Elementary school (grades K-5) · Irvine, CA

Plaza Vista

Federal NCES profile for Plaza Vista, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 32/100.

2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 068450008252
0/100100/10032/100
👥 S:T ratio
0
🌟 Gifted program
70
🎓 Counselors
0
📋 Attendance
59
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

Plaza Vista earns 32/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 89% of California schools.

#33 of 35
elementary schools in Irvine · Resource Index
32
Resource Index · Typical
26.9:1
large classes for California
16.6%
free-lunch eligible

Plaza Vista has class sizes larger than 89% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, Plaza Vista ranks #33 of 35 elementary schools in Irvine, CA.

School address

Enrollment

835

California · 2024-25 NCES data

Teachers (FTE)

31.0

Federal CCD staff survey

Students per teacher

26.9:1

vs 21.5:1 California avg

+25% vs state

Free-lunch eligible

16.6%

vs 55.5% California avg

-70% vs state

Student-teacher ratio in context

How Plaza Vista 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 Plaza Vista

Plaza Vista is a lower-poverty, mid-sized elementary school in Irvine, California, enrolling 835 students.

Class loads run heavy: 26.9:1 is larger than about 89% of California schools and 25% above the 21.5:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.

Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 16.6% free-meal eligibility runs 70% below the California average.

Enrollment of 835 puts it in the larger third of California schools by headcount.

Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 9,998 scored California schools.

Against 955 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #600.

Its student body is led by Asian (55%) and White (20%) (diversity index 63/100).

Counselor access is stretched at roughly 835 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.

16.4% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.

The surrounding Irvine Unified spends $13,289 per pupil, 20% below the California average, a leaner-resourced district than most.

Among Irvine's elementary schools, it stands alongside Orchard Hills (1,373 students): Plaza Vista is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (26.9:1 vs 29.2:1).

Irvine Unified also operates Portola High (2,693 students) and University High (2,307 students) alongside Plaza Vista.

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 Plaza Vista compares

Plaza Vista on the metrics families compare, against California and U.S. means.

Metric This school vs California California avg U.S. avg
Students per teacher 26.9:1 ▲ 25% 21.5:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 16.6% ▼ 70% 55.5% 51.7%
Enrollment 835 top 16% - -

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25

26.9:1
Leaner classes than 3% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
835
Bigger than 87% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.

Equity indicators (what these measure)

Economic need
16.6%
free-lunch eligible - 70% 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
26.9:1
students per teacher - 25% above state mean
Top 89% in California - lower ratio than 11% of state schools
Well above 20:1, one of the more stretched staffing loads nationally relative to enrollment.
Engagement
16.4%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$13,289
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 835 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 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 55.3%
White 20.1%
Hispanic or Latino 14.6%
Two or More 8.0%
African American 1.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.5%

Largest group: Asian at 55.3% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 62.6/100

Simpson diversity index - at 62.6, Plaza Vista is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.

Programs

Gifted & talented Yes

Funding & spending

District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Irvine Unified, which includes Plaza Vista.

$13,289
Per student
-20%
vs California
Avg $16,509
-20%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 62.4%
State 31.0%
Federal 6.6%

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 Plaza Vista Compares to District-Mates

School Enrollment Economic Profile Student-Teacher Ratio
Portola High Larger Similar economic need Higher S:T ratio
University High Larger Similar economic need Higher S:T ratio
Northwood High Larger Similar economic need Similar S:T ratio
Woodbridge High Larger Similar economic need Lower S:T ratio
Irvine High Larger Similar economic need Similar S:T ratio

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

Other Schools in This District

Irvine Unified · 5 sibling schools

View district profile

Similar elementary schools in Irvine

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 Plaza Vista'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 Plaza Vista

How many students attend Plaza Vista?

Plaza Vista has 835 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Irvine, CA.

What is the student-teacher ratio at Plaza Vista?

The student-teacher ratio at Plaza Vista is 26.9:1, which is 25% higher than the California average of 21.5:1 and 71% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.

What percentage of students receive free lunch at Plaza Vista?

16.6% of students at Plaza Vista are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Plaza Vista?

The largest demographic group at Plaza Vista is Asian at 55.3% of enrollment, in Irvine, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 62.6/100.

What is the Resource Investment Index for Plaza Vista?

Plaza Vista has a Resource Investment Index of 32/100 (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 Plaza Vista rank among elementary schools in Irvine?

By Resource Investment Index, Plaza Vista ranks #33 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 Plaza Vista a good school?

Plaza Vista earns 32/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 89% 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 Irvine Unified?

Besides Plaza Vista, Irvine Unified also operates Portola High (2,693 students), University High (2,307 students), and Northwood High (2,244 students). See the Irvine 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.