Enrollment
184
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Cantua Creek, CA
Cantua Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Cantua Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 12/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 069113410215
👥 S:T ratio 18
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Cantua Elementary earns 12/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most California schools.
- 12
- Resource Index · Lower
- 20.4:1
- students per teacher
- 95.5%
- free-lunch eligible
- 184
- students enrolled
Cantua Elementary has class sizes near the California median. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Golden Plains Unified · California
NCES ID 069113410215 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
9.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
20.4:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-5% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
95.5%
vs 55.5% California avg
+72% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Cantua Elementary compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Cantua Elementary
Cantua Elementary is a high-poverty, mid-sized elementary school in Cantua Creek, California, enrolling 184 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 20.4:1 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need is high: 95.5% of students qualify for free meals, 72% above the California average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
Enrollment of 184 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 95% of the 9,998 California schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.
Among 214 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need California schools statewide, it ranks #204, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (97% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 7/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 920 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 48.9% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Golden Plains Unified also operates San Joaquin Elementary (518 students) and Tranquillity High (370 students) alongside Cantua 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 Cantua Elementary compares
Cantua 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 | 20.4:1 | ▼ 5% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 95.5% | ▲ 72% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 184 | top 84% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
20.4:1
Leaner classes than 15% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
184
Bigger than 18% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
95.5%
free-lunch eligible
- 72% 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
20.4:1
students per teacher
- 5% below state mean
Top 38% in California - lower ratio than 62% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
48.9%
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
$18,384
per pupil, district-wide
- above California avg of $16,509
Somewhat above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors0.2 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
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: 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
Hispanic or Latino 96.7%
African American 1.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.1%
Two or More 0.5%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 96.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 6.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 6.5, Cantua Elementary is less mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Golden Plains Unified, which includes Cantua Elementary.
$18,384
Per student
+11%
vs California
Avg $16,509
+11%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 24.1%
State 61.9%
Federal 14.0%
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 Cantua Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Joaquin Elementary | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Tranquillity High | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Tranquillity Elementary | Similar size | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Helm Elementary | Smaller | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Rio Del Rey High (Continuation) | Smaller | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Cantua Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 518
- Students per teacher
- 19.9:1
- Resource Index
- 13/100
- Enrollment
- 370
- Students per teacher
- 15.4:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
- Enrollment
- 209
- Students per teacher
- 20.9:1
- Resource Index
- 12/100
- Enrollment
- 60
- Students per teacher
- 12:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
- Enrollment
- 10
- Students per teacher
- 10:1
- Resource Index
- 57/100
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 (~184 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Cantua Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Cantua Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Golden Plains 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 Cantua Elementary
How many students attend Cantua Elementary?
Cantua Elementary has 184 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Cantua Creek, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Cantua Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Cantua Elementary is 20.4:1, which is 5% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 30% 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 Cantua Elementary?
95.5% of students at Cantua Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Cantua Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Cantua Elementary is Hispanic or Latino at 96.7% of enrollment, in Cantua Creek, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Cantua Elementary?
Cantua Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 12/100 (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).
Is Cantua Elementary a good school?
Cantua Elementary earns 12/100 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 Golden Plains Unified?
Besides Cantua Elementary, Golden Plains Unified also operates San Joaquin Elementary (518 students), Tranquillity High (370 students), and Tranquillity Elementary (209 students). See the Golden Plains 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.