Enrollment
162
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Somerset, CA
Pioneer Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Pioneer Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 24/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 063048004740
👥 S:T ratio 0
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 68
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Pioneer Elementary earns 24/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 97% of California schools.
- #2 of 3
- public schools in Somerset · Resource Index
- 24
- Resource Index · Lower
- 32.4:1
- large classes for California
- 44.7%
- free-lunch eligible
Pioneer Elementary has class sizes larger than 97% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Pioneer Elementary ranks #2 of 3 public schools in Somerset, CA.
School address
District: Pioneer Union · California
NCES ID 063048004740 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
5.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
32.4:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
+51% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
44.7%
vs 55.5% California avg
-19% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Pioneer Elementary compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Pioneer Elementary
Pioneer Elementary is a small elementary school in Somerset, California, enrolling 162 students.
Class loads run heavy: 32.4:1 is larger than about 97% of California schools and 51% 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 44.7% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 162 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 9,998 scored California schools.
Among 334 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need California schools statewide, it ranks #269, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (70%) and Hispanic or Latino (19%) (diversity index 47/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 162 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 57.4% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Among Somerset's elementary schools, it stands alongside Indian Diggings Elementary (12 students): Pioneer Elementary is larger than that campus by headcount.
Pioneer Union also operates Mountain Creek Middle (99 students) and Walt Tyler Elementary (31 students) alongside Pioneer 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 Pioneer Elementary compares
Pioneer 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 | 32.4:1 | ▲ 51% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 44.7% | ▼ 19% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 162 | top 85% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
32.4:1
Leaner classes than 1% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
162
Bigger than 16% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
44.7%
free-lunch eligible
- 19% below the California average of 55.5%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
32.4:1
students per teacher
- 51% above state mean
Top 97% in California - lower ratio than 3% of state schools
Well above 20:1, one of the more stretched staffing loads nationally relative to enrollment.
Engagement
57.4%
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
$13,516
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 162 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
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: 3.7 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 69.8%
Hispanic or Latino 18.5%
Two or More 8.0%
Asian 2.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.2%
Largest group: White at 69.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 47.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 47.1, Pioneer Elementary is about as mixed as the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Pioneer Union, which includes Pioneer Elementary.
$13,516
Per student
-18%
vs California
Avg $16,509
-19%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 52.7%
State 32.7%
Federal 14.5%
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 Pioneer Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mountain Creek Middle | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Walt Tyler Elementary | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Pioneer Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 99
- Students per teacher
- 33:1
- Resource Index
- 28/100
- Enrollment
- 31
- Students per teacher
- 10.3:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
Similar elementary schools in Somerset
1 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.
Similar enrollment (~162 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~32.4:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Pioneer Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Pioneer Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Pioneer Union'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 Pioneer Elementary
How many students attend Pioneer Elementary?
Pioneer Elementary has 162 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Somerset, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Pioneer Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Pioneer Elementary is 32.4:1, which is 51% higher than the California average of 21.5:1 and 106% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Pioneer Elementary?
44.7% of students at Pioneer Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Pioneer Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Pioneer Elementary is White at 69.8% of enrollment, in Somerset, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Pioneer Elementary?
Pioneer Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 24/100 (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).
How does Pioneer Elementary rank among public schools in Somerset?
By Resource Investment Index, Pioneer Elementary ranks #2 of 3 public schools in Somerset, CA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Somerset on the city page.
Is Pioneer Elementary a good school?
Pioneer Elementary earns 24/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 97% 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 Pioneer Union?
Besides Pioneer Elementary, Pioneer Union also operates Mountain Creek Middle (99 students) and Walt Tyler Elementary (31 students). See the Pioneer Union 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.