Enrollment
288
California · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 061038001163
Cutten Elementary — Eureka, CA
Federal NCES profile for Cutten Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 47/100.
👥 Class size 8
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 42
📋 Attendance 67
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
District: Cutten Elementary · California
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
14.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
23:1
vs 21.6:1 California avg
+6% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
36.3%
vs 55.5% California avg
-35% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Cutten Elementary compares with California and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
Cutten Elementary reports 288 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 14.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 23:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 6% above the California state mean of 21.6:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 45% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 36.3% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 35% below the California average and 30% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 288 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 13.2% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Cutten Elementary spends $16,461 per pupil district-wide, below the California average of $18,039 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 19.6% from local sources (property taxes), 66.1% from the state, and 14.3% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 47/100 (D), calculated from 4 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Cutten Elementary compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against California state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs California | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 23:1 | ▲ 6% | 21.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 36.3% | ▼ 35% | 55.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 288 | top 25% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Economic need
36.3%
free-lunch eligible
— 35% below the California average of 55.5%
Below the 40% Title I threshold — federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
23:1
students per teacher
— 6% above state mean
Top 61% in California — lower ratio than 39% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Engagement
13.2%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Between 10–20% — above the pre-pandemic baseline of ~15% nationally but within the current U.S. range.
Funding equity
$16,461
per pupil, district-wide
— below California avg of $18,039
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 288 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
4
in-school suspensions + 4 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.8 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 288 Top 25% in California — larger than 75% of 10,006 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 14.0
Students per teacher 23:1 +6% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 36.3% -35% vs state
NCES ID 061038001163
Student demographics
White 58.7%
Two or More 17.4%
Hispanic or Latino 16.0%
Asian 4.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 3.5%
African American 0.3%
Largest group: White at 58.7% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 288:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 13.2%
In-school suspensions 4
Out-of-school suspensions 4
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Cutten Elementary, which includes Cutten Elementary.
$16,461
Per student
-9%
vs California
Avg $18,039
-16%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 19.6%
State 66.1%
Federal 14.3%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 260
- Students per teacher
- 20:1
Similar elementary schools in Eureka
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Washington Elementary
Standard public school
426 students 26.3:1 students per teacher
Alice Birney Elementary
Standard public school
375 students 24.5:1 students per teacher
Lafayette Elementary
Standard public school
324 students 23.9:1 students per teacher
Freshwater Elementary
Standard public school
283 students 24:1 students per teacher
Grant Elementary
Standard public school
278 students 22.5:1 students per teacher
Ridgewood Elementary
Standard public school
260 students 20:1 students per teacher
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about Cutten Elementary
How many students attend Cutten Elementary?
Cutten Elementary has 288 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in Eureka, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Cutten Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Cutten Elementary is 23:1, which is 6% higher than the California average of 21.6:1 and 45% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Cutten Elementary?
36.3% of students at Cutten Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Cutten Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Cutten Elementary is White at 58.7%. The school serves a diverse student body in Eureka, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Cutten Elementary?
Cutten Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 47/100 (D) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.