Enrollment
329
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Petaluma, CA
Mcdowell Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Mcdowell Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 17/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 063023004719
👥 S:T ratio 0
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 36
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Mcdowell Elementary earns 17/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 91% of California schools.
- #24 of 25
- elementary schools in Petaluma · Resource Index
- 17
- Resource Index · Lower
- 27.4:1
- large classes for California
- 71.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Mcdowell Elementary has class sizes larger than 91% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Mcdowell Elementary ranks #24 of 25 elementary schools in Petaluma, CA.
School address
District: Petaluma City Elementary · California
NCES ID 063023004719 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
12.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
27.4:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
+27% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
71.0%
vs 55.5% California avg
+28% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Mcdowell Elementary compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Mcdowell Elementary
Mcdowell Elementary is a higher-need, mid-sized elementary school in Petaluma, California, enrolling 329 students.
Class loads run heavy: 27.4:1 is larger than about 91% of California schools and 27% above the 21.5:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 71.0% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 329 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 9,998 scored California schools.
Among 1,413 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need California schools statewide, it ranks #1,161, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (83% of enrollment) (diversity index 31/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 658 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 25.5% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Among Petaluma's elementary schools, it stands alongside Mary Collins Charter School at Cherry Valley (494 students): Mcdowell Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (27.4:1 vs 29.1:1).
Petaluma City Elementary also operates Penngrove Elementary (472 students) and Grant Elementary (386 students) alongside Mcdowell 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 Mcdowell Elementary compares
Mcdowell 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 | 27.4:1 | ▲ 27% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 71.0% | ▲ 28% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 329 | top 70% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
27.4:1
Leaner classes than 3% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
329
Bigger than 37% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
71.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 28% 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
27.4:1
students per teacher
- 27% above state mean
Top 91% in California - lower ratio than 9% of state schools
Well above 20:1, one of the more stretched staffing loads nationally relative to enrollment.
Engagement
25.5%
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.
Support staff
Counselors0.5 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 2 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.3 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 83.0%
White 6.4%
Asian 3.3%
African American 2.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 1.8%
Two or More 1.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.2%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 83.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 30.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 30.5, Mcdowell Elementary is less mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
How Mcdowell Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Penngrove Elementary | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Grant Elementary | Similar size | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Mckinley Elementary | Similar size | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Mcnear Elementary | Similar size | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Valley Vista Elementary | Smaller | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Mcdowell Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 472
- Students per teacher
- 26.2:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
- Enrollment
- 386
- Students per teacher
- 24.1:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 368
- Students per teacher
- 24.5:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 343
- Students per teacher
- 24.5:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
- Enrollment
- 155
- Students per teacher
- 19.4:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
Similar elementary schools in Petaluma
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Mary Collins Charter School at Cherry Valley
Standard public school
494 students 29.1:1 students per teacher
Loma Vista Immersion Academy
Standard public school
451 students 22.6:1 students per teacher
Sonoma Mountain Elementary
Standard public school
422 students 26.4:1 students per teacher
Corona Creek Elementary
Standard public school
403 students 22.4:1 students per teacher
Grant Elementary
Standard public school
386 students 24.1:1 students per teacher
Meadow Elementary
Standard public school
384 students 24:1 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 (~329 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~27.4:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Mcdowell Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Mcdowell Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Petaluma City 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 Mcdowell Elementary
How many students attend Mcdowell Elementary?
Mcdowell Elementary has 329 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Petaluma, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Mcdowell Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Mcdowell Elementary is 27.4:1, which is 27% higher than the California average of 21.5:1 and 75% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Mcdowell Elementary?
71.0% of students at Mcdowell Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Mcdowell Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Mcdowell Elementary is Hispanic or Latino at 83.0% of enrollment, in Petaluma, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Mcdowell Elementary?
Mcdowell Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 17/100 (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 Mcdowell Elementary rank among elementary schools in Petaluma?
By Resource Investment Index, Mcdowell Elementary ranks #24 of 25 elementary schools in Petaluma, 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 Petaluma on the city page.
Is Mcdowell Elementary a good school?
Mcdowell Elementary earns 17/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 91% of 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 Petaluma City Elementary?
Besides Mcdowell Elementary, Petaluma City Elementary also operates Penngrove Elementary (472 students), Grant Elementary (386 students), and Mckinley Elementary (368 students). See the Petaluma City 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.