Enrollment
377
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Oceano, CA
Oceano Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Oceano Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 31/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 062308003527
👥 S:T ratio 24
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 28
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Oceano Elementary earns 31/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 74% of California schools.
- 31
- Resource Index · Lower
- 18.9:1
- small classes for California
- 74.7%
- free-lunch eligible
- 377
- students enrolled
Oceano Elementary has class sizes smaller than 74% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Lucia Mar Unified · California
NCES ID 062308003527 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
20.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18.9:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-12% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
74.7%
vs 55.5% California avg
+35% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Oceano Elementary compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Oceano Elementary
Oceano Elementary is a higher-need, mid-sized elementary school in Oceano, California, enrolling 377 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 18.9:1 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 74.7% of students eligible for free meals.
With 377 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 1,752 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #561.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (76%) and White (21%) (diversity index 38/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 754 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 28.9% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Lucia Mar Unified also operates Arroyo Grande High (2,012 students) and Nipomo High (819 students) alongside Oceano 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 Oceano Elementary compares
Oceano 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 | 18.9:1 | ▼ 12% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 74.7% | ▲ 35% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 377 | top 64% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
18.9:1
Leaner classes than 20% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
377
Bigger than 44% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
74.7%
free-lunch eligible
- 35% above the California average of 55.5%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
18.9:1
students per teacher
- 12% below state mean
Top 26% in California - lower ratio than 74% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
28.9%
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
$13,869
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
0
in-school suspensions + 6 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.6 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 75.6%
White 21.2%
Two or More 2.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 75.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 38.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 38.3, Oceano Elementary is less mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Lucia Mar Unified, which includes Oceano Elementary.
$13,869
Per student
-16%
vs California
Avg $16,509
-16%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 58.3%
State 30.7%
Federal 10.9%
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 Oceano Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arroyo Grande High | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Nipomo High | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Harloe Elementary | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Dana Elementary | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Lange (Dorothea) Elementary | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Oceano Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,012
- Students per teacher
- 20.3:1
- Resource Index
- 26/100
- Enrollment
- 819
- Students per teacher
- 17.8:1
- Resource Index
- 18/100
- Enrollment
- 619
- Students per teacher
- 25.8:1
- Resource Index
- 26/100
- Enrollment
- 612
- Students per teacher
- 23.5:1
- Resource Index
- 24/100
- Enrollment
- 577
- Students per teacher
- 21.4:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
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 (~377 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Oceano Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Oceano Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Lucia Mar 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 Oceano Elementary
How many students attend Oceano Elementary?
Oceano Elementary has 377 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Oceano, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Oceano Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Oceano Elementary is 18.9:1, which is 12% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 20% 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 Oceano Elementary?
74.7% of students at Oceano Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Oceano Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Oceano Elementary is Hispanic or Latino at 75.6% of enrollment, in Oceano, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Oceano Elementary?
Oceano Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 31/100 (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).
Is Oceano Elementary a good school?
Oceano Elementary earns 31/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 74% 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 Lucia Mar Unified?
Besides Oceano Elementary, Lucia Mar Unified also operates Arroyo Grande High (2,012 students), Nipomo High (819 students), and Harloe Elementary (619 students). See the Lucia Mar 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.