Elementary school (grades K-5) · Pasadena, CA

Hamilton Elementary

Federal NCES profile for Hamilton Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 37/100.

2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 062994004671
0/100100/10037/100
👥 S:T ratio
0
🌟 Gifted program
70
📋 Attendance
42
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

Hamilton Elementary earns 37/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 89% of California schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most California schools.

#3 of 11
elementary schools in Pasadena · Resource Index
37
Resource Index · Typical
26.8:1
large classes for California
38.6%
free-lunch eligible

Hamilton Elementary has class sizes larger than 89% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, Hamilton Elementary ranks #3 of 11 elementary schools in Pasadena, CA.

School address

Enrollment

510

California · 2024-25 NCES data

Teachers (FTE)

19.0

Federal CCD staff survey

Students per teacher

26.8:1

vs 21.5:1 California avg

+25% vs state

Free-lunch eligible

38.6%

vs 55.5% California avg

-30% vs state

Student-teacher ratio in context

How Hamilton Elementary compares with California and U.S. medians

Larger classes than state median

Source: NCES Common Core of Data As of 2024-25 federal staff survey Total enrollment ÷ full-time-equivalent classroom teachers

What stands out at Hamilton Elementary

Hamilton Elementary is a mid-sized elementary school in Pasadena, California, enrolling 510 students.

Class loads run heavy: 26.8:1 is larger than about 89% of California schools and 25% 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 38.6% of students eligible for free meals.

With 510 students, its enrollment sits close to the California median campus size.

Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 9,998 scored California schools.

Against 1,338 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #308.

Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (43%) and White (21%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 73/100).

Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 23.3% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.

Among Pasadena's elementary schools, it stands alongside Longfellow (Henry W.) Elementary (546 students): Hamilton Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (26.8:1 vs 23.7:1).

Pasadena Unified also operates Marshall Fundamental (1,689 students) and Pasadena High (1,303 students) alongside Hamilton 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 Hamilton Elementary compares

Hamilton 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 26.8:1 ▲ 25% 21.5:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 38.6% ▼ 30% 55.5% 51.7%
Enrollment 510 top 44% - -

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25

26.8:1
Leaner classes than 3% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
510
Bigger than 63% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.

Equity indicators (what these measure)

Economic need
38.6%
free-lunch eligible - 30% 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
26.8:1
students per teacher - 25% above state mean
Top 89% in California - lower ratio than 11% of state schools
Well above 20:1, one of the more stretched staffing loads nationally relative to enrollment.
Engagement
23.3%
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
$17,889
per pupil, district-wide - above California avg of $16,509
Somewhat above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 6 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.4 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 43.1%
White 21.0%
Two or More 14.5%
Asian 13.3%
African American 8.0%

Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 43.1% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 72.5/100

Simpson diversity index - at 72.5, Hamilton Elementary is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.

Programs

Gifted & talented Yes

Funding & spending

District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Pasadena Unified, which includes Hamilton Elementary.

$17,889
Per student
+8%
vs California
Avg $16,509
+8%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 45.4%
State 40.3%
Federal 14.3%

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 Hamilton Elementary Compares to District-Mates

School Enrollment Economic Profile Student-Teacher Ratio
Marshall Fundamental Larger Higher economic need Lower S:T ratio
Pasadena High Larger Higher economic need Lower S:T ratio
John Muir High Larger Higher economic need Similar S:T ratio
Blair High Larger Higher economic need Lower S:T ratio
Jackson Elementary Larger Higher economic need Similar S:T ratio

Comparisons are relative to Hamilton Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.

Other Schools in This District

Pasadena Unified · 5 sibling schools

View district profile

Similar elementary schools in Pasadena

6 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.

Next steps

Verify locally before acting on Hamilton Elementary's federal record.

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 Hamilton Elementary

How many students attend Hamilton Elementary?

Hamilton Elementary has 510 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Pasadena, CA.

What is the student-teacher ratio at Hamilton Elementary?

The student-teacher ratio at Hamilton Elementary is 26.8:1, which is 25% higher than the California average of 21.5:1 and 71% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.

What percentage of students receive free lunch at Hamilton Elementary?

38.6% of students at Hamilton Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Hamilton Elementary?

The largest demographic group at Hamilton Elementary is Hispanic or Latino at 43.1% of enrollment, in Pasadena, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 72.5/100.

What is the Resource Investment Index for Hamilton Elementary?

Hamilton Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 37/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).

How does Hamilton Elementary rank among elementary schools in Pasadena?

By Resource Investment Index, Hamilton Elementary ranks #3 of 11 elementary schools in Pasadena, 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 Pasadena on the city page.

Is Hamilton Elementary a good school?

Hamilton Elementary earns 37/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 89% 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 Pasadena Unified?

Besides Hamilton Elementary, Pasadena Unified also operates Marshall Fundamental (1,689 students), Pasadena High (1,303 students), and John Muir High (1,206 students). See the Pasadena Unified district page for the complete list.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) CCD + Public School Universe (2024-25), CRDC (2021-22), F-33 District Finance Survey (FY 2021-22) · 2024-25 Data as of the 2024-25 school year. Coverage from U.S. Department of Education NCES Common Core of Data. Varies by entity type; administrative districts and certain charter networks may report only a subset of fields.

All federal data sources used on this page

Full source list and how we compute each figure: methodology page.

View saved

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.