Enrollment
780
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Laguna Niguel, CA
Community Roots Academy
Federal NCES profile for Community Roots Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 26/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 060233112651Charter school
👥 S:T ratio 22
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 53
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Community Roots Academy earns 26/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median.
- #5 of 8
- elementary schools in Laguna Niguel · Resource Index
- 26
- Resource Index · Lower
- 19.5:1
- students per teacher
- 10.6%
- free-lunch eligible
Community Roots Academy has class sizes near the California median. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Community Roots Academy ranks #5 of 8 elementary schools in Laguna Niguel, CA.
School address
District: Community Roots Academy District · California
NCES ID 060233112651 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
40.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
19.5:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-9% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
10.6%
vs 55.5% California avg
-81% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Community Roots Academy compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Community Roots Academy
Community Roots Academy is a lower-poverty, mid-sized charter elementary school in Laguna Niguel, California, enrolling 780 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 19.5:1 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 10.6% free-meal eligibility runs 81% below the California average.
Enrollment of 780 puts it in the larger third of California schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 9,998 scored California schools.
Among 793 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need California schools statewide, it ranks #656, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (64%) and Hispanic or Latino (15%) (diversity index 54/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 780 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 19.0% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
The surrounding Community Roots Academy District spends $12,051 per pupil, 27% below the California average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Among Laguna Niguel's elementary schools, it stands alongside John Malcom Elementary (553 students): Community Roots Academy is larger than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (19.5:1 vs 25.1:1).
Community Roots Academy District is a single-school charter district, so Community Roots Academy operates independently rather than alongside district-mates.
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 Community Roots Academy compares
Community Roots Academy on the metrics families compare, against California and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs California | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 19.5:1 | ▼ 9% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 10.6% | ▼ 81% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 780 | top 18% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
19.5:1
Leaner classes than 18% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
780
Bigger than 85% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
10.6%
free-lunch eligible
- 81% 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
19.5:1
students per teacher
- 9% below state mean
Top 31% in California - lower ratio than 69% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
19.0%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$12,051
per pupil, district-wide
- below California avg of $16,509
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 780 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
2
in-school suspensions + 9 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.4 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 64.2%
Hispanic or Latino 14.9%
Two or More 14.4%
Asian 5.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.5%
African American 0.1%
Largest group: White at 64.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 54.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 54.1, Community Roots Academy is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Community Roots Academy District, which includes Community Roots Academy.
$12,051
Per student
-27%
vs California
Avg $16,509
-27%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 75.0%
State 21.1%
Federal 3.9%
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 Laguna Niguel
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
John Malcom Elementary
Standard public school
553 students 25.1:1 students per teacher
Moulton Elementary
Standard public school
538 students 25.6:1 students per teacher
Laguna Niguel Elementary
Standard public school
456 students 26.8:1 students per teacher
Marian Bergeson Elementary
Standard public school
423 students 20.1:1 students per teacher
George White Elementary
Standard public school
378 students 23.6:1 students per teacher
Hidden Hills Elementary
Standard public school
330 students 25.4:1 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 (~780 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~19.5:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Community Roots Academy's federal record.
- Compare Community Roots Academy against another school. Compare schools
- Community Roots Academy District'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 Community Roots Academy
How many students attend Community Roots Academy?
Community Roots Academy has 780 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Laguna Niguel, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Community Roots Academy?
The student-teacher ratio at Community Roots Academy is 19.5:1, which is 9% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 24% 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 Community Roots Academy?
10.6% of students at Community Roots Academy are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Community Roots Academy?
The largest demographic group at Community Roots Academy is White at 64.2% of enrollment, in Laguna Niguel, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 54.1/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Community Roots Academy?
Community Roots Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 26/100 (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 Community Roots Academy rank among elementary schools in Laguna Niguel?
By Resource Investment Index, Community Roots Academy ranks #5 of 8 elementary schools in Laguna Niguel, 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 Laguna Niguel on the city page.
Is Community Roots Academy a good school?
Community Roots Academy earns 26/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median. 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 Community Roots Academy District?
None; Community Roots Academy District is a single-school charter district, and Community Roots Academy is its only campus.
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.