Elementary school (grades K-5) · San Rafael, CA

Coleman Elementary

Federal NCES profile for Coleman Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 25/100.

2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 063509005933
0/100100/10025/100
👥 S:T ratio
0
🌟 Gifted program
30
🎓 Counselors
24
📋 Attendance
45
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

Coleman Elementary earns 25/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 89% of California schools.

#7 of 10
elementary schools in San Rafael · Resource Index
25
Resource Index · Lower
27:1
large classes for California
52.6%
free-lunch eligible

Coleman Elementary has class sizes larger than 89% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, Coleman Elementary ranks #7 of 10 elementary schools in San Rafael, CA.

Enrollment

378

California · 2024-25 NCES data

Teachers (FTE)

14.0

Federal CCD staff survey

Students per teacher

27:1

vs 21.5:1 California avg

+26% vs state

Free-lunch eligible

52.6%

vs 55.5% California avg

-5% vs state

Student-teacher ratio in context

How Coleman Elementary compares with California and U.S. medians

Larger classes than state median

Source: NCES Common Core of Data As of 2024-25 federal staff survey Total enrollment ÷ full-time-equivalent classroom teachers

What stands out at Coleman Elementary

Coleman Elementary is a higher-need, mid-sized elementary school in San Rafael, California, enrolling 378 students.

Class loads run heavy: 27:1 is larger than about 89% of California schools and 26% above the 21.5:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.

Its free-meal eligibility rate of 52.6% lands close to the California typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.

With 378 students, its enrollment sits close to the California median campus size.

Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 9,998 scored California schools.

Against 1,271 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #732.

Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (55%) and White (33%) (diversity index 58/100).

Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 378 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.

Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 22.2% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.

Among San Rafael's elementary schools, it stands alongside Venetia Valley K-8 (748 students): Coleman Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (27:1 vs 20.8:1).

San Rafael City Elementary also operates James B. Davidson Middle (1,052 students) and Venetia Valley K-8 (748 students) alongside Coleman 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 Coleman Elementary compares

Coleman 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 27:1 ▲ 26% 21.5:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 52.6% ▼ 5% 55.5% 51.7%
Enrollment 378 top 64% - -

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

27:1
Leaner classes than 3% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
378
Bigger than 44% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.

Equity indicators (what these measure)

Economic need
52.6%
free-lunch eligible - 5% 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
27:1
students per teacher - 26% above state mean
Top 89% in California - lower ratio than 11% of state schools
Well above 20:1, one of the more stretched staffing loads nationally relative to enrollment.
Engagement
22.2%
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
$16,402
per pupil, district-wide - below California avg of $16,509
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 378 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 55.0%
White 33.1%
Two or More 5.3%
Asian 4.0%
African American 1.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.1%

Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 55.0% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 58.3/100

Simpson diversity index - at 58.3, Coleman Elementary is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.

Programs

Funding & spending

District-wide per-pupil expenditure for San Rafael City Elementary, which includes Coleman Elementary.

$16,402
Per student
-1%
vs California
Avg $16,509
-1%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 45.6%
State 43.9%
Federal 10.5%

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 Coleman Elementary Compares to District-Mates

School Enrollment Economic Profile Student-Teacher Ratio
James B. Davidson Middle Larger Higher economic need Lower S:T ratio
Venetia Valley K-8 Larger Higher economic need Lower S:T ratio
Bahia Vista Elementary Larger Higher economic need Lower S:T ratio
Sun Valley Elementary Larger Lower economic need Lower S:T ratio
San Pedro Elementary Similar size Higher economic need Lower S:T ratio

Comparisons are relative to Coleman Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.

Other Schools in This District

San Rafael City Elementary · 5 sibling schools

View district profile

Similar elementary schools in San Rafael

6 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.

Next steps

Verify locally before acting on Coleman Elementary's federal record.

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 Coleman Elementary

How many students attend Coleman Elementary?

Coleman Elementary has 378 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in San Rafael, CA.

What is the student-teacher ratio at Coleman Elementary?

The student-teacher ratio at Coleman Elementary is 27:1, which is 26% higher than the California average of 21.5:1 and 72% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.

What percentage of students receive free lunch at Coleman Elementary?

52.6% of students at Coleman Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Coleman Elementary?

The largest demographic group at Coleman Elementary is Hispanic or Latino at 55.0% of enrollment, in San Rafael, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 58.3/100.

What is the Resource Investment Index for Coleman Elementary?

Coleman Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 25/100 (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 Coleman Elementary rank among elementary schools in San Rafael?

By Resource Investment Index, Coleman Elementary ranks #7 of 10 elementary schools in San Rafael, 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 San Rafael on the city page.

Is Coleman Elementary a good school?

Coleman Elementary earns 25/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 89% 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 San Rafael City Elementary?

Besides Coleman Elementary, San Rafael City Elementary also operates James B. Davidson Middle (1,052 students), Venetia Valley K-8 (748 students), and Bahia Vista Elementary (552 students). See the San Rafael City Elementary district page for the complete list.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) CCD + Public School Universe (2024-25), CRDC (2021-22), F-33 District Finance Survey (FY 2021-22) · 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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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.