Enrollment
382
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Placentia, CA
Morse Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Morse Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 28/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 063066004766
👥 S:T ratio 0
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 44
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Morse Elementary earns 28/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 95% of California schools.
- #5 of 9
- elementary schools in Placentia · Resource Index
- 28
- Resource Index · Lower
- 29.4:1
- large classes for California
- 55.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Morse Elementary has class sizes larger than 95% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Morse Elementary ranks #5 of 9 elementary schools in Placentia, CA.
School address
District: Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified · California
NCES ID 063066004766 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
13.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
29.4:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
+37% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
55.0%
vs 55.5% California avg
-1% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Morse Elementary compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Morse Elementary
Morse Elementary is a higher-need, mid-sized elementary school in Placentia, California, enrolling 382 students.
Class loads run heavy: 29.4:1 is larger than about 95% of California schools and 37% above the 21.5:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 55.0% lands close to the California typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
With 382 students, its enrollment sits close to the California median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 9,998 scored California schools.
Against 1,351 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #607.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (69%) and White (12%) (diversity index 50/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 764 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 22.5% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Among Placentia's elementary schools, it stands alongside Golden Elementary (834 students): Morse Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (29.4:1 vs 29.8:1).
Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified also operates Valencia High (2,411 students) and El Dorado High (1,998 students) alongside Morse 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 Morse Elementary compares
Morse 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 | 29.4:1 | ▲ 37% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 55.0% | ▼ 1% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 382 | top 63% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
29.4:1
Leaner classes than 2% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
382
Bigger than 45% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
55.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 1% 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
29.4:1
students per teacher
- 37% above state mean
Top 95% in California - lower ratio than 5% of state schools
Well above 20:1, one of the more stretched staffing loads nationally relative to enrollment.
Engagement
22.5%
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
$13,989
per pupil, district-wide
- below California avg of $16,509
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.5 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 6 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.8 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 68.8%
White 11.8%
Asian 8.6%
Two or More 8.4%
African American 2.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 68.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 49.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 49.8, Morse Elementary is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified, which includes Morse Elementary.
$13,989
Per student
-15%
vs California
Avg $16,509
-16%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 50.7%
State 41.2%
Federal 8.1%
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 Morse Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Valencia High | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| El Dorado High | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Yorba Linda High | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Esperanza High | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Travis Ranch | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Morse Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,411
- Students per teacher
- 21.7:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 1,998
- Students per teacher
- 25:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
- Enrollment
- 1,631
- Students per teacher
- 24.3:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 1,393
- Students per teacher
- 19.9:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 1,197
- Students per teacher
- 23.9:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
Similar elementary schools in Placentia
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Golden Elementary
Standard public school
834 students 29.8:1 students per teacher
John O. Tynes Elementary
Standard public school
591 students 21.1:1 students per teacher
Van Buren Elementary
Standard public school
538 students 24.5:1 students per teacher
Brookhaven Elementary
Standard public school
482 students 28.4:1 students per teacher
Sierra Vista Elementary
Standard public school
454 students 26.7:1 students per teacher
Charles Wagner Elementary
Standard public school
440 students 24.4:1 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 (~382 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Morse Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Morse Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Placentia-Yorba Linda 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 Morse Elementary
How many students attend Morse Elementary?
Morse Elementary has 382 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Placentia, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Morse Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Morse Elementary is 29.4:1, which is 37% higher than the California average of 21.5:1 and 87% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Morse Elementary?
55.0% of students at Morse Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Morse Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Morse Elementary is Hispanic or Latino at 68.8% of enrollment, in Placentia, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Morse Elementary?
Morse Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 28/100 (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 Morse Elementary rank among elementary schools in Placentia?
By Resource Investment Index, Morse Elementary ranks #5 of 9 elementary schools in Placentia, 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 Placentia on the city page.
Is Morse Elementary a good school?
Morse Elementary earns 28/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 95% 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 Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified?
Besides Morse Elementary, Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified also operates Valencia High (2,411 students), El Dorado High (1,998 students), and Yorba Linda High (1,631 students). See the Placentia-Yorba Linda 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.