Enrollment
324
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Los Osos, CA
Monarch Grove Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Monarch Grove 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 063480001393
👥 S:T ratio 14
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 35
📋 Attendance 17
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Monarch Grove Elementary earns 24/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median.
- #1 of 3
- public schools in Los Osos · Resource Index
- 24
- Resource Index · Lower
- 21.6:1
- students per teacher
- 35.3%
- free-lunch eligible
Monarch Grove Elementary has class sizes near the California median. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Monarch Grove Elementary ranks #1 of 3 public schools in Los Osos, CA.
School address
District: San Luis Coastal Unified · California
NCES ID 063480001393 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
15.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
21.6:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
+0% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
35.3%
vs 55.5% California avg
-36% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Monarch Grove Elementary compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Monarch Grove Elementary
Monarch Grove Elementary is a mid-sized elementary school in Los Osos, California, enrolling 324 students.
At 21.6:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the California median, within a few percentage points of the 21.5:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 35.3% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 324 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 819 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need California schools statewide, it ranks #611, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (70%) and Hispanic or Latino (18%) (diversity index 47/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 324 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 33.3% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Among Los Osos's elementary schools, it stands alongside Baywood Elementary (342 students): Monarch Grove Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (21.6:1 vs 19:1).
San Luis Coastal Unified also operates San Luis Obispo High (1,678 students) and Laguna Middle (780 students) alongside Monarch Grove 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 Monarch Grove Elementary compares
Monarch Grove 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 | 21.6:1 | ▲ 0% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 35.3% | ▼ 36% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 324 | top 71% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
21.6:1
Leaner classes than 11% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
324
Bigger than 36% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
35.3%
free-lunch eligible
- 36% 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
21.6:1
students per teacher
- 0% above state mean
Top 49% in California - lower ratio than 51% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
33.3%
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
$16,712
per pupil, district-wide
- above California avg of $16,509
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 324 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: 1.2 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 69.7%
Hispanic or Latino 18.3%
Two or More 7.4%
Asian 3.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.9%
Largest group: White at 69.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 47.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 47.4, Monarch Grove Elementary is about as mixed as the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for San Luis Coastal Unified, which includes Monarch Grove Elementary.
$16,712
Per student
+1%
vs California
Avg $16,509
+1%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 77.4%
State 16.0%
Federal 6.7%
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 Monarch Grove Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Luis Obispo High | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Laguna Middle | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Morro Bay High | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| C L Smith Elementary | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Los Ranchos Elementary | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Monarch Grove Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,678
- Students per teacher
- 21.5:1
- Resource Index
- 24/100
- Enrollment
- 780
- Students per teacher
- 20:1
- Resource Index
- 27/100
- Enrollment
- 751
- Students per teacher
- 16.7:1
- Resource Index
- 24/100
- Enrollment
- 528
- Students per teacher
- 24:1
- Resource Index
- 16/100
- Enrollment
- 521
- Students per teacher
- 27.4:1
- Resource Index
- 22/100
Similar elementary schools in Los Osos
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 (~324 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~21.6:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Monarch Grove Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Monarch Grove Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- San Luis Coastal 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 Monarch Grove Elementary
How many students attend Monarch Grove Elementary?
Monarch Grove Elementary has 324 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Los Osos, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Monarch Grove Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Monarch Grove Elementary is 21.6:1, which is 0% higher than the California average of 21.5:1 and 38% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Monarch Grove Elementary?
35.3% of students at Monarch Grove Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Monarch Grove Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Monarch Grove Elementary is White at 69.7% of enrollment, in Los Osos, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Monarch Grove Elementary?
Monarch Grove 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 Monarch Grove Elementary rank among public schools in Los Osos?
By Resource Investment Index, Monarch Grove Elementary ranks #1 of 3 public schools in Los Osos, 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 Los Osos on the city page.
Is Monarch Grove Elementary a good school?
Monarch Grove Elementary earns 24/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median. 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 San Luis Coastal Unified?
Besides Monarch Grove Elementary, San Luis Coastal Unified also operates San Luis Obispo High (1,678 students), Laguna Middle (780 students), and Morro Bay High (751 students). See the San Luis Coastal 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.