Enrollment
374
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Los Banos, CA
Charleston Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Charleston Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 15/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 062274003478
👥 S:T ratio 0
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 25
📋 Attendance 5
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Charleston Elementary earns 15/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 88% of California schools.
- #6 of 10
- elementary schools in Los Banos · Resource Index
- 15
- Resource Index · Lower
- 26.7:1
- large classes for California
- 46.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Charleston Elementary has class sizes larger than 88% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Charleston Elementary ranks #6 of 10 elementary schools in Los Banos, CA.
School address
District: Los Banos Unified · California
NCES ID 062274003478 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
14.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
26.7:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
+24% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
46.0%
vs 55.5% California avg
-17% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Charleston Elementary compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Charleston Elementary
Charleston Elementary is a mid-sized elementary school in Los Banos, California, enrolling 374 students.
Class loads run heavy: 26.7:1 is larger than about 88% of California schools and 24% above the 21.5:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 46.0% of students eligible for free meals.
With 374 students, its enrollment sits close to the California median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 91% of the 9,998 California schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.
Among 1,126 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need California schools statewide, it ranks #990, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (70%) and White (25%) (diversity index 45/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 374 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 38.0% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Among Los Banos's elementary schools, it stands alongside Grasslands Elementary (884 students): Charleston Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (26.7:1 vs 30.5:1).
Los Banos Unified also operates Pacheco High (1,725 students) and Los Banos High (1,543 students) alongside Charleston 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 Charleston Elementary compares
Charleston 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 | 26.7:1 | ▲ 24% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 46.0% | ▼ 17% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 374 | top 64% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
26.7:1
Leaner classes than 3% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
374
Bigger than 43% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
46.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 17% 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
26.7:1
students per teacher
- 24% above state mean
Top 88% in California - lower ratio than 12% of state schools
Well above 20:1, one of the more stretched staffing loads nationally relative to enrollment.
Engagement
38.0%
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
$15,682
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 374 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: 0.5 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 70.1%
White 24.6%
Asian 2.7%
African American 0.8%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.8%
Two or More 0.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 70.1% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 44.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 44.7, Charleston Elementary is about as mixed as the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Los Banos Unified, which includes Charleston Elementary.
$15,682
Per student
-5%
vs California
Avg $16,509
-5%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 17.4%
State 67.9%
Federal 14.7%
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 Charleston Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pacheco High | Larger | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Los Banos High | Larger | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Los Banos Junior High | Larger | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Grasslands Elementary | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Creekside Junior High | Larger | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Charleston Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,725
- Students per teacher
- 21:1
- Resource Index
- 22/100
- Enrollment
- 1,543
- Students per teacher
- 20.9:1
- Resource Index
- 25/100
- Enrollment
- 938
- Students per teacher
- 22.3:1
- Resource Index
- 26/100
- Enrollment
- 884
- Students per teacher
- 30.5:1
- Resource Index
- 10/100
- Enrollment
- 812
- Students per teacher
- 20.3:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
Similar elementary schools in Los Banos
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Grasslands Elementary
Standard public school
884 students 30.5:1 students per teacher
R. M. Miano Elementary
Standard public school
778 students 26.8:1 students per teacher
Henry Miller Elementary
Standard public school
676 students 23.3:1 students per teacher
Lorena Falasco Elementary
Standard public school
669 students 24.8:1 students per teacher
Los Banos Elementary
Standard public school
622 students 34.6:1 students per teacher
Mercey Springs Elementary
Standard public school
608 students 27.6:1 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 (~374 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~26.7:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Charleston Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Charleston Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Los Banos 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 Charleston Elementary
How many students attend Charleston Elementary?
Charleston Elementary has 374 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Los Banos, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Charleston Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Charleston Elementary is 26.7:1, which is 24% higher than the California average of 21.5:1 and 70% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Charleston Elementary?
46.0% of students at Charleston Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Charleston Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Charleston Elementary is Hispanic or Latino at 70.1% of enrollment, in Los Banos, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Charleston Elementary?
Charleston Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 15/100 (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 Charleston Elementary rank among elementary schools in Los Banos?
By Resource Investment Index, Charleston Elementary ranks #6 of 10 elementary schools in Los Banos, 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 Los Banos on the city page.
Is Charleston Elementary a good school?
Charleston Elementary earns 15/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 88% 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 Los Banos Unified?
Besides Charleston Elementary, Los Banos Unified also operates Pacheco High (1,725 students), Los Banos High (1,543 students), and Los Banos Junior High (938 students). See the Los Banos 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.