Enrollment
700
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Mcfarland, CA
Kern Avenue Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Kern Avenue Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 24/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 062423003646
👥 S:T ratio 7
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 58
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Kern Avenue Elementary earns 24/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most California schools.
- #3 of 3
- elementary schools in Mcfarland · Resource Index
- 24
- Resource Index · Lower
- 23.3:1
- students per teacher
- 84.5%
- free-lunch eligible
Kern Avenue Elementary has class sizes near the California median. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Kern Avenue Elementary ranks #3 of 3 elementary schools in Mcfarland, CA.
School address
District: Mcfarland Unified · California
NCES ID 062423003646 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
30.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
23.3:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
+8% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
84.5%
vs 55.5% California avg
+52% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Kern Avenue Elementary compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Kern Avenue Elementary
Kern Avenue Elementary is a high-poverty, mid-sized elementary school in Mcfarland, California, enrolling 700 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 23.3:1 puts it in the larger third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need is high: 84.5% of students qualify for free meals, 52% above the California average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
Enrollment of 700 puts it in the larger third of California schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 9,998 scored California schools.
Against 1,639 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #877.
Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (97% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 6/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 700 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
16.9% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Its district draws 18.0% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Mcfarland Unified also operates Mcfarland High School Early College (1,027 students) and Horizon Elementary (542 students) alongside Kern Avenue 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 Kern Avenue Elementary compares
Kern Avenue 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 | 23.3:1 | ▲ 8% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 84.5% | ▲ 52% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 700 | top 24% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
23.3:1
Leaner classes than 8% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
700
Bigger than 80% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
84.5%
free-lunch eligible
- 52% above the California average of 55.5%
Well above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold, among the highest-need profiles in the state; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
23.3:1
students per teacher
- 8% above state mean
Top 65% in California - lower ratio than 35% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
16.9%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$14,602
per pupil, district-wide
- below California avg of $16,509
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 700 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
2
in-school suspensions + 2 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.6 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 96.9%
Asian 1.7%
White 0.7%
African American 0.4%
Two or More 0.3%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 96.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 6.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 6.1, Kern Avenue Elementary is less mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Mcfarland Unified, which includes Kern Avenue Elementary.
$14,602
Per student
-12%
vs California
Avg $16,509
-12%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 18.1%
State 63.9%
Federal 18.0%
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 Kern Avenue Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mcfarland High School Early College | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Horizon Elementary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Mcfarland Junior High | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Browning Road Steam Academy | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| San Joaquin High (Continuation) | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Kern Avenue Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,027
- Students per teacher
- 24.5:1
- Resource Index
- 27/100
- Enrollment
- 542
- Students per teacher
- 24.6:1
- Resource Index
- 27/100
- Enrollment
- 494
- Students per teacher
- 20.6:1
- Resource Index
- 24/100
- Enrollment
- 453
- Students per teacher
- 20.6:1
- Resource Index
- 27/100
- Enrollment
- 43
- Students per teacher
- 21.5:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
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 (~700 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~23.3:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Kern Avenue Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Kern Avenue Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Mcfarland Unified'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 Kern Avenue Elementary
How many students attend Kern Avenue Elementary?
Kern Avenue Elementary has 700 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Mcfarland, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Kern Avenue Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Kern Avenue Elementary is 23.3:1, which is 8% higher than the California average of 21.5:1 and 48% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Kern Avenue Elementary?
84.5% of students at Kern Avenue Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Kern Avenue Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Kern Avenue Elementary is Hispanic or Latino at 96.9% of enrollment, in Mcfarland, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Kern Avenue Elementary?
Kern Avenue Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 24/100 (lower 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 Kern Avenue Elementary rank among elementary schools in Mcfarland?
By Resource Investment Index, Kern Avenue Elementary ranks #3 of 3 elementary schools in Mcfarland, 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 Mcfarland on the city page.
Is Kern Avenue Elementary a good school?
Kern Avenue Elementary earns 24/100 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 Mcfarland Unified?
Besides Kern Avenue Elementary, Mcfarland Unified also operates Mcfarland High School Early College (1,027 students), Horizon Elementary (542 students), and Mcfarland Junior High (494 students). See the Mcfarland Unified 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.