Elementary school (grades K-5) · Santa Barbara, CA

Cold Spring Elementary

Federal NCES profile for Cold Spring Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 56/100.

2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 060927000939
0/100100/10056/100
👥 S:T ratio
50
🌟 Gifted program
30
📋 Attendance
87
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

Cold Spring Elementary earns 56/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 93% of California schools.

#2 of 20
elementary schools in Santa Barbara · Resource Index
56
Resource Index · Higher
12.5:1
small classes for California
5.2%
free-lunch eligible

Cold Spring Elementary has class sizes smaller than 93% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, Cold Spring Elementary ranks #2 of 20 elementary schools in Santa Barbara, CA.

CCD year-over-year · 2022-23 → 2023-24

-15 students YoY

Cold Spring Elementary shrank from 193 students in 2022-23 to 178 in 2023-24 (-7.8%).

Teacher FTE lost 15.9 → 14.7 across the same CCD years.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data public-school universe (2022-23, 2023-24).

Shrinking CCD campus

-15 students YoY 060927000939 · Santa Barbara, CA Elementary · SMALL · TRAD

188 enr · 12.5:1 · 5.2% lunch · RII 56

Nearest enrollment peer: Bridgeprep Academy Interamerican Campus (188 students)

Cold Spring Elementary shrank from 193 students in 2022-23 to 178 in 2023-24 (-7.8%). Teacher FTE lost 15.9 → 14.7 across the same CCD years. Read with this school → · District book → · California schools → · Find another →

How Cold Spring Elementary compares

Cold Spring Elementary is a shrinking campus on CCD: ratios and free-lunch share vs California and U.S. means.

Metric This school vs California California avg U.S. avg
Students per teacher 12.5:1 ▼ 42% 21.5:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 5.2% ▼ 91% 55.5% 51.7%
Enrollment 188 top 84% - -

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25

12.5:1
Leaner classes than 71% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
188
Bigger than 18% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.

Equity indicators methodology

Economic need
5.2%
free-lunch eligible - 91% 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
12.5:1
students per teacher - 42% below state mean
Top 7% in California - lower ratio than 93% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
5.3%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 5-10% range, close to the pre-pandemic national baseline.
Funding equity
$26,378
per pupil, district-wide - above California avg of $18,665
Well above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting substantially higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
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.

Student demographics

White 79.3%
Two or More 12.8%
Hispanic or Latino 5.3%
Asian 1.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.1%
African American 0.5%

Largest group: White at 79.3% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 35.2/100

Simpson diversity index - at 35.2, Cold Spring Elementary is less mixed than the California school average of 46.0.

Programs

District finance for Cold Spring Elementary reports $26,378 per pupil (NCES F-33) - open the district page for the full revenue mix.

Similar elementary schools in Santa Barbara

6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.

Nationwide elementary schools with similar size or staffing

Out-of-state peers matched by enrollment and by student-teacher ratio, not the same-city or same-district lists above.

Frequently asked questions about Cold Spring Elementary

How many students attend Cold Spring Elementary?

Cold Spring Elementary has 188 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Santa Barbara, CA. CCD year-over-year: 193 (2022-23) → 178 (2023-24), down 15.

What is the student-teacher ratio at Cold Spring Elementary?

The student-teacher ratio at Cold Spring Elementary is 12.5:1, which is 42% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 20% lower 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 Cold Spring Elementary?

5.2% of students at Cold Spring Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Cold Spring Elementary?

The largest demographic group at Cold Spring Elementary is White at 79.3% of enrollment, in Santa Barbara, CA.

What is the Resource Investment Index for Cold Spring Elementary?

Cold Spring Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 56/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, gifted-program reporting, chronic absenteeism. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).

How does Cold Spring Elementary rank among elementary schools in Santa Barbara?

By Resource Investment Index, Cold Spring Elementary ranks #2 of 20 elementary schools in Santa Barbara, 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 Santa Barbara on the city page.

What other schools are in Cold Spring Elementary?

None reported; Cold Spring Elementary operates only Cold Spring Elementary as a public school district in NCES's records.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) CCD + Public School Universe (2024-25), CRDC (2021-22), F-33 District Finance Survey (FY 2022-23) · 2024-25 Data as of the 2024-25 school year. Coverage from U.S. Department of Education NCES Common Core of Data. Varies by entity type; administrative districts and certain charter networks may report only a subset of fields.

All federal data sources used on this page

Full source list and how we compute each figure: methodology page.

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