Elementary school (grades K-5) · Irvine, CA

Culverdale Elementary

Federal NCES profile for Culverdale Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 35/100.

2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 068450007053
0/100100/10035/100
👥 S:T ratio
0
🌟 Gifted program
70
📋 Attendance
35
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

Culverdale Elementary earns 35/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 82% of California schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most California schools.

#30 of 35
elementary schools in Irvine · Resource Index
35
Resource Index · Typical
25.4:1
large classes for California
41.9%
free-lunch eligible

Culverdale Elementary has class sizes larger than 82% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, Culverdale Elementary ranks #30 of 35 elementary schools in Irvine, CA.

School address

Enrollment

558

California · 2024-25 NCES data

Teachers (FTE)

22.0

Federal CCD staff survey

Students per teacher

25.4:1

vs 21.5:1 California avg

+18% vs state

Free-lunch eligible

41.9%

vs 55.5% California avg

-25% vs state

Student-teacher ratio in context

How Culverdale Elementary compares with California and U.S. medians

Larger classes than state median

Source: NCES Common Core of Data As of 2024-25 federal staff survey Total enrollment ÷ full-time-equivalent classroom teachers

What stands out at Culverdale Elementary

Culverdale Elementary is a mid-sized elementary school in Irvine, California, enrolling 558 students.

Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 25.4:1 puts it in the larger third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.

Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 41.9% of students eligible for free meals.

With 558 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.

Against 1,420 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #369.

Its student body is led by Asian (34%) and Hispanic or Latino (26%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 75/100).

Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 26.0% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).

The surrounding Irvine Unified spends $13,289 per pupil, 20% below the California average, a leaner-resourced district than most.

Among Irvine's elementary schools, it stands alongside Orchard Hills (1,373 students): Culverdale Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (25.4:1 vs 29.2:1).

Irvine Unified also operates Portola High (2,693 students) and University High (2,307 students) alongside Culverdale 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 Culverdale Elementary compares

Culverdale 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 25.4:1 ▲ 18% 21.5:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 41.9% ▼ 25% 55.5% 51.7%
Enrollment 558 top 37% - -

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25

25.4:1
Leaner classes than 5% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
558
Bigger than 69% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.

Equity indicators (what these measure)

Economic need
41.9%
free-lunch eligible - 25% below the California average of 55.5%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
25.4:1
students per teacher - 18% above state mean
Top 82% in California - lower ratio than 18% of state schools
Well above 20:1, one of the more stretched staffing loads nationally relative to enrollment.
Engagement
26.0%
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
$13,289
per pupil, district-wide - below California avg of $16,509
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 5 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.9 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

Asian 34.1%
Hispanic or Latino 25.8%
White 24.0%
Two or More 9.1%
African American 6.6%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.4%

Largest group: Asian at 34.1% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 74.7/100

Simpson diversity index - at 74.7, Culverdale Elementary is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.

Programs

Gifted & talented Yes

Funding & spending

District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Irvine Unified, which includes Culverdale Elementary.

$13,289
Per student
-20%
vs California
Avg $16,509
-20%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 62.4%
State 31.0%
Federal 6.6%

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 Culverdale Elementary Compares to District-Mates

School Enrollment Economic Profile Student-Teacher Ratio
Portola High Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
University High Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
Northwood High Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
Woodbridge High Larger Lower economic need Similar S:T ratio
Irvine High Larger Lower economic need Similar S:T ratio

Comparisons are relative to Culverdale Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.

Other Schools in This District

Irvine Unified · 5 sibling schools

View district profile

Similar elementary schools in Irvine

6 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.

Next steps

Verify locally before acting on Culverdale Elementary's federal record.

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 Culverdale Elementary

How many students attend Culverdale Elementary?

Culverdale Elementary has 558 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Irvine, CA.

What is the student-teacher ratio at Culverdale Elementary?

The student-teacher ratio at Culverdale Elementary is 25.4:1, which is 18% higher than the California average of 21.5:1 and 62% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.

What percentage of students receive free lunch at Culverdale Elementary?

41.9% of students at Culverdale Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Culverdale Elementary?

The largest demographic group at Culverdale Elementary is Asian at 34.1% of enrollment, in Irvine, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 74.7/100.

What is the Resource Investment Index for Culverdale Elementary?

Culverdale Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 35/100 (typical 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 Culverdale Elementary rank among elementary schools in Irvine?

By Resource Investment Index, Culverdale Elementary ranks #30 of 35 elementary schools in Irvine, 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 Irvine on the city page.

Is Culverdale Elementary a good school?

Culverdale Elementary earns 35/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 82% 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 Irvine Unified?

Besides Culverdale Elementary, Irvine Unified also operates Portola High (2,693 students), University High (2,307 students), and Northwood High (2,244 students). See the Irvine Unified district page for the complete list.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) CCD + Public School Universe (2024-25), CRDC (2021-22), F-33 District Finance Survey (FY 2021-22) · 2024-25 Data as of the 2024-25 school year. Coverage from U.S. Department of Education NCES Common Core of Data. Varies by entity type; administrative districts and certain charter networks may report only a subset of fields.

All federal data sources used on this page

Full source list and how we compute each figure: methodology page.

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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.