Enrollment
345
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Hanford, CA
Kit Carson Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Kit Carson Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 21/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 061989002386
👥 S:T ratio 34
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Kit Carson Elementary earns 21/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 86% of California schools.
- #4 of 16
- elementary schools in Hanford · Resource Index
- 21
- Resource Index · Lower
- 16.4:1
- small classes for California
- 69.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Kit Carson Elementary has class sizes smaller than 86% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Kit Carson Elementary ranks #4 of 16 elementary schools in Hanford, CA.
School address
District: Kit Carson Union Elementary · California
NCES ID 061989002386 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
21.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.4:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-24% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
69.0%
vs 55.5% California avg
+24% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Kit Carson Elementary compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Kit Carson Elementary
Kit Carson Elementary is a higher-need, mid-sized elementary school in Hanford, California, enrolling 345 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 16.4:1, Kit Carson Elementary is leaner than roughly 86% of California schools and 24% under the state's 21.5:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 69.0% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 345 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 9,998 scored California schools.
Against 1,516 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #1,062.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (68%) and White (25%) (diversity index 48/100).
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 46.7% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Among Hanford's elementary schools, it stands alongside Kings River-Hardwick Elementary (860 students): Kit Carson Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (16.4:1 vs 24.6:1).
Its district, Kit Carson Union Elementary, also runs Mid Valley Alternative Charter (60 students).
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 Kit Carson Elementary compares
Kit Carson 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 | 16.4:1 | ▼ 24% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 69.0% | ▲ 24% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 345 | top 68% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16.4:1
Leaner classes than 35% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
345
Bigger than 39% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
69.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 24% above the California average of 55.5%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
16.4:1
students per teacher
- 24% below state mean
Top 14% in California - lower ratio than 86% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
46.7%
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
$14,062
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
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
3
in-school suspensions + 12 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 4.3 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
Hispanic or Latino 67.8%
White 24.6%
Two or More 5.2%
African American 1.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.6%
Asian 0.3%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 67.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 47.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 47.7, Kit Carson Elementary is about as mixed as the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Kit Carson Union Elementary, which includes Kit Carson Elementary.
$14,062
Per student
-15%
vs California
Avg $16,509
-15%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 18.8%
State 70.9%
Federal 10.3%
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 Kit Carson Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mid Valley Alternative Charter | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Kit Carson Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 60
- Students per teacher
- 30:1
- Resource Index
- 18/100
Similar elementary schools in Hanford
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Kings River-Hardwick Elementary
Standard public school
860 students 24.6:1 students per teacher
Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary
Standard public school
624 students 23.1:1 students per teacher
Frontier Elementary
Standard public school
619 students 28.1:1 students per teacher
Monroe Elementary
Standard public school
611 students 21.8:1 students per teacher
Pioneer Elementary
Standard public school
518 students 23.5:1 students per teacher
Joseph M. Simas
Standard public school
514 students 22.3:1 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 (~345 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~16.4:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Kit Carson Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Kit Carson Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Kit Carson Union 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 Kit Carson Elementary
How many students attend Kit Carson Elementary?
Kit Carson Elementary has 345 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Hanford, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Kit Carson Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Kit Carson Elementary is 16.4:1, which is 24% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 4% 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 Kit Carson Elementary?
69.0% of students at Kit Carson Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Kit Carson Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Kit Carson Elementary is Hispanic or Latino at 67.8% of enrollment, in Hanford, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Kit Carson Elementary?
Kit Carson Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 21/100 (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 Kit Carson Elementary rank among elementary schools in Hanford?
By Resource Investment Index, Kit Carson Elementary ranks #4 of 16 elementary schools in Hanford, 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 Hanford on the city page.
Is Kit Carson Elementary a good school?
Kit Carson Elementary earns 21/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 86% of 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 Kit Carson Union Elementary?
Besides Kit Carson Elementary, Kit Carson Union Elementary also operates Mid Valley Alternative Charter (60 students). See the Kit Carson Union 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.