Enrollment
521
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · San Luis Obispo, CA
Los Ranchos Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Los Ranchos Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 22/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 063480005874
👥 S:T ratio 0
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 59
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Los Ranchos Elementary earns 22/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 91% of California schools.
- #5 of 8
- elementary schools in San Luis Obispo · Resource Index
- 22
- Resource Index · Lower
- 27.4:1
- large classes for California
- 18.7%
- free-lunch eligible
Los Ranchos Elementary has class sizes larger than 91% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Los Ranchos Elementary ranks #5 of 8 elementary schools in San Luis Obispo, CA.
School address
District: San Luis Coastal Unified · California
NCES ID 063480005874 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
19.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
27.4:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
+27% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
18.7%
vs 55.5% California avg
-66% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Los Ranchos Elementary compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Los Ranchos Elementary
Los Ranchos Elementary is a lower-poverty, mid-sized elementary school in San Luis Obispo, California, enrolling 521 students.
Class loads run heavy: 27.4:1 is larger than about 91% of California schools and 27% above the 21.5:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 18.7% free-meal eligibility runs 66% below the California average.
With 521 students, its enrollment sits close to the California median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 9,998 scored California schools.
Among 1,257 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need California schools statewide, it ranks #1,129, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (69%) and Hispanic or Latino (13%) (diversity index 49/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 1303 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
16.5% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Among San Luis Obispo's elementary schools, it stands alongside C L Smith Elementary (528 students): Los Ranchos Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (27.4:1 vs 24:1).
San Luis Coastal Unified also operates San Luis Obispo High (1,678 students) and Laguna Middle (780 students) alongside Los Ranchos 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 Los Ranchos Elementary compares
Los Ranchos 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 | 27.4:1 | ▲ 27% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 18.7% | ▼ 66% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 521 | top 42% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
27.4:1
Leaner classes than 3% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
521
Bigger than 64% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
18.7%
free-lunch eligible
- 66% below the California average of 55.5%
Below the 40% Title I threshold, among the lower-need profiles in the state; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
27.4:1
students per teacher
- 27% above state mean
Top 91% in California - lower ratio than 9% of state schools
Well above 20:1, one of the more stretched staffing loads nationally relative to enrollment.
Engagement
16.5%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$16,712
per pupil, district-wide
- above California avg of $16,509
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors0.4 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 2 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.4 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
White 69.3%
Hispanic or Latino 12.7%
Two or More 11.3%
Asian 5.4%
African American 1.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%
Largest group: White at 69.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 48.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 48.8, Los Ranchos Elementary is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for San Luis Coastal Unified, which includes Los Ranchos Elementary.
$16,712
Per student
+1%
vs California
Avg $16,509
+1%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 77.4%
State 16.0%
Federal 6.7%
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 Los Ranchos Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Luis Obispo High | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Laguna Middle | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Morro Bay High | Larger | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| C L Smith Elementary | Similar size | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Los Osos Middle | Similar size | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Los Ranchos Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,678
- Students per teacher
- 21.5:1
- Resource Index
- 24/100
- Enrollment
- 780
- Students per teacher
- 20:1
- Resource Index
- 27/100
- Enrollment
- 751
- Students per teacher
- 16.7:1
- Resource Index
- 24/100
- Enrollment
- 528
- Students per teacher
- 24:1
- Resource Index
- 16/100
- Enrollment
- 494
- Students per teacher
- 18.3:1
- Resource Index
- 19/100
Similar elementary schools in San Luis Obispo
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
C L Smith Elementary
Standard public school
528 students 24:1 students per teacher
Pacheco Elementary
Standard public school
488 students 23.2:1 students per teacher
Hawthorne Elementary
Standard public school
437 students 25.7:1 students per teacher
Sinsheimer Elementary
Standard public school
401 students 25.1:1 students per teacher
Bishop's Peak Elementary
Standard public school
358 students 22.4:1 students per teacher
Teach Elementary
Standard public school
193 students 32.2:1 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 (~521 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~27.4:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Los Ranchos Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Los Ranchos Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- San Luis Coastal 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 Los Ranchos Elementary
How many students attend Los Ranchos Elementary?
Los Ranchos Elementary has 521 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in San Luis Obispo, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Los Ranchos Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Los Ranchos Elementary is 27.4:1, which is 27% higher than the California average of 21.5:1 and 75% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Los Ranchos Elementary?
18.7% of students at Los Ranchos Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Los Ranchos Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Los Ranchos Elementary is White at 69.3% of enrollment, in San Luis Obispo, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Los Ranchos Elementary?
Los Ranchos Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 22/100 (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 Los Ranchos Elementary rank among elementary schools in San Luis Obispo?
By Resource Investment Index, Los Ranchos Elementary ranks #5 of 8 elementary schools in San Luis Obispo, 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 Luis Obispo on the city page.
Is Los Ranchos Elementary a good school?
Los Ranchos Elementary earns 22/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 91% 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 San Luis Coastal Unified?
Besides Los Ranchos Elementary, San Luis Coastal Unified also operates San Luis Obispo High (1,678 students), Laguna Middle (780 students), and Morro Bay High (751 students). See the San Luis Coastal 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.