Enrollment
320
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · San Carlos, CA
Heather Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Heather 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 063429005403
👥 S:T ratio 25
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 86
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Heather Elementary earns 35/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 74% of California schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most California schools.
- #1 of 7
- elementary schools in San Carlos · Resource Index
- 35
- Resource Index · Typical
- 18.8:1
- small classes for California
- 10.4%
- free-lunch eligible
Heather Elementary has class sizes smaller than 74% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Heather Elementary ranks #1 of 7 elementary schools in San Carlos, CA.
School address
District: San Carlos Elementary · California
NCES ID 063429005403 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
17.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18.8:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-13% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
10.4%
vs 55.5% California avg
-81% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Heather Elementary compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Heather Elementary
Heather Elementary is a lower-poverty, mid-sized elementary school in San Carlos, California, enrolling 320 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 18.8:1 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 10.4% free-meal eligibility runs 81% below the California average.
Enrollment of 320 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 9,998 scored California schools.
Against 429 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #236.
Its student body is led by Asian (33%) and White (31%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 73/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 640 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance holds up well here: only 5.6% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
Among San Carlos's elementary schools, it stands alongside Brittan Acres Elementary (411 students): Heather Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (18.8:1 vs 24.2:1).
San Carlos Elementary also operates Tierra Linda Middle (451 students) and Central Middle (443 students) alongside Heather 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 Heather Elementary compares
Heather 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 | 18.8:1 | ▼ 13% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 10.4% | ▼ 81% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 320 | top 71% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
18.8:1
Leaner classes than 21% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
320
Bigger than 35% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
10.4%
free-lunch eligible
- 81% below the California average of 55.5%
Below the 40% Title I threshold, among the lower-need profiles in the state; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
18.8:1
students per teacher
- 13% below state mean
Top 26% in California - lower ratio than 74% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
5.6%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 5-10% range, close to the pre-pandemic national baseline.
Funding equity
$17,313
per pupil, district-wide
- above California avg of $16,509
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors0.5 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
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: 0.3 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
Asian 32.5%
White 30.6%
Two or More 20.9%
Hispanic or Latino 15.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.6%
Largest group: Asian at 32.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 73.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 73.4, Heather Elementary is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for San Carlos Elementary, which includes Heather Elementary.
$17,313
Per student
+5%
vs California
Avg $16,509
+4%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 86.6%
State 12.0%
Federal 1.4%
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 Heather Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tierra Linda Middle | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Central Middle | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Brittan Acres Elementary | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Arundel Elementary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Mariposa | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Heather Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 451
- Students per teacher
- 20.5:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 443
- Students per teacher
- 22.1:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
- Enrollment
- 411
- Students per teacher
- 24.2:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
- Enrollment
- 388
- Students per teacher
- 21.6:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
- Enrollment
- 322
- Students per teacher
- 21.5:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
Similar elementary schools in San Carlos
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Brittan Acres Elementary
Standard public school
411 students 24.2:1 students per teacher
Arundel Elementary
Standard public school
388 students 21.6:1 students per teacher
San Carlos Charter Learning Center
Standard public school
377 students 20.9:1 students per teacher
Mariposa
Standard public school
322 students 21.5:1 students per teacher
Arroyo
Standard public school
290 students 22.3:1 students per teacher
White Oaks Elementary
Standard public school
250 students 22.7:1 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 (~320 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Heather Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Heather Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- San Carlos Elementary'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 Heather Elementary
How many students attend Heather Elementary?
Heather Elementary has 320 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in San Carlos, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Heather Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Heather Elementary is 18.8:1, which is 13% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 20% higher than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Heather Elementary?
10.4% of students at Heather Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Heather Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Heather Elementary is Asian at 32.5% of enrollment, in San Carlos, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 73.4/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Heather Elementary?
Heather 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 Heather Elementary rank among elementary schools in San Carlos?
By Resource Investment Index, Heather Elementary ranks #1 of 7 elementary schools in San Carlos, 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 San Carlos on the city page.
Is Heather Elementary a good school?
Heather Elementary earns 35/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 74% 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 San Carlos Elementary?
Besides Heather Elementary, San Carlos Elementary also operates Tierra Linda Middle (451 students), Central Middle (443 students), and Brittan Acres Elementary (411 students). See the San Carlos Elementary 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.