Enrollment
241
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Mendocino, CA
Mendocino K-8
Federal NCES profile for Mendocino K-8, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 26/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 062448003659
👥 S:T ratio 46
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 20
📋 Attendance 7
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Mendocino K-8 earns 26/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 92% of California schools.
- #4 of 4
- public schools in Mendocino · Resource Index
- 26
- Resource Index · Lower
- 13.4:1
- small classes for California
- 51.2%
- free-lunch eligible
Mendocino K-8 has class sizes smaller than 92% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Mendocino K-8 ranks #4 of 4 public schools in Mendocino, CA.
School address
District: Mendocino Unified · California
NCES ID 062448003659 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
18.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.4:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-38% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
51.2%
vs 55.5% California avg
-8% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Mendocino K-8 compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Mendocino K-8
Mendocino K-8 is a higher-need, mid-sized elementary school in Mendocino, California, enrolling 241 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 13.4:1, Mendocino K-8 is leaner than roughly 92% of California schools and 38% under the state's 21.5:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 51.2% lands close to the California typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 241 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 605 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #411.
Its student body is led by White (74%) and Hispanic or Latino (18%) (diversity index 41/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 402 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 37.3% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding Mendocino Unified spends $27,577 per pupil, 67% above the California average, a better-resourced district than most.
Mendocino Unified also operates Mendocino High (165 students) and Mendocino Alternative (14 students) alongside Mendocino K-8.
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 Mendocino K-8 compares
Mendocino K-8 on the metrics families compare, against California and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs California | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 13.4:1 | ▼ 38% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 51.2% | ▼ 8% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 241 | top 80% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13.4:1
Leaner classes than 63% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
241
Bigger than 24% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
51.2%
free-lunch eligible
- 8% 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
13.4:1
students per teacher
- 38% below state mean
Top 8% in California - lower ratio than 92% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
37.3%
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.
Funding equity
$27,577
per pupil, district-wide
- above California avg of $16,509
Well above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting substantially higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors0.6 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 9 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.7 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
White 74.2%
Hispanic or Latino 18.3%
Two or More 7.1%
Asian 0.4%
Largest group: White at 74.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 41.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 41.1, Mendocino K-8 is less mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Mendocino Unified, which includes Mendocino K-8.
$27,577
Per student
+67%
vs California
Avg $16,509
+66%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 73.3%
State 22.2%
Federal 4.5%
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 Mendocino K-8 Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mendocino High | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Mendocino Alternative | Smaller | Similar economic need | No ratio data |
| Albion Elementary | Smaller | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Comptche Elementary | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Mendocino Sunrise High | Smaller | No free-lunch data | No ratio data |
Comparisons are relative to Mendocino K-8's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 165
- Students per teacher
- 10.3:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 14
- Students per teacher
- -
- Resource Index
- 30/100
- Enrollment
- 13
- Students per teacher
- 13:1
- Resource Index
- 26/100
- Enrollment
- 9
- Students per teacher
- 9:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
- Enrollment
- 7
- Students per teacher
- -
- Resource Index
- 30/100
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 (~241 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~13.4:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Mendocino K-8's federal record.
- Compare Mendocino K-8 against another school. Compare schools
- Mendocino 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 Mendocino K-8
How many students attend Mendocino K-8?
Mendocino K-8 has 241 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Mendocino, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Mendocino K-8?
The student-teacher ratio at Mendocino K-8 is 13.4:1, which is 38% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 15% lower 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 Mendocino K-8?
51.2% of students at Mendocino K-8 are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Mendocino K-8?
The largest demographic group at Mendocino K-8 is White at 74.2% of enrollment, in Mendocino, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Mendocino K-8?
Mendocino K-8 has a Resource Investment Index of 26/100 (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 Mendocino K-8 rank among public schools in Mendocino?
By Resource Investment Index, Mendocino K-8 ranks #4 of 4 public schools in Mendocino, 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 Mendocino on the city page.
Is Mendocino K-8 a good school?
Mendocino K-8 earns 26/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 92% 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 Mendocino Unified?
Besides Mendocino K-8, Mendocino Unified also operates Mendocino High (165 students), Mendocino Alternative (14 students), and Albion Elementary (13 students). See the Mendocino 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.