Enrollment
352
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · El Centro, CA
Meadows Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Meadows Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 40/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 062439003655
👥 S:T ratio 30
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 65
📋 Attendance 35
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Meadows Elementary earns 40/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 81% of California schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most California schools.
- #1 of 13
- elementary schools in El Centro · Resource Index
- 40
- Resource Index · Typical
- 17.6:1
- small classes for California
- 77.1%
- free-lunch eligible
Meadows Elementary has class sizes smaller than 81% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Meadows Elementary ranks #1 of 13 elementary schools in El Centro, CA.
School address
District: Meadows Union Elementary · California
NCES ID 062439003655 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
20.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.6:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-18% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
77.1%
vs 55.5% California avg
+39% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Meadows Elementary compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Meadows Elementary
Meadows Elementary is a high-poverty, mid-sized elementary school in El Centro, California, enrolling 352 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 17.6:1 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 77.1% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 352 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 9,998 scored California schools.
Among 1,618 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need California schools statewide, it ranks #168, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (92% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 16/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 176 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 26.1% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 18.9% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among El Centro's elementary schools, it stands alongside Mccabe Elementary (1,109 students): Meadows Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (17.6:1 vs 23.1:1).
Meadows Union Elementary operates only this one school, so Meadows 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 Meadows Elementary compares
Meadows 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 | 17.6:1 | ▼ 18% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 77.1% | ▲ 39% | 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
17.6:1
Leaner classes than 27% 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
77.1%
free-lunch eligible
- 39% 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
17.6:1
students per teacher
- 18% below state mean
Top 19% in California - lower ratio than 81% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
26.1%
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
$18,478
per pupil, district-wide
- above California avg of $16,509
Somewhat above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 176 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 4 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.1 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 91.5%
White 6.3%
African American 0.9%
Two or More 0.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.3%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 91.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 15.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 15.9, Meadows Elementary is less mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Meadows Union Elementary, which includes Meadows Elementary.
$18,478
Per student
+12%
vs California
Avg $16,509
+11%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 14.6%
State 66.6%
Federal 18.9%
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.
Mccabe Elementary
Standard public school
1,109 students 23.1:1 students per teacher
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
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 (~17.6:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Meadows Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Meadows Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Meadows 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 Meadows Elementary
How many students attend Meadows Elementary?
Meadows Elementary has 352 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in El Centro, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Meadows Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Meadows Elementary is 17.6:1, which is 18% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 12% higher than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Meadows Elementary?
77.1% of students at Meadows Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Meadows Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Meadows Elementary is Hispanic or Latino at 91.5% of enrollment, in El Centro, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Meadows Elementary?
Meadows Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 40/100 (typical 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 Meadows Elementary rank among elementary schools in El Centro?
By Resource Investment Index, Meadows Elementary ranks #1 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 Meadows Elementary a good school?
Meadows Elementary earns 40/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 81% of California schools. It is also less 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 Meadows Union Elementary?
None reported; Meadows Union Elementary operates only Meadows 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.