Enrollment
783
California · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 063750006333
Marengo Elementary — South Pasadena, CA
Federal NCES profile for Marengo Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 39/100.
👥 Class size 0
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 86
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
District: South Pasadena Unified · California
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
28.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
26.9:1
vs 21.6:1 California avg
+25% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
13.9%
vs 55.5% California avg
-75% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Marengo Elementary compares with California and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
Marengo Elementary reports 783 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 28.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 26.9:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 25% above the California state mean of 21.6:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 69% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 13.9% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 75% below the California average and 73% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 1566 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 5.6% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding South Pasadena Unified spends $17,570 per pupil district-wide, below the California average of $18,039 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 40.9% from local sources (property taxes), 51.3% from the state, and 7.8% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 39/100 (F), calculated from 4 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Marengo Elementary compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against California state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs California | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 26.9:1 | ▲ 25% | 21.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 13.9% | ▼ 75% | 55.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 783 | top 82% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Economic need
13.9%
free-lunch eligible
— 75% 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
26.9:1
students per teacher
— 25% above state mean
Top 93% in California — lower ratio than 7% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Engagement
5.6%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 10% — strong attendance relative to the post-pandemic national landscape.
Funding equity
$17,570
per pupil, district-wide
— below California avg of $18,039
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.5 FTE
Per 1566 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.1 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 783 Top 82% in California — larger than 18% of 10,006 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 28.0
Students per teacher 26.9:1 +25% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 13.9% -75% vs state
NCES ID 063750006333
Student demographics
Asian 45.5%
Two or More 21.2%
White 17.5%
Hispanic or Latino 15.3%
African American 0.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: Asian at 45.5% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 0.5
Students per counselor 1566:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 5.6%
In-school suspensions 1
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for South Pasadena Unified, which includes Marengo Elementary.
$17,570
Per student
-3%
vs California
Avg $18,039
-10%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 40.9%
State 51.3%
Federal 7.8%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,536
- Students per teacher
- 24.6:1
- Enrollment
- 1,096
- Students per teacher
- 22.6:1
- Enrollment
- 667
- Students per teacher
- 24.9:1
- Enrollment
- 570
- Students per teacher
- 23.4:1
Similar elementary schools in South Pasadena
2 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about Marengo Elementary
How many students attend Marengo Elementary?
Marengo Elementary has 783 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in South Pasadena, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Marengo Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Marengo Elementary is 26.9:1, which is 25% higher than the California average of 21.6:1 and 69% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Marengo Elementary?
13.9% of students at Marengo Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Marengo Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Marengo Elementary is Asian at 45.5%. The school serves a diverse student body in South Pasadena, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Marengo Elementary?
Marengo Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 39/100 (F) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.