Enrollment
612
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Nipomo, CA
Dana Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Dana Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 24/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 062308003518
👥 S:T ratio 6
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 21
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Dana Elementary earns 24/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median.
- #3 of 3
- elementary schools in Nipomo · Resource Index
- 24
- Resource Index · Lower
- 23.5:1
- students per teacher
- 63.5%
- free-lunch eligible
Dana Elementary has class sizes near the California median. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Dana Elementary ranks #3 of 3 elementary schools in Nipomo, CA.
School address
District: Lucia Mar Unified · California
NCES ID 062308003518 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
26.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
23.5:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
+9% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
63.5%
vs 55.5% California avg
+14% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Dana Elementary compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Dana Elementary
Dana Elementary is a higher-need, mid-sized elementary school in Nipomo, California, enrolling 612 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 23.5:1 puts it in the larger third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 63.5% lands close to the California typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 612 puts it in the larger third of California schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 9,998 scored California schools.
Against 1,929 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #951.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (68%) and White (26%) (diversity index 46/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 1224 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 31.7% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Among Nipomo's elementary schools, it stands alongside Lange (Dorothea) Elementary (577 students): Dana Elementary is larger than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (23.5:1 vs 21.4:1).
Lucia Mar Unified also operates Arroyo Grande High (2,012 students) and Nipomo High (819 students) alongside Dana 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 Dana Elementary compares
Dana 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 | 23.5:1 | ▲ 9% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 63.5% | ▲ 14% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 612 | top 31% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
23.5:1
Leaner classes than 7% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
612
Bigger than 74% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
63.5%
free-lunch eligible
- 14% 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
23.5:1
students per teacher
- 9% above state mean
Top 67% in California - lower ratio than 33% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
31.7%
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
$13,869
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
Counselors0.5 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
2
in-school suspensions + 11 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.1 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 68.3%
White 26.3%
Two or More 4.2%
Asian 0.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
African American 0.2%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 68.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 46.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 46.3, Dana Elementary is about as mixed as the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Lucia Mar Unified, which includes Dana Elementary.
$13,869
Per student
-16%
vs California
Avg $16,509
-16%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 58.3%
State 30.7%
Federal 10.9%
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 Dana Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arroyo Grande High | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Nipomo High | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Harloe Elementary | Similar size | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Lange (Dorothea) Elementary | Similar size | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Ocean View Elementary | Similar size | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Dana Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,012
- Students per teacher
- 20.3:1
- Resource Index
- 26/100
- Enrollment
- 819
- Students per teacher
- 17.8:1
- Resource Index
- 18/100
- Enrollment
- 619
- Students per teacher
- 25.8:1
- Resource Index
- 26/100
- Enrollment
- 577
- Students per teacher
- 21.4:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
- Enrollment
- 547
- Students per teacher
- 23.8:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
Similar elementary schools in Nipomo
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 (~612 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~23.5:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Dana Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Dana Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Lucia Mar Unified'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 Dana Elementary
How many students attend Dana Elementary?
Dana Elementary has 612 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Nipomo, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Dana Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Dana Elementary is 23.5:1, which is 9% higher than the California average of 21.5:1 and 50% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Dana Elementary?
63.5% of students at Dana Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Dana Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Dana Elementary is Hispanic or Latino at 68.3% of enrollment, in Nipomo, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Dana Elementary?
Dana Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 24/100 (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 Dana Elementary rank among elementary schools in Nipomo?
By Resource Investment Index, Dana Elementary ranks #3 of 3 elementary schools in Nipomo, 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 Nipomo on the city page.
Is Dana Elementary a good school?
Dana Elementary earns 24/100 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 Lucia Mar Unified?
Besides Dana Elementary, Lucia Mar Unified also operates Arroyo Grande High (2,012 students), Nipomo High (819 students), and Harloe Elementary (619 students). See the Lucia Mar Unified 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.