Enrollment
619
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Hanford, CA
Frontier Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Frontier 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 063051012323Charter school
👥 S:T ratio 0
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 52
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Frontier Elementary earns 20/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 93% of California schools.
- #5 of 16
- elementary schools in Hanford · Resource Index
- 20
- Resource Index · Lower
- 28.1:1
- large classes for California
- 33.4%
- free-lunch eligible
Frontier Elementary has class sizes larger than 93% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Frontier Elementary ranks #5 of 16 elementary schools in Hanford, CA.
School address
District: Pioneer Union Elementary · California
NCES ID 063051012323 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
22.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
28.1:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
+31% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
33.4%
vs 55.5% California avg
-40% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Frontier Elementary compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Frontier Elementary
Frontier Elementary is a mid-sized charter elementary school in Hanford, California, enrolling 619 students.
Class loads run heavy: 28.1:1 is larger than about 93% of California schools and 31% above the 21.5:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 33.4% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 619 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.
Among 1,415 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need California schools statewide, it ranks #1,205, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (56%) and White (27%) (diversity index 60/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 1238 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 19.4% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Among Hanford's elementary schools, it stands alongside Kings River-Hardwick Elementary (860 students): Frontier Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (28.1:1 vs 24.6:1).
Pioneer Union Elementary also operates Pioneer Middle (550 students) and Pioneer Elementary (518 students) alongside Frontier 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 Frontier Elementary compares
Frontier 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 | 28.1:1 | ▲ 31% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 33.4% | ▼ 40% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 619 | top 30% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
28.1:1
Leaner classes than 2% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
619
Bigger than 74% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
33.4%
free-lunch eligible
- 40% 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
28.1:1
students per teacher
- 31% above state mean
Top 93% in California - lower ratio than 7% of state schools
Well above 20:1, one of the more stretched staffing loads nationally relative to enrollment.
Engagement
19.4%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Support staff
Counselors0.5 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 2 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.5 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 56.4%
White 26.7%
Asian 6.5%
Two or More 5.7%
African American 3.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.1%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.5%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 56.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 60.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 60.2, Frontier Elementary is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
How Frontier Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pioneer Middle | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Pioneer Elementary | Similar size | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Frontier Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 550
- Students per teacher
- 22.9:1
- Resource Index
- 12/100
- Enrollment
- 518
- Students per teacher
- 23.5:1
- Resource Index
- 14/100
Similar elementary schools in Hanford
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Kings River-Hardwick Elementary
Standard public school
860 students 24.6:1 students per teacher
Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary
Standard public school
624 students 23.1:1 students per teacher
Monroe Elementary
Standard public school
611 students 21.8:1 students per teacher
Pioneer Elementary
Standard public school
518 students 23.5:1 students per teacher
Joseph M. Simas
Standard public school
514 students 22.3:1 students per teacher
Jefferson Academy
Standard public school
501 students 27.8:1 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 (~619 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~28.1:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Frontier Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Frontier Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Pioneer Union 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 Frontier Elementary
How many students attend Frontier Elementary?
Frontier Elementary has 619 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Hanford, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Frontier Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Frontier Elementary is 28.1:1, which is 31% higher than the California average of 21.5:1 and 79% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Frontier Elementary?
33.4% of students at Frontier Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Frontier Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Frontier Elementary is Hispanic or Latino at 56.4% of enrollment, in Hanford, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 60.2/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Frontier Elementary?
Frontier 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 Frontier Elementary rank among elementary schools in Hanford?
By Resource Investment Index, Frontier Elementary ranks #5 of 16 elementary schools in Hanford, 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 Hanford on the city page.
Is Frontier Elementary a good school?
Frontier Elementary earns 20/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 93% 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 Pioneer Union Elementary?
Besides Frontier Elementary, Pioneer Union Elementary also operates Pioneer Middle (550 students) and Pioneer Elementary (518 students). See the Pioneer Union 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.