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

Mckinley Elementary

Federal NCES profile for Mckinley Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 36/100.

2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 063023004720
0/100100/10036/100
👥 S:T ratio
2
🌟 Gifted program
70
📋 Attendance
37
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

Mckinley Elementary earns 36/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 76% of California schools.

#12 of 25
elementary schools in Petaluma · Resource Index
36
Resource Index · Typical
24.5:1
large classes for California
33.2%
free-lunch eligible

Mckinley Elementary has class sizes larger than 76% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, Mckinley Elementary ranks #12 of 25 elementary schools in Petaluma, CA.

Enrollment

368

California · 2024-25 NCES data

Teachers (FTE)

15.0

Federal CCD staff survey

Students per teacher

24.5:1

vs 21.5:1 California avg

+14% vs state

Free-lunch eligible

33.2%

vs 55.5% California avg

-40% vs state

Student-teacher ratio in context

How Mckinley Elementary compares with California and U.S. medians

Slightly above 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 Mckinley Elementary

Mckinley Elementary is a mid-sized elementary school in Petaluma, California, enrolling 368 students.

Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 24.5:1 puts it in the larger third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.

Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 33.2% of students eligible for free meals.

With 368 students, its enrollment sits close to the California median campus size.

Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 9,998 scored California schools.

Against 978 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #297.

Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (47%) and White (34%) (diversity index 65/100).

Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 25.3% 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): Mckinley Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (24.5:1 vs 29.1:1).

Petaluma City Elementary also operates Penngrove Elementary (472 students) and Grant Elementary (386 students) alongside Mckinley 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 Mckinley Elementary compares

Mckinley 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 24.5:1 ▲ 14% 21.5:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 33.2% ▼ 40% 55.5% 51.7%
Enrollment 368 top 65% - -

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

24.5:1
Leaner classes than 6% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
368
Bigger than 42% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.

Equity indicators (what these measure)

Economic need
33.2%
free-lunch eligible - 40% 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
24.5:1
students per teacher - 14% above state mean
Top 76% in California - lower ratio than 24% of state schools
Well above 20:1, one of the more stretched staffing loads nationally relative to enrollment.
Engagement
25.3%
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
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.3 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 47.0%
White 34.2%
Two or More 7.9%
Asian 7.1%
African American 1.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.6%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.5%

Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 47.0% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 65.0/100

Simpson diversity index - at 65.0, Mckinley Elementary is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.

Programs

Gifted & talented Yes

How Mckinley Elementary Compares to District-Mates

School Enrollment Economic Profile Student-Teacher Ratio
Penngrove Elementary Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
Grant Elementary Similar size Lower economic need Similar S:T ratio
Mcnear Elementary Similar size Lower economic need Similar S:T ratio
Mcdowell Elementary Similar size Higher economic need Higher S:T ratio
Valley Vista Elementary Smaller Higher economic need Lower S:T ratio

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

Other Schools in This District

Petaluma City Elementary · 5 sibling schools

View district profile

Similar elementary schools in Petaluma

6 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 Mckinley 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 Mckinley Elementary

How many students attend Mckinley Elementary?

Mckinley Elementary has 368 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Petaluma, CA.

What is the student-teacher ratio at Mckinley Elementary?

The student-teacher ratio at Mckinley Elementary is 24.5:1, which is 14% higher than the California average of 21.5:1 and 56% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.

What percentage of students receive free lunch at Mckinley Elementary?

33.2% of students at Mckinley Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Mckinley Elementary?

The largest demographic group at Mckinley Elementary is Hispanic or Latino at 47.0% of enrollment, in Petaluma, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 65.0/100.

What is the Resource Investment Index for Mckinley Elementary?

Mckinley Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 36/100 (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 Mckinley Elementary rank among elementary schools in Petaluma?

By Resource Investment Index, Mckinley Elementary ranks #12 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 Mckinley Elementary a good school?

Mckinley Elementary earns 36/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 76% 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 Mckinley Elementary, Petaluma City Elementary also operates Penngrove Elementary (472 students), Grant Elementary (386 students), and Mcnear Elementary (343 students). See the Petaluma City Elementary 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.