Elementary school (grades K-5) · Benicia, CA

Matthew Turner Elementary

Federal NCES profile for Matthew Turner Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 33/100.

2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 060462002832
0/100100/10033/100
👥 S:T ratio
0
🌟 Gifted program
30
📋 Attendance
68
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

Matthew Turner Elementary earns 33/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 81% of California schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most California schools.

#1 of 4
elementary schools in Benicia · Resource Index
33
Resource Index · Typical
25.2:1
large classes for California
9.3%
free-lunch eligible

Matthew Turner Elementary has class sizes larger than 81% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, Matthew Turner Elementary ranks #1 of 4 elementary schools in Benicia, CA.

School address

Enrollment

529

California · 2024-25 NCES data

Teachers (FTE)

21.0

Federal CCD staff survey

Students per teacher

25.2:1

vs 21.5:1 California avg

+17% vs state

Free-lunch eligible

9.3%

vs 55.5% California avg

-83% vs state

Student-teacher ratio in context

How Matthew Turner Elementary compares with California and U.S. medians

Larger classes than 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 Matthew Turner Elementary

Matthew Turner Elementary is a lower-poverty, mid-sized elementary school in Benicia, California, enrolling 529 students.

Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 25.2:1 puts it in the larger third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.

Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 9.3% free-meal eligibility runs 83% below the California average.

With 529 students, its enrollment sits close to the California median campus size.

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

Against 863 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #549.

Its student body is led by White (41%) and Hispanic or Latino (22%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 72/100).

12.7% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.

The surrounding Benicia Unified spends $13,115 per pupil, 21% below the California average, a leaner-resourced district than most.

The federal civil-rights collection also records 1 expulsion at this campus for 2021-22.

Among Benicia's elementary schools, it stands alongside Joe Henderson Elementary (530 students): Matthew Turner Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (25.2:1 vs 25.2:1).

Benicia Unified also operates Benicia High (1,335 students) and Benicia Middle (947 students) alongside Matthew Turner 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 Matthew Turner Elementary compares

Matthew Turner 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 25.2:1 ▲ 17% 21.5:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 9.3% ▼ 83% 55.5% 51.7%
Enrollment 529 top 41% - -

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

25.2:1
Leaner classes than 5% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
529
Bigger than 65% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.

Equity indicators (what these measure)

Economic need
9.3%
free-lunch eligible - 83% 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
25.2:1
students per teacher - 17% above state mean
Top 81% in California - lower ratio than 19% of state schools
Well above 20:1, one of the more stretched staffing loads nationally relative to enrollment.
Engagement
12.7%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 10-15% range, above the pre-pandemic national baseline but within the broader post-pandemic picture.
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
0
in-school suspensions + 2 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.4 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 1 expulsion.

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 41.0%
Hispanic or Latino 21.7%
Two or More 21.0%
Asian 12.7%
African American 3.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.4%

Largest group: White at 41.0% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 72.4/100

Simpson diversity index - at 72.4, Matthew Turner 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 Matthew Turner 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 Matthew Turner Elementary Compares to District-Mates

School Enrollment Economic Profile Student-Teacher Ratio
Benicia High Larger Higher economic need Lower S:T ratio
Benicia Middle Larger Higher economic need Lower S:T ratio
Joe Henderson Elementary Similar size Higher economic need Similar S:T ratio
Robert Semple Elementary Similar size Higher economic need Lower S:T ratio
Mary Farmar Elementary Similar size Higher economic need Similar S:T ratio

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

Other Schools in This District

Benicia Unified · 5 sibling schools

View district profile

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.

Next steps

Verify locally before acting on Matthew Turner Elementary'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 Matthew Turner Elementary

How many students attend Matthew Turner Elementary?

Matthew Turner Elementary has 529 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Benicia, CA.

What is the student-teacher ratio at Matthew Turner Elementary?

The student-teacher ratio at Matthew Turner Elementary is 25.2:1, which is 17% higher than the California average of 21.5:1 and 61% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.

What percentage of students receive free lunch at Matthew Turner Elementary?

9.3% of students at Matthew Turner Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Matthew Turner Elementary?

The largest demographic group at Matthew Turner Elementary is White at 41.0% of enrollment, in Benicia, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 72.4/100.

What is the Resource Investment Index for Matthew Turner Elementary?

Matthew Turner Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 33/100 (typical 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 Matthew Turner Elementary rank among elementary schools in Benicia?

By Resource Investment Index, Matthew Turner Elementary ranks #1 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 Matthew Turner Elementary a good school?

Matthew Turner Elementary earns 33/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 81% 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 Matthew Turner 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.

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.

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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.