Enrollment
498
California · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 063579006115
La Joya Elementary — Salinas, CA
Federal NCES profile for La Joya Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 11/100.
👥 Class size 10
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 4
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: Santa Rita Union 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)
24.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
22.6:1
vs 21.6:1 California avg
+5% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
75.1%
vs 55.5% California avg
+35% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How La Joya 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
La Joya Elementary reports 498 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 24.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 22.6:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 5% 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 42% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 75.1% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 35% above the California average and 45% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 498 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 38.2% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Santa Rita Union Elementary spends $16,665 per pupil district-wide, below the California average of $18,039 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 22.0% from local sources (property taxes), 65.6% from the state, and 12.5% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 11/100 (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 La Joya 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 | 22.6:1 | ▲ 5% | 21.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 75.1% | ▲ 35% | 55.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 498 | top 54% | — | — |
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
75.1%
free-lunch eligible
— 35% 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
22.6:1
students per teacher
— 5% above state mean
Top 56% in California — lower ratio than 44% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Engagement
38.2%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$16,665
per pupil, district-wide
— below California avg of $18,039
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 498 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
9
in-school suspensions + 10 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.8 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 498 Top 54% in California — larger than 46% of 10,006 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 24.0
Students per teacher 22.6:1 +5% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 75.1% +35% vs state
NCES ID 063579006115
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 92.2%
White 5.6%
African American 0.8%
Two or More 0.8%
Asian 0.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 92.2% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 498:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 38.2%
In-school suspensions 9
Out-of-school suspensions 10
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Santa Rita Union Elementary, which includes La Joya Elementary.
$16,665
Per student
-8%
vs California
Avg $18,039
-14%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 22.0%
State 65.6%
Federal 12.5%
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
- 568
- Students per teacher
- 22.8:1
- Enrollment
- 556
- Students per teacher
- 21:1
- Enrollment
- 545
- Students per teacher
- 24.8:1
- Enrollment
- 482
- Students per teacher
- 19.2:1
- Enrollment
- 439
- Students per teacher
- 19.1:1
Similar elementary schools in Salinas
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Sherwood Elementary
Standard public school
859 students 23.4:1 students per teacher
Monte Bella Elementary
Standard public school
812 students 26.2:1 students per teacher
Henry F. Kammann Elementary
Standard public school
743 students 24.4:1 students per teacher
Fremont Elementary
Standard public school
711 students 23.7:1 students per teacher
Natividad Elementary
Standard public school
705 students 23.5:1 students per teacher
Mission Park Elementary
Standard public school
657 students 25.9:1 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 La Joya Elementary
How many students attend La Joya Elementary?
La Joya Elementary has 498 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in Salinas, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at La Joya Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at La Joya Elementary is 22.6:1, which is 5% higher than the California average of 21.6:1 and 42% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at La Joya Elementary?
75.1% of students at La Joya Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of La Joya Elementary?
The largest demographic group at La Joya Elementary is Hispanic or Latino at 92.2%. The school serves a diverse student body in Salinas, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for La Joya Elementary?
La Joya Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 11/100 (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.