Enrollment
150
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Arcata, CA
Fuente Nueva Charter
Federal NCES profile for Fuente Nueva Charter, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 42/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 060188210799Charter school
👥 S:T ratio 0
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 70
📋 Attendance 68
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Fuente Nueva Charter earns 42/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 79% of California schools.
- #1 of 6
- elementary schools in Arcata · Resource Index
- 42
- Resource Index · Typical
- 25:1
- large classes for California
- 40.1%
- free-lunch eligible
Fuente Nueva Charter has class sizes larger than 79% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Fuente Nueva Charter ranks #1 of 6 elementary schools in Arcata, CA.
School address
District: Fuente Nueva Charter District · California
NCES ID 060188210799 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
6.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
25:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
+16% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
40.1%
vs 55.5% California avg
-28% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Fuente Nueva Charter compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Fuente Nueva Charter
Fuente Nueva Charter is a small charter elementary school in Arcata, California, enrolling 150 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 25:1 puts it in the larger third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 40.1% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 150 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 9,998 scored California schools.
Against 267 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #63.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (44%) and White (37%) (diversity index 64/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 150 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
12.7% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Among Arcata's elementary schools, it stands alongside Pacific Union Elementary (534 students): Fuente Nueva Charter is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (25:1 vs 19.1:1).
Fuente Nueva Charter District is a single-school charter district, so Fuente Nueva Charter operates independently rather than alongside district-mates.
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 Fuente Nueva Charter compares
Fuente Nueva Charter on the metrics families compare, against California and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs California | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 25:1 | ▲ 16% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 40.1% | ▼ 28% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 150 | top 86% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
25:1
Leaner classes than 5% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
150
Bigger than 15% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
40.1%
free-lunch eligible
- 28% 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
25:1
students per teacher
- 16% above state mean
Top 79% in California - lower ratio than 21% of state schools
Well above 20:1, one of the more stretched staffing loads nationally relative to enrollment.
Engagement
12.7%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 10-15% range, above the pre-pandemic national baseline but within the broader post-pandemic picture.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 150 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
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: 0.7 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 44.0%
White 36.7%
Two or More 17.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.3%
African American 0.7%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 44.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 64.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 64.2, Fuente Nueva Charter is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Similar elementary schools in Arcata
5 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Pacific Union Elementary
Standard public school
534 students 19.1:1 students per teacher
Arcata Elementary
Standard public school
240 students 16:1 students per teacher
Coastal Grove Charter
Standard public school
235 students 16.8:1 students per teacher
Union Street Charter
Standard public school
99 students 19.8:1 students per teacher
Trillium Charter
Standard public school
34 students 17:1 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 (~150 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~25:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Fuente Nueva Charter's federal record.
- Compare Fuente Nueva Charter against another school. Compare schools
- Fuente Nueva Charter District'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 Fuente Nueva Charter
How many students attend Fuente Nueva Charter?
Fuente Nueva Charter has 150 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Arcata, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Fuente Nueva Charter?
The student-teacher ratio at Fuente Nueva Charter is 25:1, which is 16% higher than the California average of 21.5:1 and 59% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Fuente Nueva Charter?
40.1% of students at Fuente Nueva Charter are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Fuente Nueva Charter?
The largest demographic group at Fuente Nueva Charter is Hispanic or Latino at 44.0% of enrollment, in Arcata, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 64.2/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Fuente Nueva Charter?
Fuente Nueva Charter has a Resource Investment Index of 42/100 (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 Fuente Nueva Charter rank among elementary schools in Arcata?
By Resource Investment Index, Fuente Nueva Charter ranks #1 of 6 elementary schools in Arcata, 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 Arcata on the city page.
Is Fuente Nueva Charter a good school?
Fuente Nueva Charter earns 42/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 79% 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 Fuente Nueva Charter District?
None; Fuente Nueva Charter District is a single-school charter district, and Fuente Nueva Charter is its only campus.
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.