Enrollment
369
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · East Palo Alto, CA
Costano Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Costano Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 16/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 063186004915
👥 S:T ratio 18
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Costano Elementary earns 16/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median.
- #2 of 3
- elementary schools in East Palo Alto · Resource Index
- 16
- Resource Index · Lower
- 20.5:1
- students per teacher
- 81.6%
- free-lunch eligible
Costano Elementary has class sizes near the California median. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Costano Elementary ranks #2 of 3 elementary schools in East Palo Alto, CA.
School address
District: Ravenswood City Elementary · California
NCES ID 063186004915 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
18.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
20.5:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-5% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
81.6%
vs 55.5% California avg
+47% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Costano Elementary compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Costano Elementary
Costano Elementary is a high-poverty, mid-sized elementary school in East Palo Alto, California, enrolling 369 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 20.5:1 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 81.6% of students eligible for free meals.
With 369 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 1,619 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need California schools statewide, it ranks #1,354, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (73%) and Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander (13%) (diversity index 45/100).
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 67.5% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding Ravenswood City Elementary spends $30,183 per pupil, 83% above the California average, a better-resourced district than most.
Its district draws 15.2% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among East Palo Alto's elementary schools, it stands alongside Aspire East Palo Alto Charter (496 students): Costano Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (20.5:1 vs 21.6:1).
Ravenswood City Elementary also operates Cesar Chavez Ravenswood Middle (488 students) and Belle Haven Elementary (312 students) alongside Costano 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 Costano Elementary compares
Costano 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 | 20.5:1 | ▼ 5% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 81.6% | ▲ 47% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 369 | top 65% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
20.5:1
Leaner classes than 14% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
369
Bigger than 43% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
81.6%
free-lunch eligible
- 47% 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
20.5:1
students per teacher
- 5% below state mean
Top 39% in California - lower ratio than 61% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
67.5%
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
$30,183
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
0
in-school suspensions + 3 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.8 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 72.9%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 12.5%
African American 7.3%
Two or More 3.8%
White 2.4%
Asian 0.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 72.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 44.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 44.6, Costano Elementary is about as mixed as the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Ravenswood City Elementary, which includes Costano Elementary.
$30,183
Per student
+83%
vs California
Avg $16,509
+82%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 37.7%
State 47.0%
Federal 15.2%
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 Costano Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cesar Chavez Ravenswood Middle | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Belle Haven Elementary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Los Robles-Ronald Mcnair Academy | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Costano Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 488
- Students per teacher
- 13.2:1
- Resource Index
- 28/100
- Enrollment
- 312
- Students per teacher
- 17.3:1
- Resource Index
- 20/100
- Enrollment
- 276
- Students per teacher
- 21.2:1
- Resource Index
- 24/100
Similar elementary schools in East Palo Alto
2 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.
Similar enrollment (~369 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~20.5:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Costano Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Costano Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Ravenswood City Elementary'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 Costano Elementary
How many students attend Costano Elementary?
Costano Elementary has 369 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in East Palo Alto, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Costano Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Costano Elementary is 20.5:1, which is 5% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 31% 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 Costano Elementary?
81.6% of students at Costano Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Costano Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Costano Elementary is Hispanic or Latino at 72.9% of enrollment, in East Palo Alto, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Costano Elementary?
Costano Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 16/100 (lower 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 Costano Elementary rank among elementary schools in East Palo Alto?
By Resource Investment Index, Costano Elementary ranks #2 of 3 elementary schools in East Palo Alto, 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 East Palo Alto on the city page.
Is Costano Elementary a good school?
Costano Elementary earns 16/100 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 Ravenswood City Elementary?
Besides Costano Elementary, Ravenswood City Elementary also operates Cesar Chavez Ravenswood Middle (488 students), Belle Haven Elementary (312 students), and Los Robles-Ronald Mcnair Academy (276 students). See the Ravenswood City Elementary 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.