Enrollment
653
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · San Francisco, CA
Lau (Gordon J.) Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Lau (Gordon J.) Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 35/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 063441005599
👥 S:T ratio 7
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 69
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Lau (Gordon J.) Elementary earns 35/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most California schools.
- #11 of 83
- elementary schools in San Francisco · Resource Index
- 35
- Resource Index · Typical
- 23.3:1
- students per teacher
- 80.3%
- free-lunch eligible
Lau (Gordon J.) Elementary has class sizes near the California median. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Lau (Gordon J.) Elementary ranks #11 of 83 elementary schools in San Francisco, CA.
School address
District: San Francisco Unified · California
NCES ID 063441005599 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
28.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
23.3:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
+8% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
80.3%
vs 55.5% California avg
+45% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Lau (Gordon J.) Elementary compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Lau (Gordon J.) Elementary
Lau (Gordon J.) Elementary is a high-poverty, mid-sized elementary school in San Francisco, California, enrolling 653 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 runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 80.3% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 653 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 1,960 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #241.
Its student body is predominantly Asian (90% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 19/100).
12.6% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
The surrounding San Francisco Unified spends $23,654 per pupil, 43% above the California average, a better-resourced district than most.
Among San Francisco's elementary schools, it stands alongside Lilienthal (Claire) Elementary (673 students): Lau (Gordon J.) Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (23.3:1 vs 23.2:1).
San Francisco Unified also operates Lowell High (2,571 students) and Lincoln (Abraham) High (2,074 students) alongside Lau (Gordon J.) 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 Lau (Gordon J.) Elementary compares
Lau (Gordon J.) 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 | 80.3% | ▲ 45% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 653 | top 27% | - | - |
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.
653
Bigger than 77% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
80.3%
free-lunch eligible
- 45% 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
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
12.6%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 10-15% range, above the pre-pandemic national baseline but within the broader post-pandemic picture.
Funding equity
$23,654
per pupil, district-wide
- above California avg of $16,509
Well above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting substantially higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors0.1 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 1 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.2 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
Asian 89.7%
Hispanic or Latino 5.7%
Two or More 3.5%
White 0.6%
African American 0.5%
Largest group: Asian at 89.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 19.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 19.1, Lau (Gordon J.) Elementary is less mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for San Francisco Unified, which includes Lau (Gordon J.) Elementary.
$23,654
Per student
+43%
vs California
Avg $16,509
+43%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 56.8%
State 31.2%
Federal 12.0%
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 Lau (Gordon J.) Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lowell High | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Lincoln (Abraham) High | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Washington (George) High | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Galileo High | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Balboa High | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Lau (Gordon J.) Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,571
- Students per teacher
- 23.4:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 2,074
- Students per teacher
- 23.8:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 2,068
- Students per teacher
- 24:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 1,750
- Students per teacher
- 20.8:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 1,238
- Students per teacher
- 21.3:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
Similar elementary schools in San Francisco
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Lilienthal (Claire) Elementary
Standard public school
673 students 23.2:1 students per teacher
Lawton Alternative
Standard public school
600 students 20.7:1 students per teacher
Yu (Alice Fong) Elementary
Standard public school
594 students 29.7:1 students per teacher
West Portal Elementary
Standard public school
588 students 26.7:1 students per teacher
Buena Vista/ Horace Mann K-8
Standard public school
586 students 18.9:1 students per teacher
Rooftop Elementary
Standard public school
575 students 24:1 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 (~653 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~23.3:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Lau (Gordon J.) Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Lau (Gordon J.) Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- San Francisco 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 Lau (Gordon J.) Elementary
How many students attend Lau (Gordon J.) Elementary?
Lau (Gordon J.) Elementary has 653 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in San Francisco, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Lau (Gordon J.) Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Lau (Gordon J.) 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 Lau (Gordon J.) Elementary?
80.3% of students at Lau (Gordon J.) Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Lau (Gordon J.) Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Lau (Gordon J.) Elementary is Asian at 89.7% of enrollment, in San Francisco, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Lau (Gordon J.) Elementary?
Lau (Gordon J.) Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 35/100 (typical 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 Lau (Gordon J.) Elementary rank among elementary schools in San Francisco?
By Resource Investment Index, Lau (Gordon J.) Elementary ranks #11 of 83 elementary schools in San Francisco, 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 San Francisco on the city page.
Is Lau (Gordon J.) Elementary a good school?
Lau (Gordon J.) Elementary earns 35/100 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 San Francisco Unified?
Besides Lau (Gordon J.) Elementary, San Francisco Unified also operates Lowell High (2,571 students), Lincoln (Abraham) High (2,074 students), and Washington (George) High (2,068 students). See the San Francisco 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.