Enrollment
322
California · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 062199007435
Del Mar Elementary — Santa Cruz, CA
Federal NCES profile for Del Mar Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 20/100.
👥 Class size 9
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 21
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: Live Oak 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)
15.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
22.8:1
vs 21.6:1 California avg
+6% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
47.7%
vs 55.5% California avg
-14% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Del Mar 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
Del Mar Elementary reports 322 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 15.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 22.8:1 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 43% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 47.7% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 14% below the California average and 8% below the national baseline. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 31.7% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Live Oak Elementary spends $17,126 per pupil district-wide, below the California average of $18,039 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 36.7% from local sources (property taxes), 50.3% from the state, and 13.0% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 20/100 (F), calculated from 3 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 Del Mar 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 | 22.8:1 | ▲ 6% | 21.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 47.7% | ▼ 14% | 55.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 322 | top 29% | — | — |
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
47.7%
free-lunch eligible
— 14% 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
22.8:1
students per teacher
— 6% above state mean
Top 59% in California — lower ratio than 41% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Engagement
31.7%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$17,126
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
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: 1.6 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 322 Top 29% in California — larger than 71% of 10,006 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 15.0
Students per teacher 22.8:1 +6% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 47.7% -14% vs state
NCES ID 062199007435
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 58.7%
White 33.9%
Two or More 2.8%
African American 2.2%
Asian 2.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 58.7% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 31.7%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 5
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Live Oak Elementary, which includes Del Mar Elementary.
$17,126
Per student
-5%
vs California
Avg $18,039
-12%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 36.7%
State 50.3%
Federal 13.0%
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
- 478
- Students per teacher
- 17.6:1
- Enrollment
- 362
- Students per teacher
- 22:1
- Enrollment
- 262
- Students per teacher
- 22.5:1
- Enrollment
- 166
- Students per teacher
- 25.8:1
- Enrollment
- 76
- Students per teacher
- 21:1
Similar elementary schools in Santa Cruz
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Brook Knoll Elementary
Standard public school
498 students 23.2:1 students per teacher
De Laveaga Elementary
Standard public school
481 students 23.2:1 students per teacher
Westlake Elementary
Standard public school
453 students 22.5:1 students per teacher
Bay View Elementary
Standard public school
394 students 18.7:1 students per teacher
Live Oak Elementary
Standard public school
362 students 22:1 students per teacher
Gault Elementary
Standard public school
314 students 22.1:1 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 Del Mar Elementary
How many students attend Del Mar Elementary?
Del Mar Elementary has 322 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in Santa Cruz, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Del Mar Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Del Mar Elementary is 22.8:1, which is 6% higher than the California average of 21.6:1 and 43% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Del Mar Elementary?
47.7% of students at Del Mar Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Del Mar Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Del Mar Elementary is Hispanic or Latino at 58.7%. The school serves a diverse student body in Santa Cruz, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Del Mar Elementary?
Del Mar Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 20/100 (F) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.