Enrollment
400
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Carmel, CA
Carmel River Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Carmel River Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 27/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 060753000720
👥 S:T ratio 16
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 20
📋 Attendance 44
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Carmel River Elementary earns 27/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median.
- #5 of 5
- public schools in Carmel · Resource Index
- 27
- Resource Index · Lower
- 21.1:1
- students per teacher
- 7.8%
- free-lunch eligible
Carmel River Elementary has class sizes near the California median. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Carmel River Elementary ranks #5 of 5 public schools in Carmel, CA.
School address
District: Carmel Unified · California
NCES ID 060753000720 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
19.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
21.1:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-2% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
7.8%
vs 55.5% California avg
-86% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Carmel River Elementary compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Carmel River Elementary
Carmel River Elementary is a lower-poverty, mid-sized elementary school in Carmel, California, enrolling 400 students.
At 21.1:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the California median, within a few percentage points of the 21.5:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 7.8% free-meal eligibility runs 86% below the California average.
With 400 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.
Among 613 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need California schools statewide, it ranks #521, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (57%) and Hispanic or Latino (19%) (diversity index 60/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 400 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 22.5% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
The surrounding Carmel Unified spends $31,314 per pupil, 90% above the California average, a better-resourced district than most.
Among Carmel's elementary schools, it stands alongside Carmel Child Development Center (27 students): Carmel River Elementary is larger than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (21.1:1 vs 27:1).
Carmel Unified also operates Carmel High (780 students) and Carmel Middle (468 students) alongside Carmel River 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 Carmel River Elementary compares
Carmel River 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 | 21.1:1 | ▼ 2% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 7.8% | ▼ 86% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 400 | top 60% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
21.1:1
Leaner classes than 13% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
400
Bigger than 47% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
7.8%
free-lunch eligible
- 86% 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
21.1:1
students per teacher
- 2% below state mean
Top 44% in California - lower ratio than 56% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
22.5%
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
$31,314
per pupil, district-wide
- above California avg of $16,509
Well above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting substantially higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 400 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
White 57.3%
Hispanic or Latino 18.8%
Two or More 16.0%
Asian 8.0%
Largest group: White at 57.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 60.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 60.4, Carmel River Elementary is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Carmel Unified, which includes Carmel River Elementary.
$31,314
Per student
+90%
vs California
Avg $16,509
+89%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 83.5%
State 11.5%
Federal 5.0%
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 Carmel River Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carmel High | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Carmel Middle | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Tularcitos Elementary | Similar size | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Captain Cooper Elementary | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Carmel Child Development Center | Smaller | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Carmel River Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 780
- Students per teacher
- 15:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 468
- Students per teacher
- 12.6:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
- Enrollment
- 447
- Students per teacher
- 20.3:1
- Resource Index
- 27/100
- Enrollment
- 47
- Students per teacher
- 11.8:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
- Enrollment
- 27
- Students per teacher
- 27:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
Similar elementary schools in Carmel
1 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 (~400 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~21.1:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Carmel River Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Carmel River Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Carmel 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 Carmel River Elementary
How many students attend Carmel River Elementary?
Carmel River Elementary has 400 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Carmel, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Carmel River Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Carmel River Elementary is 21.1:1, which is 2% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 34% 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 Carmel River Elementary?
7.8% of students at Carmel River Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Carmel River Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Carmel River Elementary is White at 57.3% of enrollment, in Carmel, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 60.4/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Carmel River Elementary?
Carmel River Elementary 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 Carmel River Elementary rank among public schools in Carmel?
By Resource Investment Index, Carmel River Elementary ranks #5 of 5 public schools in Carmel, CA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Carmel on the city page.
Is Carmel River Elementary a good school?
Carmel River Elementary earns 27/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median. 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 Carmel Unified?
Besides Carmel River Elementary, Carmel Unified also operates Carmel High (780 students), Carmel Middle (468 students), and Tularcitos Elementary (447 students). See the Carmel 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.