Enrollment
738
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Guadalupe, CA
Mary Buren Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Mary Buren Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 15/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 061626002029
👥 S:T ratio 16
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Mary Buren Elementary earns 15/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most California schools.
- 15
- Resource Index · Lower
- 21.1:1
- students per teacher
- 78.5%
- free-lunch eligible
- 738
- students enrolled
Mary Buren Elementary has class sizes near the California median. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Guadalupe Union Elementary · California
NCES ID 061626002029 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
35.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
21.1:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-2% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
78.5%
vs 55.5% California avg
+41% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Mary Buren Elementary compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Mary Buren Elementary
Mary Buren Elementary is a high-poverty, mid-sized elementary school in Guadalupe, California, enrolling 738 students.
At 21.1:1, 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.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 78.5% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 738 puts it in the larger third of California schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 91% of the 9,998 California schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.
Among 1,763 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need California schools statewide, it ranks #1,403, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (95% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 9/100).
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 53.3% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Among Guadalupe's elementary schools, it stands alongside Kermit Mckenzie Intermediate (585 students): Mary Buren Elementary is larger than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (21.1:1 vs 18.3:1).
Its district, Guadalupe Union Elementary, also runs Kermit Mckenzie Intermediate (585 students).
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 Mary Buren Elementary compares
Mary Buren 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 | 21.1:1 | ▼ 2% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 78.5% | ▲ 41% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 738 | top 21% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
21.1:1
Leaner classes than 13% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
738
Bigger than 82% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
78.5%
free-lunch eligible
- 41% above the California average of 55.5%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
21.1:1
students per teacher
- 2% below state mean
Top 44% in California - lower ratio than 56% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
53.3%
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
$17,412
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
2
in-school suspensions + 3 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.7 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 95.1%
White 3.4%
Two or More 0.7%
Asian 0.4%
African American 0.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 95.1% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 9.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 9.4, Mary Buren Elementary is less mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Guadalupe Union Elementary, which includes Mary Buren Elementary.
$17,412
Per student
+5%
vs California
Avg $16,509
+5%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 13.8%
State 78.4%
Federal 7.9%
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 Mary Buren Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kermit Mckenzie Intermediate | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Mary Buren Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 585
- Students per teacher
- 18.3:1
- Resource Index
- 15/100
Similar elementary schools in Guadalupe
1 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 (~738 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~21.1:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Mary Buren Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Mary Buren Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Guadalupe Union Elementary'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 Mary Buren Elementary
How many students attend Mary Buren Elementary?
Mary Buren Elementary has 738 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Guadalupe, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Mary Buren Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Mary Buren Elementary is 21.1:1, which is 2% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 34% 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 Mary Buren Elementary?
78.5% of students at Mary Buren Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Mary Buren Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Mary Buren Elementary is Hispanic or Latino at 95.1% of enrollment, in Guadalupe, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Mary Buren Elementary?
Mary Buren Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 15/100 (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).
Is Mary Buren Elementary a good school?
Mary Buren Elementary earns 15/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median. It is also less 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 Guadalupe Union Elementary?
Besides Mary Buren Elementary, Guadalupe Union Elementary also operates Kermit Mckenzie Intermediate (585 students). See the Guadalupe Union Elementary 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.