Enrollment
44
California · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 062871014591
Orcutt School for Independent Study — Santa Maria, CA
Federal NCES profile for Orcutt School for Independent Study, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 20/100.
👥 Class size 37
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 12
📋 Attendance 0
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
District: Orcutt Union Elementary · California
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
3.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.7:1
vs 21.6:1 California avg
-27% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
57.4%
vs 55.5% California avg
+3% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Orcutt School for Independent Study compares with California and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
Orcutt School for Independent Study reports 44 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 3.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 15.7:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 27% below the California state mean of 21.6:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 1% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 57.4% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 3% above the California average and 11% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 440 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 100.0% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Orcutt Union Elementary spends $14,843 per pupil district-wide, below the California average of $18,039 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 37.2% from local sources (property taxes), 55.5% from the state, and 7.4% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 20/100 (F), calculated from 4 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Orcutt School for Independent Study compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against California state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs California | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 15.7:1 | ▼ 27% | 21.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 57.4% | ▲ 3% | 55.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 44 | top 6% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Economic need
57.4%
free-lunch eligible
— 3% 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
15.7:1
students per teacher
— 27% below state mean
Top 10% in California — lower ratio than 90% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
100.0%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$14,843
per pupil, district-wide
— below California avg of $18,039
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.1 FTE
Per 440 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 1 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.3 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 44 Top 6% in California — larger than 94% of 10,006 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 3.0
Students per teacher 15.7:1 -27% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 57.4% +3% vs state
NCES ID 062871014591
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 56.8%
White 31.8%
Asian 4.5%
Two or More 4.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 2.3%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 56.8% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 0.1
Students per counselor 440:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 100.0%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 1
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Orcutt Union Elementary, which includes Orcutt School for Independent Study.
$14,843
Per student
-18%
vs California
Avg $18,039
-24%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 37.2%
State 55.5%
Federal 7.4%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 812
- Students per teacher
- 22.6:1
- Enrollment
- 695
- Students per teacher
- 27.7:1
- Enrollment
- 662
- Students per teacher
- 27.8:1
- Enrollment
- 569
- Students per teacher
- 25.5:1
- Enrollment
- 530
- Students per teacher
- 25.6:1
Similar elementary schools in Santa Maria
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Jimenez Roberto and Dr. Francisco Elementary
Standard public school
1,177 students 23.5:1 students per teacher
Bruce (Robert) Elementary
Standard public school
1,050 students 22.1:1 students per teacher
Alvin Elementary
Standard public school
998 students 23.4:1 students per teacher
Tunnell (Martin Luther) Elementary
Standard public school
917 students 22.3:1 students per teacher
Rice (William) Elementary
Standard public school
887 students 24.7:1 students per teacher
Miller (Isaac) Elementary
Standard public school
883 students 24.5:1 students per teacher
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about Orcutt School for Independent Study
How many students attend Orcutt School for Independent Study?
Orcutt School for Independent Study has 44 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in Santa Maria, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Orcutt School for Independent Study?
The student-teacher ratio at Orcutt School for Independent Study is 15.7:1, which is 27% lower than the California average of 21.6:1 and 1% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Orcutt School for Independent Study?
57.4% of students at Orcutt School for Independent Study are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Orcutt School for Independent Study?
The largest demographic group at Orcutt School for Independent Study is Hispanic or Latino at 56.8%. The school serves a diverse student body in Santa Maria, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Orcutt School for Independent Study?
Orcutt School for Independent Study has a Resource Investment Index of 20/100 (F) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.