Elementary school (grades K-5) · Costa Mesa, CA

College Park Elementary

Federal NCES profile for College Park Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 32/100.

2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 062724004107
0/100100/10032/100
👥 S:T ratio
24
🌟 Gifted program
70
📋 Attendance
2
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

College Park Elementary earns 32/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 74% of California schools.

#14 of 15
elementary schools in Costa Mesa · Resource Index
32
Resource Index · Typical
18.9:1
small classes for California
70.9%
free-lunch eligible

College Park Elementary has class sizes smaller than 74% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, College Park Elementary ranks #14 of 15 elementary schools in Costa Mesa, CA.

Enrollment

473

California · 2024-25 NCES data

Teachers (FTE)

25.0

Federal CCD staff survey

Students per teacher

18.9:1

vs 21.5:1 California avg

-12% vs state

Free-lunch eligible

70.9%

vs 55.5% California avg

+28% vs state

Student-teacher ratio in context

How College Park Elementary compares with California and U.S. medians

Smaller 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 College Park Elementary

College Park Elementary is a higher-need, mid-sized elementary school in Costa Mesa, California, enrolling 473 students.

Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 18.9:1 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.

Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 70.9% of students eligible for free meals.

With 473 students, its enrollment sits close to the California median campus size.

Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 9,998 scored California schools.

Against 2,106 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #508.

Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (78%) and White (14%) (diversity index 37/100).

Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 39.3% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).

The surrounding Newport-Mesa Unified spends $20,621 per pupil, 25% above the California average, a better-resourced district than most.

Among Costa Mesa's elementary schools, it stands alongside Maude B. Davis Elementary (570 students): College Park Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (18.9:1 vs 25.9:1).

Newport-Mesa Unified also operates Corona Del Mar High (2,106 students) and Newport Harbor High (2,084 students) alongside College Park 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 College Park Elementary compares

College Park 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 18.9:1 ▼ 12% 21.5:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 70.9% ▲ 28% 55.5% 51.7%
Enrollment 473 top 49% - -

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

18.9:1
Leaner classes than 20% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
473
Bigger than 58% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.

Equity indicators (what these measure)

Economic need
70.9%
free-lunch eligible - 28% above the California average of 55.5%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
18.9:1
students per teacher - 12% below state mean
Top 26% in California - lower ratio than 74% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
39.3%
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
$20,621
per pupil, district-wide - above California avg of $16,509
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
4
in-school suspensions + 8 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.5 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 77.8%
White 14.4%
Two or More 5.7%
Asian 1.3%
African American 0.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.4%

Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 77.8% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 37.1/100

Simpson diversity index - at 37.1, College Park Elementary is less mixed than the California school average of 46.0.

Programs

Gifted & talented Yes

Funding & spending

District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Newport-Mesa Unified, which includes College Park Elementary.

$20,621
Per student
+25%
vs California
Avg $16,509
+24%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 74.9%
State 17.7%
Federal 7.4%

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 College Park Elementary Compares to District-Mates

School Enrollment Economic Profile Student-Teacher Ratio
Corona Del Mar High Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
Newport Harbor High Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
Costa Mesa High Larger Lower economic need Similar S:T ratio
Estancia High Larger Similar economic need Similar S:T ratio
Horace Ensign Intermediate Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio

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

Other Schools in This District

Newport-Mesa Unified · 5 sibling schools

View district profile

Similar elementary schools in Costa Mesa

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 College Park 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 College Park Elementary

How many students attend College Park Elementary?

College Park Elementary has 473 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Costa Mesa, CA.

What is the student-teacher ratio at College Park Elementary?

The student-teacher ratio at College Park Elementary is 18.9:1, which is 12% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 20% 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 College Park Elementary?

70.9% of students at College Park Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of College Park Elementary?

The largest demographic group at College Park Elementary is Hispanic or Latino at 77.8% of enrollment, in Costa Mesa, CA.

What is the Resource Investment Index for College Park Elementary?

College Park Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 32/100 (typical 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 College Park Elementary rank among elementary schools in Costa Mesa?

By Resource Investment Index, College Park Elementary ranks #14 of 15 elementary schools in Costa Mesa, 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 Costa Mesa on the city page.

Is College Park Elementary a good school?

College Park Elementary earns 32/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 74% 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 Newport-Mesa Unified?

Besides College Park Elementary, Newport-Mesa Unified also operates Corona Del Mar High (2,106 students), Newport Harbor High (2,084 students), and Costa Mesa High (1,730 students). See the Newport-Mesa Unified 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.

View saved

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.