Enrollment
349
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · San Mateo, CA
Lead Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Lead Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 20/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 063492005908
👥 S:T ratio 18
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 30
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Lead Elementary earns 20/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median.
- #13 of 14
- elementary schools in San Mateo · Resource Index
- 20
- Resource Index · Lower
- 20.5:1
- students per teacher
- 55.7%
- free-lunch eligible
Lead Elementary has class sizes near the California median. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Lead Elementary ranks #13 of 14 elementary schools in San Mateo, CA.
School address
District: San Mateo-Foster City · California
NCES ID 063492005908 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
17.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
20.5:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-5% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
55.7%
vs 55.5% California avg
+0% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Lead Elementary compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Lead Elementary
Lead Elementary is a higher-need, mid-sized elementary school in San Mateo, California, enrolling 349 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 20.5:1 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 55.7% lands close to the California typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 349 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.
Among 1,262 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need California schools statewide, it ranks #944, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (73%) and Two or More (8%) (diversity index 44/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 349 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 41.0% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Among San Mateo's elementary schools, it stands alongside Bayside Academy (840 students): Lead Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (20.5:1 vs 19.1:1).
San Mateo-Foster City also operates Bowditch Middle (929 students) and Borel Middle (903 students) alongside Lead 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 Lead Elementary compares
Lead 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 | 20.5:1 | ▼ 5% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 55.7% | ▲ 0% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 349 | top 68% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
20.5:1
Leaner classes than 14% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
349
Bigger than 40% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
55.7%
free-lunch eligible
- 0% 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
20.5:1
students per teacher
- 5% below state mean
Top 39% in California - lower ratio than 61% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
41.0%
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
$17,395
per pupil, district-wide
- above California avg of $16,509
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 349 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 1 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 73.4%
Two or More 8.3%
Asian 6.3%
White 6.0%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 5.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 73.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 44.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 44.4, Lead Elementary is about as mixed as the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for San Mateo-Foster City, which includes Lead Elementary.
$17,395
Per student
+5%
vs California
Avg $16,509
+5%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 79.9%
State 14.6%
Federal 5.4%
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 Lead Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bowditch Middle | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Borel Middle | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Bayside Academy | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Abbott Middle | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Foster City Elementary | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Lead Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 929
- Students per teacher
- 20.2:1
- Resource Index
- 51/100
- Enrollment
- 903
- Students per teacher
- 18.1:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
- Enrollment
- 840
- Students per teacher
- 19.1:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 721
- Students per teacher
- 16.4:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 624
- Students per teacher
- 18.9:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
Similar elementary schools in San Mateo
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Bayside Academy
Standard public school
840 students 19.1:1 students per teacher
Baywood Elementary
Standard public school
489 students 21.3:1 students per teacher
Laurel Elementary
Standard public school
469 students 19.5:1 students per teacher
College Park Elementary
Standard public school
431 students 23.9:1 students per teacher
Fiesta Gardens International Elementary
Standard public school
418 students 22:1 students per teacher
Parkside Montessori
Standard public school
418 students 27.9:1 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 (~349 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~20.5:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Lead Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Lead Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- San Mateo-Foster City'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 Lead Elementary
How many students attend Lead Elementary?
Lead Elementary has 349 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in San Mateo, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Lead Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Lead Elementary is 20.5:1, which is 5% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 31% 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 Lead Elementary?
55.7% of students at Lead Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Lead Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Lead Elementary is Hispanic or Latino at 73.4% of enrollment, in San Mateo, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Lead Elementary?
Lead Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 20/100 (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 Lead Elementary rank among elementary schools in San Mateo?
By Resource Investment Index, Lead Elementary ranks #13 of 14 elementary schools in San Mateo, 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 Mateo on the city page.
Is Lead Elementary a good school?
Lead Elementary earns 20/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median. 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 Mateo-Foster City?
Besides Lead Elementary, San Mateo-Foster City also operates Bowditch Middle (929 students), Borel Middle (903 students), and Bayside Academy (840 students). See the San Mateo-Foster City 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.