Standard public school
634 students 23.9:1 students per teacher
La Canada Elementary
Standard public school
541 students 21.1:1 students per teacher
La Honda Steam Academy
Standard public school
531 students 22.1:1 students per teacher
Clarence Ruth Elementary
Standard public school
495 students 22.4:1 students per teacher
Leonora Fillmore Elementary
Standard public school
469 students 21.3:1 students per teacher
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about Buena Vista Elementary
How many students attend Buena Vista Elementary?
Buena Vista Elementary has 498 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in Lompoc, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Buena Vista Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Buena Vista Elementary is 22.7:1, which is 5% higher than the California average of 21.6:1 and 43% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Buena Vista Elementary?
30.0% of students at Buena Vista Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Buena Vista Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Buena Vista Elementary is Hispanic or Latino at 45.4%. The school serves a diverse student body in Lompoc, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Buena Vista Elementary?
Buena Vista Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 20/100 (F) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.