Enrollment
477
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Benicia, CA
Mary Farmar Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Mary Farmar Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 19/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 060462000424
👥 S:T ratio 0
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 45
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Mary Farmar Elementary earns 19/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 87% of California schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most California schools.
- #3 of 4
- elementary schools in Benicia · Resource Index
- 19
- Resource Index · Lower
- 26.5:1
- large classes for California
- 21.4%
- free-lunch eligible
Mary Farmar Elementary has class sizes larger than 87% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Mary Farmar Elementary ranks #3 of 4 elementary schools in Benicia, CA.
School address
District: Benicia Unified · California
NCES ID 060462000424 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
18.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
26.5:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
+23% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
21.4%
vs 55.5% California avg
-61% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Mary Farmar Elementary compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Mary Farmar Elementary
Mary Farmar Elementary is a mid-sized elementary school in Benicia, California, enrolling 477 students.
Class loads run heavy: 26.5:1 is larger than about 87% of California schools and 23% above the 21.5:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 21.4% free-meal eligibility runs 61% below the California average.
With 477 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.
Among 1,236 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need California schools statewide, it ranks #1,145, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (42%) and Hispanic or Latino (29%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 70/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 1908 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 21.8% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
The surrounding Benicia Unified spends $13,115 per pupil, 21% below the California average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Among Benicia's elementary schools, it stands alongside Joe Henderson Elementary (530 students): Mary Farmar Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (26.5:1 vs 25.2:1).
Benicia Unified also operates Benicia High (1,335 students) and Benicia Middle (947 students) alongside Mary Farmar 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 Mary Farmar Elementary compares
Mary Farmar 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 | 26.5:1 | ▲ 23% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 21.4% | ▼ 61% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 477 | top 49% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
26.5:1
Leaner classes than 4% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
477
Bigger than 59% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
21.4%
free-lunch eligible
- 61% 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
26.5:1
students per teacher
- 23% above state mean
Top 87% in California - lower ratio than 13% of state schools
Well above 20:1, one of the more stretched staffing loads nationally relative to enrollment.
Engagement
21.8%
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
$13,115
per pupil, district-wide
- below California avg of $16,509
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.3 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
6
in-school suspensions + 7 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.7 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
White 41.9%
Hispanic or Latino 29.4%
Two or More 16.6%
Asian 6.9%
African American 4.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.8%
Largest group: White at 41.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 70.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 70.4, Mary Farmar Elementary is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Benicia Unified, which includes Mary Farmar Elementary.
$13,115
Per student
-21%
vs California
Avg $16,509
-21%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 39.2%
State 54.6%
Federal 6.2%
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 Farmar Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Benicia High | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Benicia Middle | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Joe Henderson Elementary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Matthew Turner Elementary | Similar size | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Robert Semple Elementary | Similar size | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Mary Farmar Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,335
- Students per teacher
- 19.1:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
- Enrollment
- 947
- Students per teacher
- 22:1
- Resource Index
- 25/100
- Enrollment
- 530
- Students per teacher
- 25.2:1
- Resource Index
- 26/100
- Enrollment
- 529
- Students per teacher
- 25.2:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 480
- Students per teacher
- 22.9:1
- Resource Index
- 15/100
Similar elementary schools in Benicia
3 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 (~477 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Mary Farmar Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Mary Farmar Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Benicia 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 Mary Farmar Elementary
How many students attend Mary Farmar Elementary?
Mary Farmar Elementary has 477 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Benicia, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Mary Farmar Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Mary Farmar Elementary is 26.5:1, which is 23% higher than the California average of 21.5:1 and 69% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Mary Farmar Elementary?
21.4% of students at Mary Farmar Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Mary Farmar Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Mary Farmar Elementary is White at 41.9% of enrollment, in Benicia, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 70.4/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Mary Farmar Elementary?
Mary Farmar Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 19/100 (lower 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 Mary Farmar Elementary rank among elementary schools in Benicia?
By Resource Investment Index, Mary Farmar Elementary ranks #3 of 4 elementary schools in Benicia, 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 Benicia on the city page.
Is Mary Farmar Elementary a good school?
Mary Farmar Elementary earns 19/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 87% of California schools. 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 Benicia Unified?
Besides Mary Farmar Elementary, Benicia Unified also operates Benicia High (1,335 students), Benicia Middle (947 students), and Joe Henderson Elementary (530 students). See the Benicia 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.