Enrollment
548
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Seaside, CA
Martin Luther King
Federal NCES profile for Martin Luther King, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 24/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 062553003829
👥 S:T ratio 24
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 18
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Martin Luther King earns 24/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 74% of California schools.
- #4 of 6
- elementary schools in Seaside · Resource Index
- 24
- Resource Index · Lower
- 18.9:1
- small classes for California
- 86.7%
- free-lunch eligible
Martin Luther King has class sizes smaller than 74% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Martin Luther King ranks #4 of 6 elementary schools in Seaside, CA.
School address
District: Monterey Peninsula Unified · California
NCES ID 062553003829 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
29.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18.9:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-12% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
86.7%
vs 55.5% California avg
+56% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Martin Luther King compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Martin Luther King
Martin Luther King is a high-poverty, mid-sized elementary school in Seaside, California, enrolling 548 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 18.9:1 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need is high: 86.7% of students qualify for free meals, 56% above the California average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
With 548 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.
Against 1,729 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #954.
Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (81% of enrollment) (diversity index 33/100).
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 32.7% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Among Seaside's elementary schools, it stands alongside George C. Marshall Elementary (516 students): Martin Luther King is larger than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (18.9:1 vs 22.4:1).
Monterey Peninsula Unified also operates Monterey High (1,401 students) and Seaside High (1,073 students) alongside Martin Luther King.
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 Martin Luther King compares
Martin Luther King on the metrics families compare, against California and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs California | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 18.9:1 | ▼ 12% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 86.7% | ▲ 56% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 548 | top 39% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
18.9:1
Leaner classes than 20% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
548
Bigger than 67% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
86.7%
free-lunch eligible
- 56% above the California average of 55.5%
Well above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold, among the highest-need profiles in the state; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
18.9:1
students per teacher
- 12% below state mean
Top 26% in California - lower ratio than 74% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
32.7%
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
$16,404
per pupil, district-wide
- below 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
1
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.2 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
Hispanic or Latino 81.4%
Asian 4.9%
African American 4.0%
Two or More 4.0%
White 3.8%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 1.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 81.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 33.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 33.0, Martin Luther King is less mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Monterey Peninsula Unified, which includes Martin Luther King.
$16,404
Per student
-1%
vs California
Avg $16,509
-1%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 46.8%
State 40.7%
Federal 12.5%
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 Martin Luther King Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monterey High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Seaside High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Marina High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| La Mesa | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Monte Vista | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Martin Luther King's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,401
- Students per teacher
- 21.6:1
- Resource Index
- 27/100
- Enrollment
- 1,073
- Students per teacher
- 21:1
- Resource Index
- 28/100
- Enrollment
- 721
- Students per teacher
- 20.6:1
- Resource Index
- 27/100
- Enrollment
- 689
- Students per teacher
- 26.5:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
- Enrollment
- 688
- Students per teacher
- 26.5:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
Similar elementary schools in Seaside
5 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
George C. Marshall Elementary
Standard public school
516 students 22.4:1 students per teacher
International School of Monterey
Standard public school
439 students 20.9:1 students per teacher
Dual Language Academy of the Monterey Peninsula
Standard public school
410 students 25.6:1 students per teacher
Ord Terrace Elementary
Standard public school
397 students 15.3:1 students per teacher
Del Rey Woods Elementary
Standard public school
390 students 17:1 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 (~548 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Martin Luther King's federal record.
- Compare Martin Luther King against another school. Compare schools
- Monterey Peninsula 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 Martin Luther King
How many students attend Martin Luther King?
Martin Luther King has 548 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Seaside, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Martin Luther King?
The student-teacher ratio at Martin Luther King is 18.9:1, which is 12% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 20% 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 Martin Luther King?
86.7% of students at Martin Luther King are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Martin Luther King?
The largest demographic group at Martin Luther King is Hispanic or Latino at 81.4% of enrollment, in Seaside, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Martin Luther King?
Martin Luther King has a Resource Investment Index of 24/100 (lower 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 Martin Luther King rank among elementary schools in Seaside?
By Resource Investment Index, Martin Luther King ranks #4 of 6 elementary schools in Seaside, 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 Seaside on the city page.
Is Martin Luther King a good school?
Martin Luther King earns 24/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 74% 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 Monterey Peninsula Unified?
Besides Martin Luther King, Monterey Peninsula Unified also operates Monterey High (1,401 students), Seaside High (1,073 students), and Marina High (721 students). See the Monterey Peninsula 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.