Enrollment
477
California · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 061803007190
John R. Peterson Elementary — Huntington Beach, CA
Federal NCES profile for John R. Peterson Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 35/100.
👥 Class size 11
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 60
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: Huntington Beach 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)
22.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
22.2:1
vs 21.6:1 California avg
+3% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
35.4%
vs 55.5% California avg
-36% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How John R. Peterson 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
John R. Peterson Elementary reports 477 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 22.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 22.2:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 3% 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 40% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 35.4% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 36% below the California average and 32% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 1193 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 15.9% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Huntington Beach City Elementary spends $19,887 per pupil district-wide, above the California average of $18,039 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 79.5% from local sources (property taxes), 14.1% from the state, and 6.5% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 35/100 (F), calculated from 4 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 John R. Peterson 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 | 22.2:1 | ▲ 3% | 21.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 35.4% | ▼ 36% | 55.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 477 | top 51% | — | — |
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
35.4%
free-lunch eligible
— 36% below the California average of 55.5%
Below the 40% Title I threshold — federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
22.2:1
students per teacher
— 3% above state mean
Top 52% in California — lower ratio than 48% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Engagement
15.9%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Between 10–20% — above the pre-pandemic baseline of ~15% nationally but within the current U.S. range.
Funding equity
$19,887
per pupil, district-wide
— above California avg of $18,039
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors0.4 FTE
Per 1192 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 1 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.4 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 477 Top 51% in California — larger than 49% of 10,006 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 22.0
Students per teacher 22.2:1 +3% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 35.4% -36% vs state
NCES ID 061803007190
Student demographics
White 45.5%
Hispanic or Latino 30.6%
Two or More 17.2%
Asian 6.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: White at 45.5% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 0.4
Students per counselor 1193:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 15.9%
In-school suspensions 1
Out-of-school suspensions 1
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Huntington Beach City Elementary, which includes John R. Peterson Elementary.
$19,887
Per student
+10%
vs California
Avg $18,039
+2%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 79.5%
State 14.1%
Federal 6.5%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 884
- Students per teacher
- 24.3:1
- Enrollment
- 771
- Students per teacher
- 22.1:1
- Enrollment
- 591
- Students per teacher
- 25:1
- Enrollment
- 516
- Students per teacher
- 21:1
- Enrollment
- 495
- Students per teacher
- 23.3:1
Similar elementary schools in Huntington Beach
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Harbour View Elementary
Standard public school
677 students 27:1 students per teacher
Agnes L. Smith Elementary
Standard public school
591 students 25:1 students per teacher
Circle View Elementary
Standard public school
582 students 26.8:1 students per teacher
Hope View Elementary
Standard public school
546 students 24.7:1 students per teacher
Newland (William T.) Elementary
Standard public school
531 students 23.7:1 students per teacher
Ralph E. Hawes Elementary
Standard public school
516 students 21:1 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 John R. Peterson Elementary
How many students attend John R. Peterson Elementary?
John R. Peterson Elementary has 477 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in Huntington Beach, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at John R. Peterson Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at John R. Peterson Elementary is 22.2:1, which is 3% higher than the California average of 21.6:1 and 40% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at John R. Peterson Elementary?
35.4% of students at John R. Peterson Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of John R. Peterson Elementary?
The largest demographic group at John R. Peterson Elementary is White at 45.5%. The school serves a diverse student body in Huntington Beach, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for John R. Peterson Elementary?
John R. Peterson Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 35/100 (F) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.