Enrollment
440
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · San Francisco, CA
Creative Arts Charter
Federal NCES profile for Creative Arts Charter, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 28/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 060215503982Charter school
👥 S:T ratio 27
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 28
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Creative Arts Charter earns 28/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 77% of California schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most California schools.
- #30 of 83
- elementary schools in San Francisco · Resource Index
- 28
- Resource Index · Lower
- 18.3:1
- small classes for California
- 17.5%
- free-lunch eligible
Creative Arts Charter has class sizes smaller than 77% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Creative Arts Charter ranks #30 of 83 elementary schools in San Francisco, CA.
School address
District: Creative Arts Charter District · California
NCES ID 060215503982 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
24.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18.3:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-15% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
17.5%
vs 55.5% California avg
-68% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Creative Arts Charter compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Creative Arts Charter
Creative Arts Charter is a lower-poverty, mid-sized charter elementary school in San Francisco, California, enrolling 440 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 18.3:1 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 17.5% free-meal eligibility runs 68% below the California average.
With 440 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.
Among 1,076 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need California schools statewide, it ranks #811, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (41%) and Hispanic or Latino (27%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 72/100).
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 28.9% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding Creative Arts Charter District spends $11,972 per pupil, 27% below the California average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Among San Francisco's elementary schools, it stands alongside Lilienthal (Claire) Elementary (673 students): Creative Arts Charter is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (18.3:1 vs 23.2:1).
Creative Arts Charter District is a single-school charter district, so Creative Arts Charter 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 Creative Arts Charter compares
Creative Arts Charter on the metrics families compare, against California and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs California | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 18.3:1 | ▼ 15% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 17.5% | ▼ 68% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 440 | top 54% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
18.3:1
Leaner classes than 23% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
440
Bigger than 53% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
17.5%
free-lunch eligible
- 68% 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
18.3:1
students per teacher
- 15% below state mean
Top 23% in California - lower ratio than 77% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
28.9%
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
$11,972
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
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
14
in-school suspensions + 11 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 3.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 5.7 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 40.5%
Hispanic or Latino 27.3%
Two or More 15.7%
African American 12.0%
Asian 4.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: White at 40.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 72.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 72.1, Creative Arts Charter is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Creative Arts Charter District, which includes Creative Arts Charter.
$11,972
Per student
-27%
vs California
Avg $16,509
-28%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 60.2%
State 37.1%
Federal 2.7%
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 San Francisco
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Lilienthal (Claire) Elementary
Standard public school
673 students 23.2:1 students per teacher
Lau (Gordon J.) Elementary
Standard public school
653 students 23.3:1 students per teacher
Lawton Alternative
Standard public school
600 students 20.7:1 students per teacher
Yu (Alice Fong) Elementary
Standard public school
594 students 29.7:1 students per teacher
West Portal Elementary
Standard public school
588 students 26.7:1 students per teacher
Buena Vista/ Horace Mann K-8
Standard public school
586 students 18.9:1 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 (~440 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Creative Arts Charter's federal record.
- Compare Creative Arts Charter against another school. Compare schools
- Creative Arts Charter 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 Creative Arts Charter
How many students attend Creative Arts Charter?
Creative Arts Charter has 440 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in San Francisco, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Creative Arts Charter?
The student-teacher ratio at Creative Arts Charter is 18.3:1, which is 15% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 17% 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 Creative Arts Charter?
17.5% of students at Creative Arts Charter are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Creative Arts Charter?
The largest demographic group at Creative Arts Charter is White at 40.5% of enrollment, in San Francisco, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 72.1/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Creative Arts Charter?
Creative Arts Charter has a Resource Investment Index of 28/100 (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 Creative Arts Charter rank among elementary schools in San Francisco?
By Resource Investment Index, Creative Arts Charter ranks #30 of 83 elementary schools in San Francisco, 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 Francisco on the city page.
Is Creative Arts Charter a good school?
Creative Arts Charter earns 28/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 77% of California schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most 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 Creative Arts Charter District?
None; Creative Arts Charter District is a single-school charter district, and Creative Arts Charter 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.