Enrollment
656
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · San Jose, CA
Carlton Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Carlton Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 38/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 064032006669
👥 S:T ratio 0
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 83
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Carlton Elementary earns 38/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 94% of California schools.
- #36 of 154
- elementary schools in San Jose · Resource Index
- 38
- Resource Index · Typical
- 28.5:1
- large classes for California
- 4.5%
- free-lunch eligible
Carlton Elementary has class sizes larger than 94% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Carlton Elementary ranks #36 of 154 elementary schools in San Jose, CA.
School address
District: Union Elementary · California
NCES ID 064032006669 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
23.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
28.5:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
+33% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
4.5%
vs 55.5% California avg
-92% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Carlton Elementary compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Carlton Elementary
Carlton Elementary is a lower-poverty, mid-sized elementary school in San Jose, California, enrolling 656 students.
Class loads run heavy: 28.5:1 is larger than about 94% of California schools and 33% above the 21.5:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 4.5% free-meal eligibility runs 92% below the California average.
Enrollment of 656 puts it in the larger third of California schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 9,998 scored California schools.
Against 625 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #274.
Its student body is led by Asian (47%) and White (31%) (diversity index 66/100).
Attendance holds up well here: only 6.7% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
Among San Jose's elementary schools, it stands alongside Easterbrook Discovery (952 students): Carlton Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (28.5:1 vs 22.1:1).
Union Elementary also operates Union Middle (1,068 students) and Dartmouth Middle (903 students) alongside Carlton 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 Carlton Elementary compares
Carlton 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 | 28.5:1 | ▲ 33% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 4.5% | ▼ 92% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 656 | top 27% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
28.5:1
Leaner classes than 2% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
656
Bigger than 77% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
4.5%
free-lunch eligible
- 92% 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
28.5:1
students per teacher
- 33% above state mean
Top 94% in California - lower ratio than 6% of state schools
Well above 20:1, one of the more stretched staffing loads nationally relative to enrollment.
Engagement
6.7%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 5-10% range, close to the pre-pandemic national baseline.
Funding equity
$14,405
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
Counselors0.0 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: 0.3 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 47.3%
White 31.1%
Hispanic or Latino 11.6%
Two or More 9.0%
African American 1.1%
Largest group: Asian at 47.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 65.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 65.8, Carlton Elementary is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Union Elementary, which includes Carlton Elementary.
$14,405
Per student
-13%
vs California
Avg $16,509
-13%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 60.2%
State 34.0%
Federal 5.8%
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 Carlton Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Union Middle | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Dartmouth Middle | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Oster Elementary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Alta Vista Elementary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Guadalupe Elementary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Carlton Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,068
- Students per teacher
- 25.4:1
- Resource Index
- 29/100
- Enrollment
- 903
- Students per teacher
- 25.1:1
- Resource Index
- 25/100
- Enrollment
- 627
- Students per teacher
- 24.1:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 584
- Students per teacher
- 27.8:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 537
- Students per teacher
- 21.5:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
Similar elementary schools in San Jose
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Easterbrook Discovery
Standard public school
952 students 22.1:1 students per teacher
Merritt Trace Elementary
Standard public school
829 students 23:1 students per teacher
Orchard Elementary
Standard public school
740 students 16.4:1 students per teacher
Tom Matsumoto Elementary
Standard public school
727 students 24.2:1 students per teacher
Herman (Leonard) Intermediate
Standard public school
723 students 22.6:1 students per teacher
Booksin Elementary
Standard public school
715 students 23.8:1 students per teacher
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 (~656 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Carlton Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Carlton Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Union Elementary'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 Carlton Elementary
How many students attend Carlton Elementary?
Carlton Elementary has 656 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in San Jose, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Carlton Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Carlton Elementary is 28.5:1, which is 33% higher than the California average of 21.5:1 and 82% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Carlton Elementary?
4.5% of students at Carlton Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Carlton Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Carlton Elementary is Asian at 47.3% of enrollment, in San Jose, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 65.8/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Carlton Elementary?
Carlton Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 38/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Carlton Elementary rank among elementary schools in San Jose?
By Resource Investment Index, Carlton Elementary ranks #36 of 154 elementary schools in San Jose, 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 San Jose on the city page.
Is Carlton Elementary a good school?
Carlton Elementary earns 38/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 94% of 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 Union Elementary?
Besides Carlton Elementary, Union Elementary also operates Union Middle (1,068 students), Dartmouth Middle (903 students), and Oster Elementary (627 students). See the Union Elementary 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.