Enrollment
534
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Salinas, CA
Creekside Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Creekside Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 12/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 060195007550
👥 S:T ratio 18
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Creekside Elementary earns 12/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most California schools.
- #25 of 39
- elementary schools in Salinas · Resource Index
- 12
- Resource Index · Lower
- 20.5:1
- students per teacher
- 55.7%
- free-lunch eligible
Creekside Elementary has class sizes near the California median. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Creekside Elementary ranks #25 of 39 elementary schools in Salinas, CA.
School address
District: Alisal Union · California
NCES ID 060195007550 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
26.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
20.5:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-5% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
55.7%
vs 55.5% California avg
+0% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Creekside Elementary compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Creekside Elementary
Creekside Elementary is a higher-need, mid-sized elementary school in Salinas, California, enrolling 534 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.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 55.7% lands close to the California typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
With 534 students, its enrollment sits close to the California median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 95% of the 9,998 California schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.
Among 1,722 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need California schools statewide, it ranks #1,538, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (91% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 18/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 534 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 47.4% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Among Salinas's elementary schools, it stands alongside Sherwood Elementary (859 students): Creekside Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (20.5:1 vs 22:1).
Alisal Union also operates Monte Bella Elementary (812 students) and Fremont Elementary (711 students) alongside Creekside 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 Creekside Elementary compares
Creekside 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 | 55.7% | ▲ 0% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 534 | top 40% | - | - |
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.
534
Bigger than 66% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
55.7%
free-lunch eligible
- 0% 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
47.4%
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
$15,875
per pupil, district-wide
- below California avg of $16,509
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 534 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 19 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.7 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
Hispanic or Latino 90.6%
Asian 3.9%
White 2.8%
Two or More 1.9%
African American 0.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.4%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 90.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 17.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 17.6, Creekside Elementary is less mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Alisal Union, which includes Creekside Elementary.
$15,875
Per student
-4%
vs California
Avg $16,509
-4%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 17.0%
State 69.9%
Federal 13.1%
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 Creekside Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monte Bella Elementary | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Fremont Elementary | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Jesse G. Sanchez Elementary | Similar size | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Frank Paul Elementary | Similar size | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Cesar E. Chavez Elementary | Similar size | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Creekside Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 812
- Students per teacher
- 25.4:1
- Resource Index
- 10/100
- Enrollment
- 711
- Students per teacher
- 22.9:1
- Resource Index
- 14/100
- Enrollment
- 646
- Students per teacher
- 21.5:1
- Resource Index
- 14/100
- Enrollment
- 638
- Students per teacher
- 23.6:1
- Resource Index
- 14/100
- Enrollment
- 628
- Students per teacher
- 23.3:1
- Resource Index
- 10/100
Similar elementary schools in Salinas
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Sherwood Elementary
Standard public school
859 students 22:1 students per teacher
Monte Bella Elementary
Standard public school
812 students 25.4:1 students per teacher
Henry F. Kammann Elementary
Standard public school
743 students 25.6:1 students per teacher
Fremont Elementary
Standard public school
711 students 22.9:1 students per teacher
Natividad Elementary
Standard public school
705 students 24.3:1 students per teacher
Mission Park Elementary
Standard public school
657 students 27.4:1 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 (~534 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~20.5:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Creekside Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Creekside Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Alisal Union'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 Creekside Elementary
How many students attend Creekside Elementary?
Creekside Elementary has 534 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Salinas, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Creekside Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Creekside 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 Creekside Elementary?
55.7% of students at Creekside Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Creekside Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Creekside Elementary is Hispanic or Latino at 90.6% of enrollment, in Salinas, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Creekside Elementary?
Creekside Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 12/100 (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 Creekside Elementary rank among elementary schools in Salinas?
By Resource Investment Index, Creekside Elementary ranks #25 of 39 elementary schools in Salinas, 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 Salinas on the city page.
Is Creekside Elementary a good school?
Creekside Elementary earns 12/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median. It is also less 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 Alisal Union?
Besides Creekside Elementary, Alisal Union also operates Monte Bella Elementary (812 students), Fremont Elementary (711 students), and Jesse G. Sanchez Elementary (646 students). See the Alisal Union 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.