Enrollment
1,109
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · El Centro, CA
Mccabe Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Mccabe 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 062418003643
👥 S:T ratio 8
🌟 Gifted program 70
📋 Attendance 23
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Mccabe Elementary earns 33/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median.
- #5 of 13
- elementary schools in El Centro · Resource Index
- 33
- Resource Index · Typical
- 23.1:1
- students per teacher
- 30.2%
- free-lunch eligible
Mccabe Elementary has class sizes near the California median. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Mccabe Elementary ranks #5 of 13 elementary schools in El Centro, CA.
School address
District: Mccabe Union Elementary · California
NCES ID 062418003643 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
48.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
23.1:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
+7% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
30.2%
vs 55.5% California avg
-46% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Mccabe Elementary compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Mccabe Elementary
Mccabe Elementary is a large elementary school in El Centro, California, enrolling 1,109 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 23.1:1 puts it in the larger third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 30.2% of students eligible for free meals.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in California, bigger than 91% of state schools at 1,109 students.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 9,998 scored California schools.
Against 711 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #337.
Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (87% of enrollment) (diversity index 23/100).
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 31.0% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding Mccabe Union Elementary spends $12,213 per pupil, 26% below the California average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Among El Centro's elementary schools, it stands alongside Harding Elementary (601 students): Mccabe Elementary is larger than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (23.1:1 vs 26.1:1).
Mccabe Union Elementary operates only this one school, so Mccabe Elementary has no district-mates to compare against locally.
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 Mccabe Elementary compares
Mccabe 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 | 23.1:1 | ▲ 7% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 30.2% | ▼ 46% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 1,109 | top 9% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
23.1:1
Leaner classes than 8% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
1,109
Bigger than 93% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
30.2%
free-lunch eligible
- 46% below the California average of 55.5%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
23.1:1
students per teacher
- 7% above state mean
Top 63% in California - lower ratio than 37% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
31.0%
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
$12,213
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
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
9
in-school suspensions + 1 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.9 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 87.4%
White 8.2%
Asian 2.3%
Two or More 1.9%
African American 0.3%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 87.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 22.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 22.9, Mccabe Elementary is less mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Mccabe Union Elementary, which includes Mccabe Elementary.
$12,213
Per student
-26%
vs California
Avg $16,509
-26%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 16.5%
State 71.9%
Federal 11.6%
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.
Similar elementary schools in El Centro
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Harding Elementary
Standard public school
601 students 26.1:1 students per teacher
De Anza Magnet
Standard public school
504 students 25.2:1 students per teacher
Mckinley Elementary
Standard public school
456 students 25.3:1 students per teacher
Margaret Hedrick Elementary
Standard public school
446 students 21.2:1 students per teacher
Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary
Standard public school
445 students 26.2:1 students per teacher
Sunflower Elementary
Standard public school
427 students 28.5:1 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 (~1,109 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~23.1:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Mccabe Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Mccabe Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Mccabe 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 Mccabe Elementary
How many students attend Mccabe Elementary?
Mccabe Elementary has 1,109 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in El Centro, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Mccabe Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Mccabe Elementary is 23.1:1, which is 7% higher than the California average of 21.5:1 and 47% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Mccabe Elementary?
30.2% of students at Mccabe Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Mccabe Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Mccabe Elementary is Hispanic or Latino at 87.4% of enrollment, in El Centro, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Mccabe Elementary?
Mccabe 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 Mccabe Elementary rank among elementary schools in El Centro?
By Resource Investment Index, Mccabe Elementary ranks #5 of 13 elementary schools in El Centro, 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 El Centro on the city page.
Is Mccabe Elementary a good school?
Mccabe Elementary earns 33/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median. 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 Mccabe Union Elementary?
None reported; Mccabe Union Elementary operates only Mccabe Elementary as a public school district in NCES's records.
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.