Enrollment
1,373
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Irvine, CA
Orchard Hills
Federal NCES profile for Orchard Hills, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 38/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 064015012571
👥 S:T ratio 0
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 83
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Orchard Hills earns 38/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 95% of California schools.
- #25 of 35
- elementary schools in Irvine · Resource Index
- 38
- Resource Index · Typical
- 29.2:1
- large classes for California
- 14.1%
- free-lunch eligible
Orchard Hills has class sizes larger than 95% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Orchard Hills ranks #25 of 35 elementary schools in Irvine, CA.
School address
District: Tustin Unified · California
NCES ID 064015012571 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
47.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
29.2:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
+36% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
14.1%
vs 55.5% California avg
-75% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Orchard Hills compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Orchard Hills
Orchard Hills is a lower-poverty, large elementary school in Irvine, California, enrolling 1,373 students.
Class loads run heavy: 29.2:1 is larger than about 95% of California schools and 36% above the 21.5:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 14.1% free-meal eligibility runs 75% below the California average.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in California, bigger than 93% of state schools at 1,373 students.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 9,998 scored California schools.
Against 313 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #121.
Its student body is led by Asian (65%) and White (15%) (diversity index 54/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 549 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance holds up well here: only 6.8% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 1 expulsion at this campus for 2021-22.
Among Irvine's elementary schools, it stands alongside Woodbury Elementary (1,095 students): Orchard Hills is larger than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (29.2:1 vs 31.3:1).
Tustin Unified also operates Arnold O. Beckman High (2,776 students) and Foothill High (2,126 students) alongside Orchard Hills.
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 Orchard Hills compares
Orchard Hills on the metrics families compare, against California and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs California | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 29.2:1 | ▲ 36% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 14.1% | ▼ 75% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 1,373 | top 7% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
29.2:1
Leaner classes than 2% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
1,373
Bigger than 95% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
14.1%
free-lunch eligible
- 75% below the California average of 55.5%
Below the 40% Title I threshold, among the lower-need profiles in the state; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
29.2:1
students per teacher
- 36% 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
6.8%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 5-10% range, close to the pre-pandemic national baseline.
Funding equity
$13,372
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
Counselors2.5 FTE
Per 549 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
3
in-school suspensions + 9 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.9 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 1 expulsion.
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
Asian 65.0%
White 15.1%
Two or More 9.8%
Hispanic or Latino 8.8%
African American 0.8%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Largest group: Asian at 65.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 53.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 53.7, Orchard Hills is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Tustin Unified, which includes Orchard Hills.
$13,372
Per student
-19%
vs California
Avg $16,509
-19%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 53.9%
State 38.0%
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 Orchard Hills Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arnold O. Beckman High | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Foothill High | Larger | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Tustin High | Similar size | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Sycamore Magnet Academy | Similar size | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Pioneer Middle | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Orchard Hills's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,776
- Students per teacher
- 26.4:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 2,126
- Students per teacher
- 25.6:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
- Enrollment
- 1,627
- Students per teacher
- 20.3:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 1,085
- Students per teacher
- 22.6:1
- Resource Index
- 22/100
- Enrollment
- 971
- Students per teacher
- 30.3:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
Similar elementary schools in Irvine
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Woodbury Elementary
Standard public school
1,095 students 31.3:1 students per teacher
Beacon Park
Standard public school
1,065 students 29.6:1 students per teacher
Stonegate Elementary
Standard public school
1,037 students 32.4:1 students per teacher
Cypress Village Elementary
Standard public school
1,007 students 28:1 students per teacher
Solis Park
Standard public school
972 students 60.8:1 students per teacher
Cadence Park
Standard public school
965 students 27.6:1 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 (~1,373 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Orchard Hills's federal record.
- Compare Orchard Hills against another school. Compare schools
- Tustin 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 Orchard Hills
How many students attend Orchard Hills?
Orchard Hills has 1,373 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Irvine, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Orchard Hills?
The student-teacher ratio at Orchard Hills is 29.2:1, which is 36% higher than the California average of 21.5:1 and 86% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Orchard Hills?
14.1% of students at Orchard Hills are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Orchard Hills?
The largest demographic group at Orchard Hills is Asian at 65.0% of enrollment, in Irvine, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 53.7/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Orchard Hills?
Orchard Hills has a Resource Investment Index of 38/100 (typical 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 Orchard Hills rank among elementary schools in Irvine?
By Resource Investment Index, Orchard Hills ranks #25 of 35 elementary schools in Irvine, 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 Irvine on the city page.
Is Orchard Hills a good school?
Orchard Hills earns 38/100 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 Tustin Unified?
Besides Orchard Hills, Tustin Unified also operates Arnold O. Beckman High (2,776 students), Foothill High (2,126 students), and Tustin High (1,627 students). See the Tustin 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.