Elementary school (grades K-5) · Rancho Cordova, CA

Navigator Elementary

Federal NCES profile for Navigator Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 38/100.

2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 061389011729
0/100100/10038/100
👥 S:T ratio
18
🌟 Gifted program
70
📋 Attendance
27
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

Navigator Elementary earns 38/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most California schools.

#4 of 11
elementary schools in Rancho Cordova · Resource Index
38
Resource Index · Typical
20.5:1
students per teacher
38.3%
free-lunch eligible

Navigator Elementary has class sizes near the California median. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, Navigator Elementary ranks #4 of 11 elementary schools in Rancho Cordova, CA.

Enrollment

431

California · 2024-25 NCES data

Teachers (FTE)

21.0

Federal CCD staff survey

Students per teacher

20.5:1

vs 21.5:1 California avg

-5% vs state

Free-lunch eligible

38.3%

vs 55.5% California avg

-31% vs state

Student-teacher ratio in context

How Navigator Elementary compares with California and U.S. medians

At or below 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 Navigator Elementary

Navigator Elementary is a mid-sized elementary school in Rancho Cordova, California, enrolling 431 students.

Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 20.5:1 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.

Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 38.3% of students eligible for free meals.

With 431 students, its enrollment sits close to the California median campus size.

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

Against 1,228 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #257.

Its student body is led by White (28%) and Hispanic or Latino (27%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 77/100).

Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 29.2% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).

Among Rancho Cordova's elementary schools, it stands alongside Sunrise Elementary (1,235 students): Navigator Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (20.5:1 vs 30.9:1).

Folsom-Cordova Unified also operates Folsom High (2,901 students) and Cordova High (1,944 students) alongside Navigator 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 Navigator Elementary compares

Navigator 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 20.5:1 ▼ 5% 21.5:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 38.3% ▼ 31% 55.5% 51.7%
Enrollment 431 top 56% - -

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

20.5:1
Leaner classes than 14% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
431
Bigger than 52% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.

Equity indicators (what these measure)

Economic need
38.3%
free-lunch eligible - 31% 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
20.5:1
students per teacher - 5% below state mean
Top 39% in California - lower ratio than 61% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
29.2%
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
$13,871
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
0
in-school suspensions + 6 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.4 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 28.3%
Hispanic or Latino 26.5%
Asian 20.2%
Two or More 17.2%
African American 7.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%

Largest group: White at 28.3% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 77.4/100

Simpson diversity index - at 77.4, Navigator Elementary is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.

Programs

Gifted & talented Yes

Funding & spending

District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Folsom-Cordova Unified, which includes Navigator Elementary.

$13,871
Per student
-16%
vs California
Avg $16,509
-16%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 38.4%
State 49.9%
Federal 11.7%

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 Navigator Elementary Compares to District-Mates

School Enrollment Economic Profile Student-Teacher Ratio
Folsom High Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
Cordova High Larger Higher economic need Similar S:T ratio
Vista Del Lago High Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
Sutter Middle Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
Folsom Middle Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio

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

Other Schools in This District

Folsom-Cordova Unified · 5 sibling schools

View district profile

Similar elementary schools in Rancho Cordova

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 Navigator 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 Navigator Elementary

How many students attend Navigator Elementary?

Navigator Elementary has 431 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Rancho Cordova, CA.

What is the student-teacher ratio at Navigator Elementary?

The student-teacher ratio at Navigator Elementary is 20.5:1, which is 5% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 31% 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 Navigator Elementary?

38.3% of students at Navigator Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Navigator Elementary?

The largest demographic group at Navigator Elementary is White at 28.3% of enrollment, in Rancho Cordova, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 77.4/100.

What is the Resource Investment Index for Navigator Elementary?

Navigator Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 38/100 (typical 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 Navigator Elementary rank among elementary schools in Rancho Cordova?

By Resource Investment Index, Navigator Elementary ranks #4 of 11 elementary schools in Rancho Cordova, 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 Rancho Cordova on the city page.

Is Navigator Elementary a good school?

Navigator Elementary earns 38/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median. 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 Folsom-Cordova Unified?

Besides Navigator Elementary, Folsom-Cordova Unified also operates Folsom High (2,901 students), Cordova High (1,944 students), and Vista Del Lago High (1,782 students). See the Folsom-Cordova Unified 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.

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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.