Elementary school (grades K-5) · La Mesa, CA

Murray Manor Elementary

Federal NCES profile for Murray Manor Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 19/100.

2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 062025002439
0/100100/10019/100
👥 S:T ratio
4
🌟 Gifted program
30
📋 Attendance
24
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

Murray Manor Elementary earns 19/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 72% of California schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most California schools.

#9 of 12
elementary schools in La Mesa · Resource Index
19
Resource Index · Lower
24.1:1
large classes for California
33.7%
free-lunch eligible

Murray Manor Elementary has class sizes larger than 72% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, Murray Manor Elementary ranks #9 of 12 elementary schools in La Mesa, CA.

Enrollment

530

California · 2024-25 NCES data

Teachers (FTE)

22.0

Federal CCD staff survey

Students per teacher

24.1:1

vs 21.5:1 California avg

+12% vs state

Free-lunch eligible

33.7%

vs 55.5% California avg

-39% vs state

Student-teacher ratio in context

How Murray Manor Elementary compares with California and U.S. medians

Slightly above state median

Source: NCES Common Core of Data As of 2024-25 federal staff survey Total enrollment ÷ full-time-equivalent classroom teachers

What stands out at Murray Manor Elementary

Murray Manor Elementary is a mid-sized elementary school in La Mesa, California, enrolling 530 students.

Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 24.1:1 puts it in the larger third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.

Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 33.7% of students eligible for free meals.

With 530 students, its enrollment sits close to the California median campus size.

Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 9,998 scored California schools.

Among 1,369 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need California schools statewide, it ranks #1,184, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.

Its student body is led by White (40%) and Hispanic or Latino (36%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 69/100).

Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 30.4% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).

Its district draws 18.5% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.

Among La Mesa's elementary schools, it stands alongside La Mesa Arts Academy (1,059 students): Murray Manor Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (24.1:1 vs 24.6:1).

La Mesa-Spring Valley also operates La Mesa Arts Academy (1,059 students) and Parkway Sports and Health Science Academy (897 students) alongside Murray Manor 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 Murray Manor Elementary compares

Murray Manor 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 24.1:1 ▲ 12% 21.5:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 33.7% ▼ 39% 55.5% 51.7%
Enrollment 530 top 41% - -

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25

24.1:1
Leaner classes than 6% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
530
Bigger than 65% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.

Equity indicators (what these measure)

Economic need
33.7%
free-lunch eligible - 39% 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
24.1:1
students per teacher - 12% above state mean
Top 72% in California - lower ratio than 28% of state schools
Well above 20:1, one of the more stretched staffing loads nationally relative to enrollment.
Engagement
30.4%
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
$15,084
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
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
2
in-school suspensions + 6 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.5 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 40.2%
Hispanic or Latino 36.0%
Two or More 12.1%
Asian 6.2%
African American 5.5%

Largest group: White at 40.2% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 68.7/100

Simpson diversity index - at 68.7, Murray Manor Elementary is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.

Programs

Funding & spending

District-wide per-pupil expenditure for La Mesa-Spring Valley, which includes Murray Manor Elementary.

$15,084
Per student
-9%
vs California
Avg $16,509
-9%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 30.8%
State 50.7%
Federal 18.5%

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 Murray Manor Elementary Compares to District-Mates

School Enrollment Economic Profile Student-Teacher Ratio
La Mesa Arts Academy Larger Similar economic need Similar S:T ratio
Parkway Sports and Health Science Academy Larger Similar economic need Higher S:T ratio
Sci Tech Engr Arts and Math Acad at La Presa Larger Higher economic need Similar S:T ratio
Murdock Elementary Similar size Similar economic need Higher S:T ratio
Spring Valley Academy Similar size Higher economic need Higher S:T ratio

Comparisons are relative to Murray Manor Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.

Other Schools in This District

La Mesa-Spring Valley · 5 sibling schools

View district profile

Similar elementary schools in La Mesa

6 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.

Next steps

Verify locally before acting on Murray Manor Elementary's federal record.

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 Murray Manor Elementary

How many students attend Murray Manor Elementary?

Murray Manor Elementary has 530 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in La Mesa, CA.

What is the student-teacher ratio at Murray Manor Elementary?

The student-teacher ratio at Murray Manor Elementary is 24.1:1, which is 12% higher than the California average of 21.5:1 and 54% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.

What percentage of students receive free lunch at Murray Manor Elementary?

33.7% of students at Murray Manor Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Murray Manor Elementary?

The largest demographic group at Murray Manor Elementary is White at 40.2% of enrollment, in La Mesa, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 68.7/100.

What is the Resource Investment Index for Murray Manor Elementary?

Murray Manor Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 19/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).

How does Murray Manor Elementary rank among elementary schools in La Mesa?

By Resource Investment Index, Murray Manor Elementary ranks #9 of 12 elementary schools in La Mesa, 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 La Mesa on the city page.

Is Murray Manor Elementary a good school?

Murray Manor Elementary earns 19/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 72% of California schools. It is also more 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 La Mesa-Spring Valley?

Besides Murray Manor Elementary, La Mesa-Spring Valley also operates La Mesa Arts Academy (1,059 students), Parkway Sports and Health Science Academy (897 students), and Sci Tech Engr Arts and Math Acad at La Presa (800 students). See the La Mesa-Spring Valley district page for the complete list.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) CCD + Public School Universe (2024-25), CRDC (2021-22), F-33 District Finance Survey (FY 2021-22) · 2024-25 Data as of the 2024-25 school year. Coverage from U.S. Department of Education NCES Common Core of Data. Varies by entity type; administrative districts and certain charter networks may report only a subset of fields.

All federal data sources used on this page

Full source list and how we compute each figure: methodology page.

View saved

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.