Elementary school (grades K-5) · Elk Grove, CA

Elitha Donner Elementary

Federal NCES profile for Elitha Donner Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 26/100.

2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 061233003668
0/100100/10026/100
👥 S:T ratio
9
🌟 Gifted program
70
📋 Attendance
0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

Elitha Donner Elementary earns 26/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most California schools.

#19 of 24
elementary schools in Elk Grove · Resource Index
26
Resource Index · Lower
22.8:1
students per teacher
47.6%
free-lunch eligible

Elitha Donner Elementary has class sizes near the California median. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, Elitha Donner Elementary ranks #19 of 24 elementary schools in Elk Grove, CA.

School address

Enrollment

706

California · 2024-25 NCES data

Teachers (FTE)

31.0

Federal CCD staff survey

Students per teacher

22.8:1

vs 21.5:1 California avg

+6% vs state

Free-lunch eligible

47.6%

vs 55.5% California avg

-14% vs state

Student-teacher ratio in context

How Elitha Donner Elementary compares with California and U.S. medians

Slightly above 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 Elitha Donner Elementary

Elitha Donner Elementary is a mid-sized elementary school in Elk Grove, California, enrolling 706 students.

Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 22.8:1 puts it in the larger third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.

Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 47.6% of students eligible for free meals.

Enrollment of 706 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 1,304 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #674.

Its student body is led by Asian (33%) and Hispanic or Latino (29%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 76/100).

Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 42.5% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).

Among Elk Grove's elementary schools, it stands alongside Irene B. West Elementary (1,063 students): Elitha Donner Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (22.8:1 vs 28.7:1).

Elk Grove Unified also operates Franklin High (2,650 students) and Pleasant Grove High (2,536 students) alongside Elitha Donner 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 Elitha Donner Elementary compares

Elitha Donner 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 22.8:1 ▲ 6% 21.5:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 47.6% ▼ 14% 55.5% 51.7%
Enrollment 706 top 23% - -

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

22.8:1
Leaner classes than 9% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
706
Bigger than 81% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.

Equity indicators (what these measure)

Economic need
47.6%
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 61% in California - lower ratio than 39% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
42.5%
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
$14,134
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
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
2
in-school suspensions + 1 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.4 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

Asian 32.9%
Hispanic or Latino 28.5%
White 16.6%
African American 11.2%
Two or More 8.9%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 1.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%

Largest group: Asian at 32.9% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 76.2/100

Simpson diversity index - at 76.2, Elitha Donner Elementary is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.

Programs

Gifted & talented Yes

Funding & spending

District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Elk Grove Unified, which includes Elitha Donner Elementary.

$14,134
Per student
-14%
vs California
Avg $16,509
-15%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 22.1%
State 65.7%
Federal 12.2%

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 Elitha Donner Elementary Compares to District-Mates

School Enrollment Economic Profile Student-Teacher Ratio
Franklin High Larger Lower economic need Similar S:T ratio
Pleasant Grove High Larger Lower economic need Similar S:T ratio
Sheldon High Larger Similar economic need Similar S:T ratio
Monterey Trail High Larger Similar economic need Lower S:T ratio
Laguna Creek High Larger Lower economic need Lower S:T ratio

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

Other Schools in This District

Elk Grove Unified · 5 sibling schools

View district profile

Similar elementary schools in Elk Grove

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 Elitha Donner 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 Elitha Donner Elementary

How many students attend Elitha Donner Elementary?

Elitha Donner Elementary has 706 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Elk Grove, CA.

What is the student-teacher ratio at Elitha Donner Elementary?

The student-teacher ratio at Elitha Donner Elementary is 22.8:1, which is 6% higher than the California average of 21.5:1 and 45% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.

What percentage of students receive free lunch at Elitha Donner Elementary?

47.6% of students at Elitha Donner Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Elitha Donner Elementary?

The largest demographic group at Elitha Donner Elementary is Asian at 32.9% of enrollment, in Elk Grove, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 76.2/100.

What is the Resource Investment Index for Elitha Donner Elementary?

Elitha Donner Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 26/100 (lower 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 Elitha Donner Elementary rank among elementary schools in Elk Grove?

By Resource Investment Index, Elitha Donner Elementary ranks #19 of 24 elementary schools in Elk Grove, 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 Elk Grove on the city page.

Is Elitha Donner Elementary a good school?

Elitha Donner Elementary earns 26/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most 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 Elk Grove Unified?

Besides Elitha Donner Elementary, Elk Grove Unified also operates Franklin High (2,650 students), Pleasant Grove High (2,536 students), and Sheldon High (2,368 students). See the Elk Grove Unified 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.