Enrollment
532
California · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 063795011497
Mary Lou Dieterich Elementary — Modesto, CA
Federal NCES profile for Mary Lou Dieterich Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 22/100.
👥 Class size 2
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 35
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: Stanislaus Union Elementary · 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)
22.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
24.4:1
vs 21.6:1 California avg
+13% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
51.0%
vs 55.5% California avg
-8% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Mary Lou Dieterich 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
Mary Lou Dieterich Elementary reports 532 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 22.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 24.4:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 13% 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 53% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 51.0% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 8% below the California average and 2% below the national baseline. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 26.1% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Stanislaus Union Elementary spends $16,032 per pupil district-wide, below the California average of $18,039 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 26.5% from local sources (property taxes), 61.7% from the state, and 11.9% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 22/100 (F), calculated from 3 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 Mary Lou Dieterich 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 | 24.4:1 | ▲ 13% | 21.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 51.0% | ▼ 8% | 55.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 532 | top 59% | — | — |
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
51.0%
free-lunch eligible
— 8% below the California average of 55.5%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
24.4:1
students per teacher
— 13% above state mean
Top 77% in California — lower ratio than 23% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Engagement
26.1%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$16,032
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
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 4 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.8 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 1 expulsion.
Overview
Enrollment 532 Top 59% in California — larger than 41% of 10,006 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 22.0
Students per teacher 24.4:1 +13% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 51.0% -8% vs state
NCES ID 063795011497
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 48.1%
White 22.4%
Two or More 14.1%
Asian 10.5%
African American 3.6%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.6%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 48.1% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 26.1%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 4
Expulsions 1
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Stanislaus Union Elementary, which includes Mary Lou Dieterich Elementary.
$16,032
Per student
-11%
vs California
Avg $18,039
-18%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 26.5%
State 61.7%
Federal 11.9%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 746
- Students per teacher
- 20.5:1
- Enrollment
- 621
- Students per teacher
- 23.7:1
- Enrollment
- 606
- Students per teacher
- 24:1
- Enrollment
- 513
- Students per teacher
- 25.3:1
- Enrollment
- 307
- Students per teacher
- 21:1
Similar elementary schools in Modesto
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Great Valley Academy
Standard public school
972 students 24.2:1 students per teacher
Great Valley Academy - Salida
Standard public school
927 students 24.2:1 students per teacher
Bret Harte Elementary
Standard public school
867 students 23:1 students per teacher
Fairview Elementary
Standard public school
786 students 25.2:1 students per teacher
Franklin Elementary
Standard public school
777 students 24.7:1 students per teacher
Freedom Elementary
Standard public school
713 students 23.6:1 students per teacher
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 Mary Lou Dieterich Elementary
How many students attend Mary Lou Dieterich Elementary?
Mary Lou Dieterich Elementary has 532 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in Modesto, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Mary Lou Dieterich Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Mary Lou Dieterich Elementary is 24.4:1, which is 13% higher than the California average of 21.6:1 and 53% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Mary Lou Dieterich Elementary?
51.0% of students at Mary Lou Dieterich Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Mary Lou Dieterich Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Mary Lou Dieterich Elementary is Hispanic or Latino at 48.1%. The school serves a diverse student body in Modesto, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Mary Lou Dieterich Elementary?
Mary Lou Dieterich Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 22/100 (F) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.