Elementary school (grades K-5) · San Jose, CA

Donald J. Meyer Elementary

Federal NCES profile for Donald J. Meyer Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 41/100.

2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 060231000113
0/100100/10041/100
👥 S:T ratio
24
🌟 Gifted program
30
📋 Attendance
70
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

Donald J. Meyer Elementary earns 41/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 74% of California schools.

#25 of 154
elementary schools in San Jose · Resource Index
41
Resource Index · Typical
18.9:1
small classes for California
70.9%
free-lunch eligible

Donald J. Meyer Elementary has class sizes smaller than 74% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, Donald J. Meyer Elementary ranks #25 of 154 elementary schools in San Jose, CA.

Enrollment

246

California · 2024-25 NCES data

Teachers (FTE)

13.0

Federal CCD staff survey

Students per teacher

18.9:1

vs 21.5:1 California avg

-12% vs state

Free-lunch eligible

70.9%

vs 55.5% California avg

+28% vs state

Student-teacher ratio in context

How Donald J. Meyer Elementary compares with California and U.S. medians

Smaller 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 Donald J. Meyer Elementary

Donald J. Meyer Elementary is a higher-need, mid-sized elementary school in San Jose, California, enrolling 246 students.

Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 18.9:1 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.

Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 70.9% of students eligible for free meals.

Enrollment of 246 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by headcount.

Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 9,998 scored California schools.

Against 832 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #147.

Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (79%) and Asian (18%) (diversity index 34/100).

12.2% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.

Among San Jose's elementary schools, it stands alongside Easterbrook Discovery (952 students): Donald J. Meyer Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (18.9:1 vs 22.1:1).

Alum Rock Union Elementary also operates Adelante Dual Language Academy (505 students) and William Sheppard Middle (451 students) alongside Donald J. Meyer 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 Donald J. Meyer Elementary compares

Donald J. Meyer 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 18.9:1 ▼ 12% 21.5:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 70.9% ▲ 28% 55.5% 51.7%
Enrollment 246 top 79% - -

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

18.9:1
Leaner classes than 20% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
246
Bigger than 25% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.

Equity indicators (what these measure)

Economic need
70.9%
free-lunch eligible - 28% 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
18.9:1
students per teacher - 12% below state mean
Top 26% in California - lower ratio than 74% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
12.2%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 10-15% range, above the pre-pandemic national baseline but within the broader post-pandemic picture.
Funding equity
$18,211
per pupil, district-wide - above California avg of $16,509
Somewhat above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 3 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.6 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 79.3%
Asian 18.3%
Two or More 1.2%
African American 0.8%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.4%

Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 79.3% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 33.7/100

Simpson diversity index - at 33.7, Donald J. Meyer Elementary is less mixed than the California school average of 46.0.

Programs

Funding & spending

District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Alum Rock Union Elementary, which includes Donald J. Meyer Elementary.

$18,211
Per student
+10%
vs California
Avg $16,509
+10%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 25.2%
State 61.3%
Federal 13.5%

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 Donald J. Meyer Elementary Compares to District-Mates

School Enrollment Economic Profile Student-Teacher Ratio
Adelante Dual Language Academy Larger Lower economic need Similar S:T ratio
William Sheppard Middle Larger Lower economic need Similar S:T ratio
Linda Vista Elementary Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
O. S. Hubbard Elementary Larger Lower economic need Similar S:T ratio
Aptitud Community Academy at Goss Larger Similar economic need Similar S:T ratio

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

Other Schools in This District

Alum Rock Union Elementary · 5 sibling schools

View district profile

Similar elementary schools in San Jose

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 Donald J. Meyer 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 Donald J. Meyer Elementary

How many students attend Donald J. Meyer Elementary?

Donald J. Meyer Elementary has 246 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in San Jose, CA.

What is the student-teacher ratio at Donald J. Meyer Elementary?

The student-teacher ratio at Donald J. Meyer Elementary is 18.9:1, which is 12% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 20% 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 Donald J. Meyer Elementary?

70.9% of students at Donald J. Meyer Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Donald J. Meyer Elementary?

The largest demographic group at Donald J. Meyer Elementary is Hispanic or Latino at 79.3% of enrollment, in San Jose, CA.

What is the Resource Investment Index for Donald J. Meyer Elementary?

Donald J. Meyer Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 41/100 (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 Donald J. Meyer Elementary rank among elementary schools in San Jose?

By Resource Investment Index, Donald J. Meyer Elementary ranks #25 of 154 elementary schools in San Jose, 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 San Jose on the city page.

Is Donald J. Meyer Elementary a good school?

Donald J. Meyer Elementary earns 41/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 74% 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 Alum Rock Union Elementary?

Besides Donald J. Meyer Elementary, Alum Rock Union Elementary also operates Adelante Dual Language Academy (505 students), William Sheppard Middle (451 students), and Linda Vista Elementary (437 students). See the Alum Rock Union Elementary 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.