Enrollment
377
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Orange, CA
Handy Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Handy Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 35/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 062865004430
👥 S:T ratio 6
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 25
📋 Attendance 38
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Handy Elementary earns 35/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most California schools.
- #2 of 17
- elementary schools in Orange · Resource Index
- 35
- Resource Index · Typical
- 23.6:1
- students per teacher
- 82.9%
- free-lunch eligible
Handy Elementary has class sizes near the California median. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Handy Elementary ranks #2 of 17 elementary schools in Orange, CA.
School address
District: Orange Unified · California
NCES ID 062865004430 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
16.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
23.6:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
+10% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
82.9%
vs 55.5% California avg
+49% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Handy Elementary compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Handy Elementary
Handy Elementary is a high-poverty, mid-sized elementary school in Orange, California, enrolling 377 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 23.6:1 puts it in the larger third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need is high: 82.9% of students qualify for free meals, 49% above the California average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
With 377 students, its enrollment sits close to the California median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 9,998 scored California schools.
Against 1,626 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #289.
Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (90% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 18/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 377 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 24.7% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Among Orange's elementary schools, it stands alongside Mcpherson Magnet (863 students): Handy Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (23.6:1 vs 27:1).
Orange Unified also operates Canyon High (2,183 students) and Villa Park High (2,023 students) alongside Handy 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 Handy Elementary compares
Handy 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 | 23.6:1 | ▲ 10% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 82.9% | ▲ 49% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 377 | top 64% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
23.6:1
Leaner classes than 7% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
377
Bigger than 44% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
82.9%
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
23.6:1
students per teacher
- 10% above state mean
Top 68% in California - lower ratio than 32% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
24.7%
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
$14,036
per pupil, district-wide
- below California avg of $16,509
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 377 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 3 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.8 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 90.2%
White 5.6%
Asian 1.9%
Two or More 1.9%
African American 0.5%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 90.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 18.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 18.3, Handy Elementary is less mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Orange Unified, which includes Handy Elementary.
$14,036
Per student
-15%
vs California
Avg $16,509
-15%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 53.9%
State 35.0%
Federal 11.0%
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 Handy Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canyon High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Villa Park High | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| El Modena High | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Orange High | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| El Rancho Charter | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Handy Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,183
- Students per teacher
- 27.3:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
- Enrollment
- 2,023
- Students per teacher
- 24.1:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 1,795
- Students per teacher
- 20.9:1
- Resource Index
- 28/100
- Enrollment
- 1,728
- Students per teacher
- 21.9:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
- Enrollment
- 1,144
- Students per teacher
- 29.3:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
Similar elementary schools in Orange
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Mcpherson Magnet
Standard public school
863 students 27:1 students per teacher
California Iinspire Academy
Standard public school
699 students 33.3:1 students per teacher
Fletcher Mandarin Language & Gate Academy
Standard public school
493 students 23.5:1 students per teacher
Jordan Academy of Language and Computer Science
Standard public school
430 students 30.7:1 students per teacher
Palmyra Elementary
Standard public school
429 students 25.2:1 students per teacher
Cambridge Elementary
Standard public school
415 students 23.1:1 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 (~377 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~23.6:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Handy Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Handy Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Orange 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 Handy Elementary
How many students attend Handy Elementary?
Handy Elementary has 377 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Orange, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Handy Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Handy Elementary is 23.6:1, which is 10% higher than the California average of 21.5:1 and 50% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Handy Elementary?
82.9% of students at Handy Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Handy Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Handy Elementary is Hispanic or Latino at 90.2% of enrollment, in Orange, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Handy Elementary?
Handy Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 35/100 (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 Handy Elementary rank among elementary schools in Orange?
By Resource Investment Index, Handy Elementary ranks #2 of 17 elementary schools in Orange, 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 Orange on the city page.
Is Handy Elementary a good school?
Handy Elementary earns 35/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median. It is also less 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 Orange Unified?
Besides Handy Elementary, Orange Unified also operates Canyon High (2,183 students), Villa Park High (2,023 students), and El Modena High (1,795 students). See the Orange 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.