Enrollment
166
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Petaluma, CA
Dunham Charter
Federal NCES profile for Dunham Charter, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 26/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 061161012748Charter school
👥 S:T ratio 0
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 34
📋 Attendance 40
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Dunham Charter earns 26/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 98% of California schools.
- #21 of 25
- elementary schools in Petaluma · Resource Index
- 26
- Resource Index · Lower
- 33.2:1
- large classes for California
- 19.6%
- free-lunch eligible
Dunham Charter has class sizes larger than 98% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Dunham Charter ranks #21 of 25 elementary schools in Petaluma, CA.
School address
District: Dunham Elementary · California
NCES ID 061161012748 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
5.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
33.2:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
+54% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
19.6%
vs 55.5% California avg
-65% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Dunham Charter compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Dunham Charter
Dunham Charter is a lower-poverty, small charter elementary school in Petaluma, California, enrolling 166 students.
Class loads run heavy: 33.2:1 is larger than about 98% of California schools and 54% above the 21.5:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 19.6% free-meal eligibility runs 65% below the California average.
Enrollment of 166 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 9,998 scored California schools.
Among 141 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need California schools statewide, it ranks #112, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (73%) and Hispanic or Latino (19%) (diversity index 43/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 332 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 24.1% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Among Petaluma's elementary schools, it stands alongside Mary Collins Charter School at Cherry Valley (494 students): Dunham Charter is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (33.2:1 vs 29.1:1).
Its district, Dunham Elementary, also runs Dunham Elementary (9 students).
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 Dunham Charter compares
Dunham Charter on the metrics families compare, against California and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs California | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 33.2:1 | ▲ 54% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 19.6% | ▼ 65% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 166 | top 85% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
33.2:1
Leaner classes than 1% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
166
Bigger than 16% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
19.6%
free-lunch eligible
- 65% below the California average of 55.5%
Below the 40% Title I threshold, among the lower-need profiles in the state; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
33.2:1
students per teacher
- 54% above state mean
Top 98% in California - lower ratio than 2% of state schools
Well above 20:1, one of the more stretched staffing loads nationally relative to enrollment.
Engagement
24.1%
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
$14,255
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
0
in-school suspensions + 3 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.8 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 72.9%
Hispanic or Latino 19.3%
Two or More 6.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.2%
Largest group: White at 72.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 42.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 42.7, Dunham Charter is less mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Dunham Elementary, which includes Dunham Charter.
$14,255
Per student
-14%
vs California
Avg $16,509
-14%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 18.3%
State 76.5%
Federal 5.2%
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 Dunham Charter Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dunham Elementary | Smaller | Higher economic need | No ratio data |
Comparisons are relative to Dunham Charter's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 9
- Students per teacher
- -
- Resource Index
- 66/100
Similar elementary schools in Petaluma
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Mary Collins Charter School at Cherry Valley
Standard public school
494 students 29.1:1 students per teacher
Loma Vista Immersion Academy
Standard public school
451 students 22.6:1 students per teacher
Sonoma Mountain Elementary
Standard public school
422 students 26.4:1 students per teacher
Corona Creek Elementary
Standard public school
403 students 22.4:1 students per teacher
Grant Elementary
Standard public school
386 students 24.1:1 students per teacher
Meadow Elementary
Standard public school
384 students 24:1 students per teacher
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 (~166 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~33.2:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Dunham Charter's federal record.
- Compare Dunham Charter against another school. Compare schools
- Dunham Elementary'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 Dunham Charter
How many students attend Dunham Charter?
Dunham Charter has 166 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Petaluma, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Dunham Charter?
The student-teacher ratio at Dunham Charter is 33.2:1, which is 54% higher than the California average of 21.5:1 and 111% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Dunham Charter?
19.6% of students at Dunham Charter are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Dunham Charter?
The largest demographic group at Dunham Charter is White at 72.9% of enrollment, in Petaluma, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Dunham Charter?
Dunham Charter has a Resource Investment Index of 26/100 (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 Dunham Charter rank among elementary schools in Petaluma?
By Resource Investment Index, Dunham Charter ranks #21 of 25 elementary schools in Petaluma, 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 Petaluma on the city page.
Is Dunham Charter a good school?
Dunham Charter earns 26/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 98% 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 Dunham Elementary?
Besides Dunham Charter, Dunham Elementary also operates Dunham Elementary (9 students). See the Dunham Elementary 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.