Enrollment
405
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Fresno, CA
Golden Charter Academy
Federal NCES profile for Golden Charter Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 23/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 060255614585Charter school
👥 S:T ratio 0
📋 Attendance 45
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Golden Charter Academy earns 23/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 99% of California schools.
- #27 of 115
- elementary schools in Fresno · Resource Index
- 23
- Resource Index · Lower
- 40.5:1
- large classes for California
- 82.8%
- free-lunch eligible
Golden Charter Academy has class sizes larger than 99% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Golden Charter Academy ranks #27 of 115 elementary schools in Fresno, CA.
School address
District: Golden Charter Academy District · California
NCES ID 060255614585 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
10.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
40.5:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
+88% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
82.8%
vs 55.5% California avg
+49% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Golden Charter Academy compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Golden Charter Academy
Teacher staffing is the clearest operational constraint
Golden Charter Academy's enrollment sits away from the most extreme size bands, but its reported student-teacher ratio is heavier than most California schools. That isolates staffing load as a more useful concern than raw campus size. A high ratio does not establish weak teaching or outcomes, yet it can indicate less adult capacity per enrolled student. The remaining federal indicators show whether support staffing and program access offset that pressure.
Higher need meets a leaner resource profile
Golden Charter Academy combines above-typical economic need with a Resource Investment Index in the lower part of the California distribution. This is the page's clearest equity tension: the population indicated by free-meal eligibility may require more support, while the reported staffing, counselor, gifted-program, and attendance inputs produce a comparatively lean composite. The index is not an academic grade, but the mismatch is a concrete reason to inspect each component closely.
No single support indicator dominates
Golden Charter Academy's available federal support indicators do not reveal an extreme in advanced-course access, specialist staffing, chronic absence, or IDEA enrollment. The most responsible reading is therefore component by component rather than a sweeping verdict: current counseling availability, health support, program schedules, and attendance policy still warrant direct confirmation. Missing or middle-range federal fields are not evidence that services are either strong or weak.
Golden Charter Academy is a high-poverty, mid-sized charter elementary school in Fresno, California, enrolling 405 students.
Class loads run heavy: 40.5:1 is larger than about 99% of California schools and 88% above the 21.5:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Economic need is high: 82.8% of students qualify for free meals, 49% above the California average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
With 405 students, its enrollment sits close to the California median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 9,998 scored California schools.
Against 1,763 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #1,103.
Its student body is led by African American (51%) and Hispanic or Latino (36%) (diversity index 60/100).
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 22.0% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Among Fresno's elementary schools, it stands alongside Harvest Elementary (1,010 students): Golden Charter Academy is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (40.5:1 vs 29.7:1).
Golden Charter Academy District is a single-school charter district, so Golden Charter Academy 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 Golden Charter Academy compares
Golden Charter Academy on the metrics families compare, against California and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs California | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 40.5:1 | ▲ 88% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 82.8% | ▲ 49% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 405 | top 60% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
40.5:1
Leaner classes than 1% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
405
Bigger than 48% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
82.8%
free-lunch eligible
- 49% above the California average of 55.5%
Well above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold, among the highest-need profiles in the state; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
40.5:1
students per teacher
- 88% above state mean
Top 99% in California - lower ratio than 1% of state schools
Well above 20:1, one of the more stretched staffing loads nationally relative to enrollment.
Engagement
22.0%
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.
Student demographics
African American 50.9%
Hispanic or Latino 35.8%
Two or More 8.4%
White 4.7%
Asian 0.2%
Largest group: African American at 50.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 60.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 60.3, Golden Charter Academy is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Similar elementary schools in Fresno
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Harvest Elementary
Standard public school
1,010 students 29.7:1 students per teacher
James S. Fugman Elementary
Standard public school
893 students 28.8:1 students per teacher
Roger S. Oraze Elementary
Standard public school
868 students 25.5:1 students per teacher
Thomas Elementary
Standard public school
859 students 24.5:1 students per teacher
Ewing Elementary
Standard public school
842 students 20.5:1 students per teacher
John S. Wash Elementary
Standard public school
838 students 27.9:1 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 (~405 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Golden Charter Academy's federal record.
- Compare Golden Charter Academy against another school. Compare schools
- Golden Charter Academy 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 Golden Charter Academy
How many students attend Golden Charter Academy?
Golden Charter Academy has 405 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Fresno, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Golden Charter Academy?
The student-teacher ratio at Golden Charter Academy is 40.5:1, which is 88% higher than the California average of 21.5:1 and 158% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Golden Charter Academy?
82.8% of students at Golden Charter Academy are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Golden Charter Academy?
The largest demographic group at Golden Charter Academy is African American at 50.9% of enrollment, in Fresno, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 60.3/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Golden Charter Academy?
Golden Charter Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 23/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 2 factors: student-teacher ratio, chronic absenteeism. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology). Limited indicators were available, so the index reflects partial data.
How does Golden Charter Academy rank among elementary schools in Fresno?
By Resource Investment Index, Golden Charter Academy ranks #27 of 115 elementary schools in Fresno, 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 Fresno on the city page.
What other schools are in Golden Charter Academy District?
None; Golden Charter Academy District is a single-school charter district, and Golden Charter Academy 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, the data changelog, or report a data error. Data current as of July 2026.