Enrollment
738
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Santa Ana, CA
Federal NCES profile for Jim Thorpe Fundamental, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 29/100.
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.
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.
NCES ID 063531008248 Verify on NCES CCD record →
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
How Jim Thorpe Fundamental compares with California and U.S. medians
Slightly above state median
22.4:1 - 0.9 above the California state median of 21.5:1, indicating larger average class loads than typical schools in the state.
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
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
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.
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 89.6% of enrollment.
Simpson diversity index - at 19.3, Jim Thorpe Fundamental is less mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Santa Ana Unified, which includes Jim Thorpe Fundamental.
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.
| 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.
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
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.
Jim Thorpe Fundamental has 738 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Santa Ana, CA.
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.
48.6% of students at Jim Thorpe Fundamental are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
The largest demographic group at Jim Thorpe Fundamental is Hispanic or Latino at 89.6% of enrollment, in Santa Ana, CA.
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).
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.
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.
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.
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.
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PlainSchools, “Jim Thorpe Fundamental, Santa Ana CA.” Compiled from NCES Common Core of Data, Civil Rights Data Collection, and the NCES F-33 finance survey; data as of June 2026. https://plainschools.com/schools/jim-thorpe-fundamental-ca/
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