Enrollment
530
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Colton, CA
Cooley Ranch Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Cooley Ranch Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 18/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 060939010300
👥 S:T ratio 0
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Cooley Ranch Elementary earns 18/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 87% of California schools.
- #8 of 10
- elementary schools in Colton · Resource Index
- 18
- Resource Index · Lower
- 26.5:1
- large classes for California
- 69.1%
- free-lunch eligible
Cooley Ranch Elementary has class sizes larger than 87% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Cooley Ranch Elementary ranks #8 of 10 elementary schools in Colton, CA.
School address
District: Colton Joint Unified · California
NCES ID 060939010300 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
20.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
26.5:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
+23% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
69.1%
vs 55.5% California avg
+25% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Cooley Ranch Elementary compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Cooley Ranch Elementary
Cooley Ranch Elementary is a higher-need, mid-sized elementary school in Colton, California, enrolling 530 students.
Class loads run heavy: 26.5:1 is larger than about 87% of California schools and 23% above the 21.5:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 69.1% of students eligible for free meals.
With 530 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.
Among 2,176 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need California schools statewide, it ranks #1,640, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (74%) and African American (18%) (diversity index 42/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 530 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 58.1% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Among Colton's elementary schools, it stands alongside Alice Birney Elementary (681 students): Cooley Ranch Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (26.5:1 vs 25.2:1).
Colton Joint Unified also operates Bloomington High (1,794 students) and Colton High (1,729 students) alongside Cooley Ranch 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 Cooley Ranch Elementary compares
Cooley Ranch 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 | 26.5:1 | ▲ 23% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 69.1% | ▲ 25% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 530 | top 41% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
26.5:1
Leaner classes than 4% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
530
Bigger than 65% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
69.1%
free-lunch eligible
- 25% 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
26.5:1
students per teacher
- 23% above state mean
Top 87% in California - lower ratio than 13% of state schools
Well above 20:1, one of the more stretched staffing loads nationally relative to enrollment.
Engagement
58.1%
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
$16,590
per pupil, district-wide
- above California avg of $16,509
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 530 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
2
in-school suspensions + 17 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.6 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 73.8%
African American 18.1%
White 3.6%
Asian 2.8%
Two or More 1.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.4%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 73.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 42.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 42.0, Cooley Ranch Elementary is less mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Colton Joint Unified, which includes Cooley Ranch Elementary.
$16,590
Per student
+0%
vs California
Avg $16,509
0%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 20.0%
State 68.2%
Federal 11.8%
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 Cooley Ranch Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bloomington High | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Colton High | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Grand Terrace High Sch at the Ray Abril Jr. Edal Complex | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Colton Middle | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Terrace Hills Middle | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Cooley Ranch Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,794
- Students per teacher
- 16.9:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 1,729
- Students per teacher
- 18.6:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 1,647
- Students per teacher
- 19.2:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 870
- Students per teacher
- 22.9:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 852
- Students per teacher
- 20.8:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
Similar elementary schools in Colton
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Alice Birney Elementary
Standard public school
681 students 25.2:1 students per teacher
Dr. Ernest Garcia Elementary
Standard public school
608 students 25.3:1 students per teacher
Georgia F. Morris Elementary
Standard public school
604 students 25.2:1 students per teacher
Paul Rogers Elementary
Standard public school
602 students 23.2:1 students per teacher
Ulysses Grant Elementary
Standard public school
589 students 25.6:1 students per teacher
Abraham Lincoln Elementary
Standard public school
587 students 21.7:1 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 (~530 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Cooley Ranch Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Cooley Ranch Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Colton Joint Unified'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 Cooley Ranch Elementary
How many students attend Cooley Ranch Elementary?
Cooley Ranch Elementary has 530 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Colton, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Cooley Ranch Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Cooley Ranch Elementary is 26.5:1, which is 23% higher than the California average of 21.5:1 and 69% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Cooley Ranch Elementary?
69.1% of students at Cooley Ranch Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Cooley Ranch Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Cooley Ranch Elementary is Hispanic or Latino at 73.8% of enrollment, in Colton, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Cooley Ranch Elementary?
Cooley Ranch Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 18/100 (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 Cooley Ranch Elementary rank among elementary schools in Colton?
By Resource Investment Index, Cooley Ranch Elementary ranks #8 of 10 elementary schools in Colton, 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 Colton on the city page.
Is Cooley Ranch Elementary a good school?
Cooley Ranch Elementary earns 18/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 87% 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 Colton Joint Unified?
Besides Cooley Ranch Elementary, Colton Joint Unified also operates Bloomington High (1,794 students), Colton High (1,729 students), and Grand Terrace High Sch at the Ray Abril Jr. Edal Complex (1,647 students). See the Colton Joint Unified district page for the complete list.
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.