Enrollment
212
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Lemoore, CA
Central Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Central Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 31/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 060798000766
👥 S:T ratio 35
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 58
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Central Elementary earns 31/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 86% of California schools.
- #2 of 7
- elementary schools in Lemoore · Resource Index
- 31
- Resource Index · Lower
- 16.3:1
- small classes for California
- 51.2%
- free-lunch eligible
Central Elementary has class sizes smaller than 86% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Central Elementary ranks #2 of 7 elementary schools in Lemoore, CA.
School address
District: Central Union Elementary · California
NCES ID 060798000766 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
13.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.3:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-24% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
51.2%
vs 55.5% California avg
-8% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Central Elementary compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Central Elementary
Central Elementary is a higher-need, mid-sized elementary school in Lemoore, California, enrolling 212 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 16.3:1, Central Elementary is leaner than roughly 86% of California schools and 24% under the state's 21.5:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 51.2% lands close to the California typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 212 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 9,998 scored California schools.
Against 494 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #259.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (61%) and American Indian / Alaska Native (25%) (diversity index 56/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 212 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 87.3% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 34.7% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 4 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Among Lemoore's elementary schools, it stands alongside P. W. Engvall Elementary (534 students): Central Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (16.3:1 vs 22.3:1).
Central Union Elementary also operates Akers Elementary (592 students) and R. J. Neutra (410 students) alongside Central 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 Central Elementary compares
Central 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 | 16.3:1 | ▼ 24% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 51.2% | ▼ 8% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 212 | top 82% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16.3:1
Leaner classes than 36% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
212
Bigger than 21% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
51.2%
free-lunch eligible
- 8% below the California average of 55.5%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
16.3:1
students per teacher
- 24% below state mean
Top 14% in California - lower ratio than 86% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
87.3%
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
$17,513
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 212 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 15 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 7.1 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 4 expulsions.
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 61.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 24.5%
Two or More 7.5%
White 5.7%
African American 0.9%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 61.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 55.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 55.5, Central Elementary is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Central Union Elementary, which includes Central Elementary.
$17,513
Per student
+6%
vs California
Avg $16,509
+6%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 5.3%
State 60.0%
Federal 34.7%
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.
How Central Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Akers Elementary | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| R. J. Neutra | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Stratford Elementary | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Central Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 592
- Students per teacher
- 16.9:1
- Resource Index
- 28/100
- Enrollment
- 410
- Students per teacher
- 15.2:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 294
- Students per teacher
- 19.6:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
Similar elementary schools in Lemoore
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
P. W. Engvall Elementary
Standard public school
534 students 22.3:1 students per teacher
Lemoore Elementary
Standard public school
508 students 19.5:1 students per teacher
Meadow Lane Elementary
Standard public school
464 students 17.8:1 students per teacher
Cinnamon Elementary
Standard public school
454 students 19.7:1 students per teacher
Freedom Elementary
Standard public school
434 students 22.8:1 students per teacher
Island Elementary
Standard public school
395 students 21.9:1 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 (~212 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~16.3:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Central Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Central Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Central 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 Central Elementary
How many students attend Central Elementary?
Central Elementary has 212 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Lemoore, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Central Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Central Elementary is 16.3:1, which is 24% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 4% 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 Central Elementary?
51.2% of students at Central Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Central Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Central Elementary is Hispanic or Latino at 61.3% of enrollment, in Lemoore, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 55.5/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Central Elementary?
Central Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 31/100 (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 Central Elementary rank among elementary schools in Lemoore?
By Resource Investment Index, Central Elementary ranks #2 of 7 elementary schools in Lemoore, 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 Lemoore on the city page.
Is Central Elementary a good school?
Central Elementary earns 31/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 86% 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 Central Union Elementary?
Besides Central Elementary, Central Union Elementary also operates Akers Elementary (592 students), R. J. Neutra (410 students), and Stratford Elementary (294 students). See the Central 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.