Enrollment
322
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · San Jose, CA
Ernesto Galarza Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Ernesto Galarza Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 20/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 063459010411
👥 S:T ratio 14
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 36
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Ernesto Galarza Elementary earns 20/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median.
- #129 of 154
- elementary schools in San Jose · Resource Index
- 20
- Resource Index · Lower
- 21.5:1
- students per teacher
- 63.6%
- free-lunch eligible
Ernesto Galarza Elementary has class sizes near the California median. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Ernesto Galarza Elementary ranks #129 of 154 elementary schools in San Jose, CA.
School address
District: San Jose Unified · California
NCES ID 063459010411 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
15.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
21.5:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
+0% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
63.6%
vs 55.5% California avg
+15% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Ernesto Galarza Elementary compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Ernesto Galarza Elementary
Ernesto Galarza Elementary is a higher-need, mid-sized elementary school in San Jose, California, enrolling 322 students.
At 21.5:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the California median, within a few percentage points of the 21.5:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 63.6% lands close to the California typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 322 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 1,277 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need California schools statewide, it ranks #952, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (81% of enrollment) (diversity index 33/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 322 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 50.9% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Among San Jose's elementary schools, it stands alongside Easterbrook Discovery (952 students): Ernesto Galarza Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (21.5:1 vs 22.1:1).
San Jose Unified also operates Abraham Lincoln High (1,590 students) and Willow Glen High (1,543 students) alongside Ernesto Galarza 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 Ernesto Galarza Elementary compares
Ernesto Galarza 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 | 21.5:1 | ▼ 0% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 63.6% | ▲ 15% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 322 | top 71% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
21.5:1
Leaner classes than 12% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
322
Bigger than 36% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
63.6%
free-lunch eligible
- 15% 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
21.5:1
students per teacher
- 0% above state mean
Top 48% in California - lower ratio than 52% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
50.9%
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
$16,122
per pupil, district-wide
- below California avg of $16,509
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 322 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
3
in-school suspensions + 7 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.1 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 81.4%
White 5.6%
Asian 5.6%
Two or More 4.3%
African American 3.1%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 81.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 32.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 32.8, Ernesto Galarza Elementary is less mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for San Jose Unified, which includes Ernesto Galarza Elementary.
$16,122
Per student
-2%
vs California
Avg $16,509
-3%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 67.7%
State 23.6%
Federal 8.7%
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 Ernesto Galarza Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abraham Lincoln High | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Willow Glen High | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Leland High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Pioneer High | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Willow Glen Middle | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Ernesto Galarza Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,590
- Students per teacher
- 21.5:1
- Resource Index
- 27/100
- Enrollment
- 1,543
- Students per teacher
- 20.6:1
- Resource Index
- 26/100
- Enrollment
- 1,471
- Students per teacher
- 26.3:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 1,393
- Students per teacher
- 22.5:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 1,180
- Students per teacher
- 25.1:1
- Resource Index
- 27/100
Similar elementary schools in San Jose
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Easterbrook Discovery
Standard public school
952 students 22.1:1 students per teacher
Merritt Trace Elementary
Standard public school
829 students 23:1 students per teacher
Orchard Elementary
Standard public school
740 students 16.4:1 students per teacher
Tom Matsumoto Elementary
Standard public school
727 students 24.2:1 students per teacher
Herman (Leonard) Intermediate
Standard public school
723 students 22.6:1 students per teacher
Booksin Elementary
Standard public school
715 students 23.8:1 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 (~322 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~21.5:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Ernesto Galarza Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Ernesto Galarza Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- San Jose Unified'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 Ernesto Galarza Elementary
How many students attend Ernesto Galarza Elementary?
Ernesto Galarza Elementary has 322 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in San Jose, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Ernesto Galarza Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Ernesto Galarza Elementary is 21.5:1, which is 0% higher than the California average of 21.5:1 and 37% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Ernesto Galarza Elementary?
63.6% of students at Ernesto Galarza Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Ernesto Galarza Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Ernesto Galarza Elementary is Hispanic or Latino at 81.4% of enrollment, in San Jose, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Ernesto Galarza Elementary?
Ernesto Galarza Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 20/100 (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 Ernesto Galarza Elementary rank among elementary schools in San Jose?
By Resource Investment Index, Ernesto Galarza Elementary ranks #129 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 Ernesto Galarza Elementary a good school?
Ernesto Galarza Elementary earns 20/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median. 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 San Jose Unified?
Besides Ernesto Galarza Elementary, San Jose Unified also operates Abraham Lincoln High (1,590 students), Willow Glen High (1,543 students), and Leland High (1,471 students). See the San Jose Unified 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.