Enrollment
270
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Aptos, CA
Mar Vista Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Mar Vista Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 37/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 062949004545
👥 S:T ratio 40
🌟 Gifted program 70
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Mar Vista Elementary earns 37/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 89% of California schools.
- #1 of 3
- elementary schools in Aptos · Resource Index
- 37
- Resource Index · Typical
- 15:1
- small classes for California
- 36.6%
- free-lunch eligible
Mar Vista Elementary has class sizes smaller than 89% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Mar Vista Elementary ranks #1 of 3 elementary schools in Aptos, CA.
School address
District: Pajaro Valley Unified · California
NCES ID 062949004545 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
18.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-30% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
36.6%
vs 55.5% California avg
-34% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Mar Vista Elementary compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Mar Vista Elementary
Mar Vista Elementary is a mid-sized elementary school in Aptos, California, enrolling 270 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 15:1, Mar Vista Elementary is leaner than roughly 89% of California schools and 30% under the state's 21.5:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 36.6% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 270 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 9,998 scored California schools.
Against 603 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #165.
Its student body is led by White (50%) and Hispanic or Latino (38%) (diversity index 60/100).
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 52.6% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Among Aptos's elementary schools, it stands alongside Valencia Elementary (487 students): Mar Vista Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (15:1 vs 20.3:1).
Pajaro Valley Unified also operates Watsonville High (2,215 students) and Pajaro Valley High (1,293 students) alongside Mar Vista 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 Mar Vista Elementary compares
Mar Vista 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 | 15:1 | ▼ 30% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 36.6% | ▼ 34% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 270 | top 77% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
15:1
Leaner classes than 47% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
270
Bigger than 28% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
36.6%
free-lunch eligible
- 34% 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
15:1
students per teacher
- 30% below state mean
Top 11% in California - lower ratio than 89% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
52.6%
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
$17,011
per pupil, district-wide
- above California avg of $16,509
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 4 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.5 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 50.4%
Hispanic or Latino 37.8%
Two or More 6.7%
Asian 3.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 1.1%
African American 0.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%
Largest group: White at 50.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 59.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 59.7, Mar Vista Elementary is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Pajaro Valley Unified, which includes Mar Vista Elementary.
$17,011
Per student
+3%
vs California
Avg $16,509
+3%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 30.6%
State 56.5%
Federal 12.9%
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 Mar Vista Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Watsonville High | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Pajaro Valley High | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Aptos High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Alianza Charter | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Rolling Hills Middle | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Mar Vista Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,215
- Students per teacher
- 21.7:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 1,293
- Students per teacher
- 19.9:1
- Resource Index
- 26/100
- Enrollment
- 1,274
- Students per teacher
- 19.6:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
- Enrollment
- 626
- Students per teacher
- 22.4:1
- Resource Index
- 18/100
- Enrollment
- 588
- Students per teacher
- 21:1
- Resource Index
- 22/100
Similar elementary schools in Aptos
2 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.
Similar enrollment (~270 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~15:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Mar Vista Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Mar Vista Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Pajaro Valley 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 Mar Vista Elementary
How many students attend Mar Vista Elementary?
Mar Vista Elementary has 270 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Aptos, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Mar Vista Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Mar Vista Elementary is 15:1, which is 30% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 4% lower 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 Mar Vista Elementary?
36.6% of students at Mar Vista Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Mar Vista Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Mar Vista Elementary is White at 50.4% of enrollment, in Aptos, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 59.7/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Mar Vista Elementary?
Mar Vista Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 37/100 (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 Mar Vista Elementary rank among elementary schools in Aptos?
By Resource Investment Index, Mar Vista Elementary ranks #1 of 3 elementary schools in Aptos, 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 Aptos on the city page.
Is Mar Vista Elementary a good school?
Mar Vista Elementary earns 37/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 89% 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 Pajaro Valley Unified?
Besides Mar Vista Elementary, Pajaro Valley Unified also operates Watsonville High (2,215 students), Pajaro Valley High (1,293 students), and Aptos High (1,274 students). See the Pajaro Valley 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.