Enrollment
503
California · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 062513008903
Harriette Kirschen Elementary — Modesto, CA
Federal NCES profile for Harriette Kirschen Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 27/100.
👥 Class size 12
🌟 Gifted program 70
📋 Attendance 0
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
District: Modesto City Elementary · California
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
24.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
22.1:1
vs 21.6:1 California avg
+2% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
89.2%
vs 55.5% California avg
+61% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Harriette Kirschen Elementary compares with California and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
Harriette Kirschen Elementary reports 503 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 24.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 22.1:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 2% above the California state mean of 21.6:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 39% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 89.2% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 61% above the California average and 72% above the national baseline. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 52.1% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 27/100 (F), calculated from 3 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Harriette Kirschen Elementary compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against California state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs California | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 22.1:1 | ▲ 2% | 21.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 89.2% | ▲ 61% | 55.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 503 | top 55% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Economic need
89.2%
free-lunch eligible
— 61% above the California average of 55.5%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
22.1:1
students per teacher
— 2% above state mean
Top 51% in California — lower ratio than 49% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Engagement
52.1%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 33 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 6.6 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 503 Top 55% in California — larger than 45% of 10,006 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 24.0
Students per teacher 22.1:1 +2% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 89.2% +61% vs state
NCES ID 062513008903
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 85.1%
Asian 5.8%
White 4.6%
Two or More 3.0%
African American 1.6%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 85.1% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 52.1%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 33
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 867
- Students per teacher
- 23:1
- Enrollment
- 818
- Students per teacher
- 22.2:1
- Enrollment
- 786
- Students per teacher
- 25.2:1
- Enrollment
- 777
- Students per teacher
- 24.7:1
- Enrollment
- 705
- Students per teacher
- 21.9:1
Similar elementary schools in Modesto
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Great Valley Academy
Standard public school
972 students 24.2:1 students per teacher
Great Valley Academy - Salida
Standard public school
927 students 24.2:1 students per teacher
Bret Harte Elementary
Standard public school
867 students 23:1 students per teacher
Fairview Elementary
Standard public school
786 students 25.2:1 students per teacher
Franklin Elementary
Standard public school
777 students 24.7:1 students per teacher
Freedom Elementary
Standard public school
713 students 23.6:1 students per teacher
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about Harriette Kirschen Elementary
How many students attend Harriette Kirschen Elementary?
Harriette Kirschen Elementary has 503 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in Modesto, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Harriette Kirschen Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Harriette Kirschen Elementary is 22.1:1, which is 2% higher than the California average of 21.6:1 and 39% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Harriette Kirschen Elementary?
89.2% of students at Harriette Kirschen Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Harriette Kirschen Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Harriette Kirschen Elementary is Hispanic or Latino at 85.1%. The school serves a diverse student body in Modesto, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Harriette Kirschen Elementary?
Harriette Kirschen Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 27/100 (F) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.