Enrollment
604
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Atherton, CA
Encinal Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Encinal Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 36/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 062457003682
👥 S:T ratio 36
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 77
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Encinal Elementary earns 36/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 87% of California schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most California schools.
- #3 of 4
- elementary schools in Atherton · Resource Index
- 36
- Resource Index · Typical
- 15.9:1
- small classes for California
- 11.5%
- free-lunch eligible
Encinal Elementary has class sizes smaller than 87% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Encinal Elementary ranks #3 of 4 elementary schools in Atherton, CA.
School address
District: Menlo Park City Elementary · California
NCES ID 062457003682 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
38.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.9:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-26% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
11.5%
vs 55.5% California avg
-79% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Encinal Elementary compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Encinal Elementary
Encinal Elementary is a lower-poverty, mid-sized elementary school in Atherton, California, enrolling 604 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 15.9:1, Encinal Elementary is leaner than roughly 87% of California schools and 26% under the state's 21.5:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 11.5% free-meal eligibility runs 79% below the California average.
Enrollment of 604 puts it in the larger third of California schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 9,998 scored California schools.
Against 997 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #495.
Its student body is led by White (36%) and Hispanic or Latino (29%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 73/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 604 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance holds up well here: only 9.3% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
The surrounding Menlo Park City Elementary spends $24,857 per pupil, 51% above the California average, a better-resourced district than most.
Among Atherton's elementary schools, it stands alongside Laurel Elementary (658 students): Encinal Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (15.9:1 vs 16:1).
Menlo Park City Elementary also operates Hillview Middle (846 students) and Laurel Elementary (658 students) alongside Encinal 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 Encinal Elementary compares
Encinal 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 | 15.9:1 | ▼ 26% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 11.5% | ▼ 79% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 604 | top 32% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
15.9:1
Leaner classes than 39% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
604
Bigger than 73% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
11.5%
free-lunch eligible
- 79% 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
15.9:1
students per teacher
- 26% below state mean
Top 13% in California - lower ratio than 87% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
9.3%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 5-10% range, close to the pre-pandemic national baseline.
Funding equity
$24,857
per pupil, district-wide
- above California avg of $16,509
Well above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting substantially higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 604 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
2
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.3 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 36.3%
Hispanic or Latino 29.0%
Asian 18.2%
Two or More 14.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 1.3%
African American 0.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: White at 36.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 73.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 73.0, Encinal Elementary is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Menlo Park City Elementary, which includes Encinal Elementary.
$24,857
Per student
+51%
vs California
Avg $16,509
+50%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 86.3%
State 11.5%
Federal 2.3%
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 Encinal Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hillview Middle | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Laurel Elementary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Oak Knoll Elementary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Encinal Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 846
- Students per teacher
- 15.1:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
- Enrollment
- 658
- Students per teacher
- 16:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 574
- Students per teacher
- 16.4:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
Similar elementary schools in Atherton
3 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.
Similar enrollment (~604 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~15.9:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Encinal Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Encinal Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Menlo Park City 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 Encinal Elementary
How many students attend Encinal Elementary?
Encinal Elementary has 604 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Atherton, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Encinal Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Encinal Elementary is 15.9:1, which is 26% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 1% 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 Encinal Elementary?
11.5% of students at Encinal Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Encinal Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Encinal Elementary is White at 36.3% of enrollment, in Atherton, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 73.0/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Encinal Elementary?
Encinal Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 36/100 (typical 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 Encinal Elementary rank among elementary schools in Atherton?
By Resource Investment Index, Encinal Elementary ranks #3 of 4 elementary schools in Atherton, 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 Atherton on the city page.
Is Encinal Elementary a good school?
Encinal Elementary earns 36/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 87% of California schools. 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 Menlo Park City Elementary?
Besides Encinal Elementary, Menlo Park City Elementary also operates Hillview Middle (846 students), Laurel Elementary (658 students), and Oak Knoll Elementary (574 students). See the Menlo Park City 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.