Elementary school (grades K-5) · Berkeley, CA

Malcolm X Elementary

Federal NCES profile for Malcolm X Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 51/100.

2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 060474000447
0/100100/10051/100
👥 S:T ratio
30
🌟 Gifted program
30
📋 Attendance
94
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

Malcolm X Elementary earns 51/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 82% of California schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most California schools.

#2 of 12
elementary schools in Berkeley · Resource Index
51
Resource Index · Higher
17.4:1
small classes for California
27.2%
free-lunch eligible

Malcolm X Elementary has class sizes smaller than 82% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, Malcolm X Elementary ranks #2 of 12 elementary schools in Berkeley, CA.

School address

Enrollment

469

California · 2024-25 NCES data

Teachers (FTE)

27.0

Federal CCD staff survey

Students per teacher

17.4:1

vs 21.5:1 California avg

-19% vs state

Free-lunch eligible

27.2%

vs 55.5% California avg

-51% vs state

Student-teacher ratio in context

How Malcolm X Elementary compares with California and U.S. medians

Smaller classes than state median

Source: NCES Common Core of Data As of 2024-25 federal staff survey Total enrollment ÷ full-time-equivalent classroom teachers

What stands out at Malcolm X Elementary

Malcolm X Elementary is a mid-sized elementary school in Berkeley, California, enrolling 469 students.

Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 17.4:1 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.

Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 27.2% of students eligible for free meals.

With 469 students, its enrollment sits close to the California median campus size.

Its Resource Investment Index outscores 93% of the 9,998 California schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.

Among 1,252 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need California schools statewide, it ranks #36, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.

Its student body is led by White (43%) and Two or More (18%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 73/100).

Attendance holds up well here: only 2.6% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.

The surrounding Berkeley Unified spends $21,454 per pupil, 30% above the California average, a better-resourced district than most.

Among Berkeley's elementary schools, it stands alongside Ruth Acty Elementary (410 students): Malcolm X Elementary is larger than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (17.4:1 vs 19.5:1).

Berkeley Unified also operates Berkeley High (3,218 students) and Martin Luther King Middle (851 students) alongside Malcolm X 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 Malcolm X Elementary compares

Malcolm X 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 17.4:1 ▼ 19% 21.5:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 27.2% ▼ 51% 55.5% 51.7%
Enrollment 469 top 50% - -

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25

17.4:1
Leaner classes than 28% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
469
Bigger than 58% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.

Equity indicators (what these measure)

Economic need
27.2%
free-lunch eligible - 51% below the California average of 55.5%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
17.4:1
students per teacher - 19% below state mean
Top 18% in California - lower ratio than 82% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
2.6%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 5%, comfortably under the pre-pandemic national baseline for chronic absenteeism.
Funding equity
$21,454
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
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 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 42.5%
Two or More 17.8%
African American 15.9%
Hispanic or Latino 15.2%
Asian 8.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%

Largest group: White at 42.5% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 73.2/100

Simpson diversity index - at 73.2, Malcolm X Elementary is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.

Programs

Funding & spending

District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Berkeley Unified, which includes Malcolm X Elementary.

$21,454
Per student
+30%
vs California
Avg $16,509
+29%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 64.6%
State 29.0%
Federal 6.4%

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 Malcolm X Elementary Compares to District-Mates

School Enrollment Economic Profile Student-Teacher Ratio
Berkeley High Larger Similar economic need Similar S:T ratio
Martin Luther King Middle Larger Similar economic need Similar S:T ratio
Willard Middle Larger Similar economic need Similar S:T ratio
Longfellow Arts and Technology Middle Similar size Higher economic need Lower S:T ratio
Ruth Acty Elementary Similar size Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio

Comparisons are relative to Malcolm X Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.

Other Schools in This District

Berkeley Unified · 5 sibling schools

View district profile

Similar elementary schools in Berkeley

6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.

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.

Next steps

Verify locally before acting on Malcolm X Elementary's federal record.

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 Malcolm X Elementary

How many students attend Malcolm X Elementary?

Malcolm X Elementary has 469 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Berkeley, CA.

What is the student-teacher ratio at Malcolm X Elementary?

The student-teacher ratio at Malcolm X Elementary is 17.4:1, which is 19% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 11% 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 Malcolm X Elementary?

27.2% of students at Malcolm X Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Malcolm X Elementary?

The largest demographic group at Malcolm X Elementary is White at 42.5% of enrollment, in Berkeley, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 73.2/100.

What is the Resource Investment Index for Malcolm X Elementary?

Malcolm X Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 51/100 (higher 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 Malcolm X Elementary rank among elementary schools in Berkeley?

By Resource Investment Index, Malcolm X Elementary ranks #2 of 12 elementary schools in Berkeley, 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 Berkeley on the city page.

Is Malcolm X Elementary a good school?

Malcolm X Elementary earns 51/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 82% of California schools. It is also more 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 Berkeley Unified?

Besides Malcolm X Elementary, Berkeley Unified also operates Berkeley High (3,218 students), Martin Luther King Middle (851 students), and Willard Middle (596 students). See the Berkeley Unified district page for the complete list.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) CCD + Public School Universe (2024-25), CRDC (2021-22), F-33 District Finance Survey (FY 2021-22) · 2024-25 Data as of the 2024-25 school year. Coverage from U.S. Department of Education NCES Common Core of Data. Varies by entity type; administrative districts and certain charter networks may report only a subset of fields.

All federal data sources used on this page

Full source list and how we compute each figure: methodology page.

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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.