Enrollment
283
California · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 060474000436
Emerson Elementary — Berkeley, CA
Federal NCES profile for Emerson Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 34/100.
👥 Class size 23
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 51
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: Berkeley Unified · 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)
14.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
19.3:1
vs 21.6:1 California avg
-11% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
26.3%
vs 55.5% California avg
-53% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Emerson 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
Emerson Elementary reports 283 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 14.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 19.3:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 11% below the California state mean of 21.6:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 21% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 26.3% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 53% below the California average and 49% below the national baseline. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 19.8% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Berkeley Unified spends $28,034 per pupil district-wide, above the California average of $18,039 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 64.6% from local sources (property taxes), 29.0% from the state, and 6.4% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 34/100 (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 Emerson 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 | 19.3:1 | ▼ 11% | 21.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 26.3% | ▼ 53% | 55.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 283 | top 24% | — | — |
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
26.3%
free-lunch eligible
— 53% below the California average of 55.5%
Below the 40% Title I threshold — federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
19.3:1
students per teacher
— 11% below state mean
Top 24% in California — lower ratio than 76% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
19.8%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Between 10–20% — above the pre-pandemic baseline of ~15% nationally but within the current U.S. range.
Funding equity
$28,034
per pupil, district-wide
— above California avg of $18,039
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
0
in-school suspensions + 1 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.4 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 283 Top 24% in California — larger than 76% of 10,006 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 14.0
Students per teacher 19.3:1 -11% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 26.3% -53% vs state
NCES ID 060474000436
Student demographics
White 45.4%
African American 16.7%
Two or More 15.2%
Hispanic or Latino 14.9%
Asian 7.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%
Largest group: White at 45.4% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 19.8%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 1
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Berkeley Unified, which includes Emerson Elementary.
$28,034
Per student
+55%
vs California
Avg $18,039
+44%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 64.6%
State 29.0%
Federal 6.4%
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
- 3,218
- Students per teacher
- 17.9:1
- Enrollment
- 851
- Students per teacher
- 17.8:1
- Enrollment
- 596
- Students per teacher
- 16.1:1
- Enrollment
- 469
- Students per teacher
- 17:1
- Enrollment
- 462
- Students per teacher
- 12.5:1
Similar elementary schools in Berkeley
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Malcolm X Elementary
Standard public school
469 students 17:1 students per teacher
Ruth Acty Elementary
Standard public school
410 students 18.8:1 students per teacher
Berkeley Arts Magnet at Whittier
Standard public school
407 students 18.8:1 students per teacher
Washington Elementary
Standard public school
401 students 17.2:1 students per teacher
Rosa Parks Environmental Science
Standard public school
393 students 16.5:1 students per teacher
Sylvia Mendez Elementary
Standard public school
379 students 17.6:1 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 Emerson Elementary
How many students attend Emerson Elementary?
Emerson Elementary has 283 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in Berkeley, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Emerson Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Emerson Elementary is 19.3:1, which is 11% lower than the California average of 21.6:1 and 21% higher than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Emerson Elementary?
26.3% of students at Emerson Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Emerson Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Emerson Elementary is White at 45.4%. The school serves a diverse student body in Berkeley, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Emerson Elementary?
Emerson Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 34/100 (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.