Enrollment
21
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Hollister, CA
Cienega Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Cienega 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 060864000883
👥 S:T ratio 16
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Cienega Elementary earns 15/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median. It is also one of the smallest schools in California.
- #9 of 12
- elementary schools in Hollister · Resource Index
- 15
- Resource Index · Lower
- 21:1
- students per teacher
- 52.4%
- free-lunch eligible
Cienega Elementary has class sizes near the California median. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Cienega Elementary ranks #9 of 12 elementary schools in Hollister, CA.
School address
District: Cienega Union Elementary · California
NCES ID 060864000883 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
1.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
21:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-2% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
52.4%
vs 55.5% California avg
-6% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Cienega Elementary compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Cienega Elementary
Cienega Elementary is a higher-need, small elementary school in Hollister, California, enrolling 21 students.
At 21:1, 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.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 52.4% lands close to the California typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
This is a small campus: fewer students than 97% of California schools, with 21 enrolled.
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 77 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need California schools statewide, it ranks #69, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (62%) and Hispanic or Latino (33%) (diversity index 50/100).
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 47.6% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Among Hollister's elementary schools, it stands alongside Hollister Dual Language Academy (858 students): Cienega Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (21:1 vs 22:1).
Cienega Union Elementary operates only this one school, so Cienega Elementary has no district-mates to compare against locally. At 21 students, it is also a small operation, on the smaller end of California's single-school districts.
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 Cienega Elementary compares
Cienega 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 | ▼ 2% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 52.4% | ▼ 6% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 21 | top 97% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
21:1
Leaner classes than 13% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
21
Bigger than 3% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
52.4%
free-lunch eligible
- 6% 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
21:1
students per teacher
- 2% below state mean
Top 43% in California - lower ratio than 57% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
47.6%
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
$14,333
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 + 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 61.9%
Hispanic or Latino 33.3%
Two or More 4.8%
Largest group: White at 61.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 50.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 50.4, Cienega Elementary is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Cienega Union Elementary, which includes Cienega Elementary.
$14,333
Per student
-13%
vs California
Avg $16,509
-14%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 39.0%
State 55.3%
Federal 5.6%
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.
Similar elementary schools in Hollister
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Hollister Dual Language Academy
Standard public school
858 students 22:1 students per teacher
Ladd Lane Elementary
Standard public school
767 students 22.6:1 students per teacher
Spring Grove Elementary
Standard public school
762 students 21.8:1 students per teacher
Rancho Santana
Standard public school
678 students 28.3:1 students per teacher
Sunnyslope Elementary
Standard public school
602 students 22.3:1 students per teacher
Cerra Vista Elementary
Standard public school
602 students 26.2:1 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 (~21 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~21:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Cienega Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Cienega Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Cienega 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 Cienega Elementary
How many students attend Cienega Elementary?
Cienega Elementary has 21 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Hollister, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Cienega Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Cienega Elementary is 21:1, 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 Cienega Elementary?
52.4% of students at Cienega Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Cienega Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Cienega Elementary is White at 61.9% of enrollment, in Hollister, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 50.4/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Cienega Elementary?
Cienega Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 15/100 (lower 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 Cienega Elementary rank among elementary schools in Hollister?
By Resource Investment Index, Cienega Elementary ranks #9 of 12 elementary schools in Hollister, 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 Hollister on the city page.
Is Cienega Elementary a good school?
Cienega Elementary earns 15/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median. It is also one of the smallest schools in California. 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 Cienega Union Elementary?
None reported; Cienega Union Elementary operates only Cienega Elementary as a public school district in NCES's records.
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.