Enrollment
271
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Morro Bay, CA
Del Mar Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Del Mar Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 30/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 063480010066
👥 S:T ratio 28
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 61
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Del Mar Elementary earns 30/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 78% of California schools.
- 30
- Resource Index · Lower
- 18.1:1
- small classes for California
- 47.9%
- free-lunch eligible
- 271
- students enrolled
Del Mar Elementary has class sizes smaller than 78% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: San Luis Coastal Unified · California
NCES ID 063480010066 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
15.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18.1:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-16% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
47.9%
vs 55.5% California avg
-14% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Del Mar Elementary compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Del Mar Elementary
Del Mar Elementary is a mid-sized elementary school in Morro Bay, California, enrolling 271 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 18.1:1 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 47.9% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 271 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 9,998 scored California schools.
Against 728 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #352.
Its student body is led by White (52%) and Hispanic or Latino (37%) (diversity index 58/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 194 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 45.4% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
San Luis Coastal Unified also operates San Luis Obispo High (1,678 students) and Laguna Middle (780 students) alongside Del Mar 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 Del Mar Elementary compares
Del Mar 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 | 18.1:1 | ▼ 16% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 47.9% | ▼ 14% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 271 | top 77% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
18.1:1
Leaner classes than 24% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
271
Bigger than 28% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
47.9%
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
18.1:1
students per teacher
- 16% below state mean
Top 22% in California - lower ratio than 78% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
45.4%
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
$16,712
per pupil, district-wide
- above California avg of $16,509
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors1.4 FTE
Per 194 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
2
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.7 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
White 52.0%
Hispanic or Latino 37.3%
Two or More 7.7%
Asian 2.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%
Largest group: White at 52.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 58.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 58.4, Del Mar Elementary is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for San Luis Coastal Unified, which includes Del Mar Elementary.
$16,712
Per student
+1%
vs California
Avg $16,509
+1%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 77.4%
State 16.0%
Federal 6.7%
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 Del Mar Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Luis Obispo High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Laguna Middle | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Morro Bay High | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| C L Smith Elementary | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Los Ranchos Elementary | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Del Mar Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,678
- Students per teacher
- 21.5:1
- Resource Index
- 24/100
- Enrollment
- 780
- Students per teacher
- 20:1
- Resource Index
- 27/100
- Enrollment
- 751
- Students per teacher
- 16.7:1
- Resource Index
- 24/100
- Enrollment
- 528
- Students per teacher
- 24:1
- Resource Index
- 16/100
- Enrollment
- 521
- Students per teacher
- 27.4:1
- Resource Index
- 22/100
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 (~271 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~18.1:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Del Mar Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Del Mar Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- San Luis Coastal 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 Del Mar Elementary
How many students attend Del Mar Elementary?
Del Mar Elementary has 271 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Morro Bay, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Del Mar Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Del Mar Elementary is 18.1:1, which is 16% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 15% 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 Del Mar Elementary?
47.9% 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 White at 52.0% of enrollment, in Morro Bay, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 58.4/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Del Mar Elementary?
Del Mar Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 30/100 (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).
Is Del Mar Elementary a good school?
Del Mar Elementary earns 30/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 78% of 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 San Luis Coastal Unified?
Besides Del Mar Elementary, San Luis Coastal Unified also operates San Luis Obispo High (1,678 students), Laguna Middle (780 students), and Morro Bay High (751 students). See the San Luis Coastal 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.