Elementary school (grades K-5) · Santa Ana, CA

Jim Thorpe Fundamental

Federal NCES profile for Jim Thorpe Fundamental, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 29/100.

2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 063531008248
0/100100/10029/100
👥 S:T ratio
10
🌟 Gifted program
70
📋 Attendance
6
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

Jim Thorpe Fundamental earns 29/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most California schools.

#40 of 51
elementary schools in Santa Ana · Resource Index
29
Resource Index · Lower
22.4:1
students per teacher
48.6%
free-lunch eligible

Jim Thorpe Fundamental has class sizes near the California median. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, Jim Thorpe Fundamental ranks #40 of 51 elementary schools in Santa Ana, CA.

School address

Enrollment

738

California · 2024-25 NCES data

Teachers (FTE)

33.0

Federal CCD staff survey

Students per teacher

22.4:1

vs 21.5:1 California avg

+4% vs state

Free-lunch eligible

48.6%

vs 55.5% California avg

-12% vs state

Student-teacher ratio in context

How Jim Thorpe Fundamental compares with California and U.S. medians

Slightly above 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 Jim Thorpe Fundamental

Jim Thorpe Fundamental is a mid-sized elementary school in Santa Ana, California, enrolling 738 students.

At 22.4:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the California median, within a few percentage points of the 21.5:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.

Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 48.6% of students eligible for free meals.

Enrollment of 738 puts it in the larger third of California schools by headcount.

Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 9,998 scored California schools.

Against 1,257 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #489.

Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (90% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 19/100).

Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 37.8% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).

Its district draws 19.3% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.

Among Santa Ana's elementary schools, it stands alongside Mcfadden Institute of Technology (1,074 students): Jim Thorpe Fundamental is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (22.4:1 vs 20.3:1).

Santa Ana Unified also operates Santa Ana High (2,505 students) and Segerstrom High (2,376 students) alongside Jim Thorpe Fundamental.

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 Jim Thorpe Fundamental compares

Jim Thorpe Fundamental on the metrics families compare, against California and U.S. means.

Metric This school vs California California avg U.S. avg
Students per teacher 22.4:1 ▲ 4% 21.5:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 48.6% ▼ 12% 55.5% 51.7%
Enrollment 738 top 21% - -

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

22.4:1
Leaner classes than 9% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
738
Bigger than 82% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.

Equity indicators (what these measure)

Economic need
48.6%
free-lunch eligible - 12% below the California average of 55.5%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
22.4:1
students per teacher - 4% above state mean
Top 57% in California - lower ratio than 43% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
37.8%
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
$18,933
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
0
in-school suspensions + 1 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.1 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 89.6%
Asian 6.1%
Two or More 2.0%
White 1.9%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%

Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 89.6% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 19.3/100

Simpson diversity index - at 19.3, Jim Thorpe Fundamental is less mixed than the California school average of 46.0.

Programs

Gifted & talented Yes

Funding & spending

District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Santa Ana Unified, which includes Jim Thorpe Fundamental.

$18,933
Per student
+15%
vs California
Avg $16,509
+14%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 26.0%
State 54.7%
Federal 19.3%

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 Jim Thorpe Fundamental Compares to District-Mates

School Enrollment Economic Profile Student-Teacher Ratio
Santa Ana High Larger Higher economic need Lower S:T ratio
Segerstrom High Larger Similar economic need Higher S:T ratio
Valley High Larger Higher economic need Lower S:T ratio
Hector G. Godinez Larger Higher economic need Lower S:T ratio
Century High Larger Higher economic need Lower S:T ratio

Comparisons are relative to Jim Thorpe Fundamental's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.

Other Schools in This District

Santa Ana Unified · 5 sibling schools

View district profile

Similar elementary schools in Santa Ana

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 Jim Thorpe Fundamental'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 Jim Thorpe Fundamental

How many students attend Jim Thorpe Fundamental?

Jim Thorpe Fundamental has 738 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Santa Ana, CA.

What is the student-teacher ratio at Jim Thorpe Fundamental?

The student-teacher ratio at Jim Thorpe Fundamental is 22.4:1, which is 4% higher than the California average of 21.5:1 and 43% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.

What percentage of students receive free lunch at Jim Thorpe Fundamental?

48.6% of students at Jim Thorpe Fundamental are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Jim Thorpe Fundamental?

The largest demographic group at Jim Thorpe Fundamental is Hispanic or Latino at 89.6% of enrollment, in Santa Ana, CA.

What is the Resource Investment Index for Jim Thorpe Fundamental?

Jim Thorpe Fundamental has a Resource Investment Index of 29/100 (lower 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 Jim Thorpe Fundamental rank among elementary schools in Santa Ana?

By Resource Investment Index, Jim Thorpe Fundamental ranks #40 of 51 elementary schools in Santa Ana, 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 Santa Ana on the city page.

Is Jim Thorpe Fundamental a good school?

Jim Thorpe Fundamental earns 29/100 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 Santa Ana Unified?

Besides Jim Thorpe Fundamental, Santa Ana Unified also operates Santa Ana High (2,505 students), Segerstrom High (2,376 students), and Valley High (1,908 students). See the Santa Ana 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.

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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.