Elementary school (grades K-5) · San Carlos, CA

Mariposa

Federal NCES profile for Mariposa, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 34/100.

2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 063429014383
0/100100/10034/100
👥 S:T ratio
14
🌟 Gifted program
30
🎓 Counselors
0
📋 Attendance
92
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

Mariposa earns 34/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most California schools.

#2 of 7
elementary schools in San Carlos · Resource Index
34
Resource Index · Typical
21.5:1
students per teacher
12.3%
free-lunch eligible

Mariposa has class sizes near the California median. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, Mariposa ranks #2 of 7 elementary schools in San Carlos, CA.

Enrollment

322

California · 2024-25 NCES data

Teachers (FTE)

15.0

Federal CCD staff survey

Students per teacher

21.5:1

vs 21.5:1 California avg

+0% vs state

Free-lunch eligible

12.3%

vs 55.5% California avg

-78% vs state

Student-teacher ratio in context

How Mariposa compares with California and U.S. medians

At or below 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 Mariposa

Mariposa is a lower-poverty, mid-sized elementary school in San Carlos, California, enrolling 322 students.

At 21.5:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the California median, within a few percentage points of the 21.5:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.

Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 12.3% free-meal eligibility runs 78% below the California average.

Enrollment of 322 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by headcount.

Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 9,998 scored California schools.

Against 472 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #276.

Its student body is led by Asian (32%) and White (31%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 74/100).

Counselor access is stretched at roughly 805 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.

Attendance holds up well here: only 3.4% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.

Among San Carlos's elementary schools, it stands alongside Brittan Acres Elementary (411 students): Mariposa is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (21.5:1 vs 24.2:1).

San Carlos Elementary also operates Tierra Linda Middle (451 students) and Central Middle (443 students) alongside Mariposa.

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 Mariposa compares

Mariposa on the metrics families compare, against California and U.S. means.

Metric This school vs California California avg U.S. avg
Students per teacher 21.5:1 ▼ 0% 21.5:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 12.3% ▼ 78% 55.5% 51.7%
Enrollment 322 top 71% - -

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

21.5:1
Leaner classes than 12% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
322
Bigger than 36% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.

Equity indicators (what these measure)

Economic need
12.3%
free-lunch eligible - 78% 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
21.5:1
students per teacher - 0% above state mean
Top 48% in California - lower ratio than 52% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
3.4%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 5%, comfortably under the pre-pandemic national baseline for chronic absenteeism.
Funding equity
$17,313
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
3
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.9 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

Asian 32.0%
White 30.7%
Hispanic or Latino 18.6%
Two or More 17.1%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.9%
African American 0.6%

Largest group: Asian at 32.0% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 73.9/100

Simpson diversity index - at 73.9, Mariposa is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.

Programs

Funding & spending

District-wide per-pupil expenditure for San Carlos Elementary, which includes Mariposa.

$17,313
Per student
+5%
vs California
Avg $16,509
+4%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 86.6%
State 12.0%
Federal 1.4%

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 Mariposa Compares to District-Mates

School Enrollment Economic Profile Student-Teacher Ratio
Tierra Linda Middle Larger Similar economic need Similar S:T ratio
Central Middle Larger Similar economic need Similar S:T ratio
Brittan Acres Elementary Larger Similar economic need Higher S:T ratio
Arundel Elementary Similar size Similar economic need Similar S:T ratio
Heather Elementary Similar size Similar economic need Lower S:T ratio

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

Other Schools in This District

San Carlos Elementary · 5 sibling schools

View district profile

Similar elementary schools in San Carlos

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 Mariposa'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 Mariposa

How many students attend Mariposa?

Mariposa has 322 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in San Carlos, CA.

What is the student-teacher ratio at Mariposa?

The student-teacher ratio at Mariposa is 21.5:1, which is 0% higher than the California average of 21.5:1 and 37% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.

What percentage of students receive free lunch at Mariposa?

12.3% of students at Mariposa are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Mariposa?

The largest demographic group at Mariposa is Asian at 32.0% of enrollment, in San Carlos, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 73.9/100.

What is the Resource Investment Index for Mariposa?

Mariposa has a Resource Investment Index of 34/100 (typical 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 Mariposa rank among elementary schools in San Carlos?

By Resource Investment Index, Mariposa ranks #2 of 7 elementary schools in San Carlos, 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 Carlos on the city page.

Is Mariposa a good school?

Mariposa earns 34/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median. 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 San Carlos Elementary?

Besides Mariposa, San Carlos Elementary also operates Tierra Linda Middle (451 students), Central Middle (443 students), and Brittan Acres Elementary (411 students). See the San Carlos Elementary 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.

View saved

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.