Elementary school (grades K-5) · Garden Grove, CA

Patton Elementary

Federal NCES profile for Patton Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 46/100.

2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 061488001871
0/100100/10046/100
👥 S:T ratio
0
🌟 Gifted program
70
📋 Attendance
67
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

Patton Elementary earns 46/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 95% of California schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most California schools.

#3 of 35
elementary schools in Garden Grove · Resource Index
46
Resource Index · Typical
29.2:1
large classes for California
28.3%
free-lunch eligible

Patton Elementary has class sizes larger than 95% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, Patton Elementary ranks #3 of 35 elementary schools in Garden Grove, CA.

Enrollment

904

California · 2024-25 NCES data

Teachers (FTE)

31.0

Federal CCD staff survey

Students per teacher

29.2:1

vs 21.5:1 California avg

+36% vs state

Free-lunch eligible

28.3%

vs 55.5% California avg

-49% vs state

Student-teacher ratio in context

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

Larger classes than 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 Patton Elementary

Patton Elementary is a large elementary school in Garden Grove, California, enrolling 904 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.

Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 28.3% of students eligible for free meals.

Enrollment of 904 puts it in the larger third of California schools by headcount.

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

Among 1,008 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need California schools statewide, it ranks #84, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.

Its student body is led by Asian (44%) and Hispanic or Latino (25%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 69/100).

13.1% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.

Among Garden Grove's elementary schools, it stands alongside Ocia a. Peters Elementary (893 students): Patton Elementary is larger than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (29.2:1 vs 22.9:1).

Garden Grove Unified also operates Garden Grove High (2,148 students) and La Quinta High (2,041 students) alongside Patton 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 Patton Elementary compares

Patton 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 29.2:1 ▲ 36% 21.5:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 28.3% ▼ 49% 55.5% 51.7%
Enrollment 904 top 14% - -

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.
904
Bigger than 89% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.

Equity indicators (what these measure)

Economic need
28.3%
free-lunch eligible - 49% 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
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
13.1%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 10-15% range, above the pre-pandemic national baseline but within the broader post-pandemic picture.
Funding equity
$16,783
per pupil, district-wide - above California avg of $16,509
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 5 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.6 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

Asian 43.6%
Hispanic or Latino 24.9%
White 21.5%
Two or More 9.0%
African American 0.8%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%

Largest group: Asian at 43.6% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 69.4/100

Simpson diversity index - at 69.4, Patton Elementary is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.

Programs

Gifted & talented Yes

Funding & spending

District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Garden Grove Unified, which includes Patton Elementary.

$16,783
Per student
+2%
vs California
Avg $16,509
+1%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 30.3%
State 56.8%
Federal 12.9%

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 Patton Elementary Compares to District-Mates

School Enrollment Economic Profile Student-Teacher Ratio
Garden Grove High Larger Higher economic need Lower S:T ratio
La Quinta High Larger Higher economic need Lower S:T ratio
Bolsa Grande High Larger Higher economic need Lower S:T ratio
Santiago High Larger Higher economic need Lower S:T ratio
Pacifica High Larger Higher economic need Lower S:T ratio

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

Other Schools in This District

Garden Grove Unified · 5 sibling schools

View district profile

Similar elementary schools in Garden Grove

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 Patton 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 Patton Elementary

How many students attend Patton Elementary?

Patton Elementary has 904 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Garden Grove, CA.

What is the student-teacher ratio at Patton Elementary?

The student-teacher ratio at Patton Elementary 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 Patton Elementary?

28.3% of students at Patton Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Patton Elementary?

The largest demographic group at Patton Elementary is Asian at 43.6% of enrollment, in Garden Grove, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 69.4/100.

What is the Resource Investment Index for Patton Elementary?

Patton Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 46/100 (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 Patton Elementary rank among elementary schools in Garden Grove?

By Resource Investment Index, Patton Elementary ranks #3 of 35 elementary schools in Garden Grove, 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 Garden Grove on the city page.

Is Patton Elementary a good school?

Patton Elementary earns 46/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 95% 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 Garden Grove Unified?

Besides Patton Elementary, Garden Grove Unified also operates Garden Grove High (2,148 students), La Quinta High (2,041 students), and Bolsa Grande High (1,701 students). See the Garden Grove 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.