Enrollment
352
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Acton, CA
Meadowlark Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Meadowlark Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 24/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 060000107534
👥 S:T ratio 0
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 65
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Meadowlark Elementary earns 24/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 90% of California schools.
- #4 of 5
- public schools in Acton · Resource Index
- 24
- Resource Index · Lower
- 27.1:1
- large classes for California
- 53.1%
- free-lunch eligible
Meadowlark Elementary has class sizes larger than 90% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Meadowlark Elementary ranks #4 of 5 public schools in Acton, CA.
School address
District: Acton-Agua Dulce Unified · California
NCES ID 060000107534 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
13.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
27.1:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
+26% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
53.1%
vs 55.5% California avg
-4% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Meadowlark Elementary compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Meadowlark Elementary
Meadowlark Elementary is a higher-need, mid-sized elementary school in Acton, California, enrolling 352 students.
Class loads run heavy: 27.1:1 is larger than about 90% of California schools and 26% above the 21.5:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 53.1% lands close to the California typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 352 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.
Against 1,168 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #729.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (62%) and White (34%) (diversity index 50/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 176 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 49.1% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Among Acton's elementary schools, it stands alongside High Desert (307 students): Meadowlark Elementary is larger than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (27.1:1 vs 27.9:1).
Acton-Agua Dulce Unified also operates Vasquez High (394 students) and High Desert (307 students) alongside Meadowlark 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 Meadowlark Elementary compares
Meadowlark 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 | 27.1:1 | ▲ 26% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 53.1% | ▼ 4% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 352 | top 67% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
27.1:1
Leaner classes than 3% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
352
Bigger than 40% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
53.1%
free-lunch eligible
- 4% 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
27.1:1
students per teacher
- 26% above state mean
Top 90% in California - lower ratio than 10% of state schools
Well above 20:1, one of the more stretched staffing loads nationally relative to enrollment.
Engagement
49.1%
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
$17,316
per pupil, district-wide
- above California avg of $16,509
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 176 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 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 61.9%
White 33.8%
Asian 2.0%
African American 1.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.1%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 61.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 50.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 50.2, Meadowlark Elementary is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Acton-Agua Dulce Unified, which includes Meadowlark Elementary.
$17,316
Per student
+5%
vs California
Avg $16,509
+4%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 39.7%
State 50.0%
Federal 10.3%
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 Meadowlark Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vasquez High | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| High Desert | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Meadowlark Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 394
- Students per teacher
- 20.7:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
- Enrollment
- 307
- Students per teacher
- 27.9:1
- Resource Index
- 7/100
Similar elementary schools in Acton
1 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.
Similar enrollment (~352 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~27.1:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Meadowlark Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Meadowlark Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Acton-Agua Dulce Unified'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 Meadowlark Elementary
How many students attend Meadowlark Elementary?
Meadowlark Elementary has 352 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Acton, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Meadowlark Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Meadowlark Elementary is 27.1:1, which is 26% higher than the California average of 21.5:1 and 73% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Meadowlark Elementary?
53.1% of students at Meadowlark Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Meadowlark Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Meadowlark Elementary is Hispanic or Latino at 61.9% of enrollment, in Acton, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 50.2/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Meadowlark Elementary?
Meadowlark Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 24/100 (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 Meadowlark Elementary rank among public schools in Acton?
By Resource Investment Index, Meadowlark Elementary ranks #4 of 5 public schools in Acton, CA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Acton on the city page.
Is Meadowlark Elementary a good school?
Meadowlark Elementary earns 24/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 90% 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 Acton-Agua Dulce Unified?
Besides Meadowlark Elementary, Acton-Agua Dulce Unified also operates Vasquez High (394 students) and High Desert (307 students). See the Acton-Agua Dulce Unified 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.