Elementary school (grades K-5) · Costa Mesa, CA

Pomona Elementary

Federal NCES profile for Pomona Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 36/100.

2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 062724004128
0/100100/10036/100
👥 S:T ratio
34
🌟 Gifted program
70
📋 Attendance
3
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

Pomona Elementary earns 36/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 85% of California schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most California schools.

#7 of 15
elementary schools in Costa Mesa · Resource Index
36
Resource Index · Typical
16.5:1
small classes for California
85.1%
free-lunch eligible

Pomona Elementary has class sizes smaller than 85% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, Pomona Elementary ranks #7 of 15 elementary schools in Costa Mesa, CA.

CCD year-over-year · 2022-23 → 2023-24

-13 students YoY

Pomona Elementary held near 290 students from 2022-23 to 2023-24 (-13 headcount).

Teacher FTE lost 16.8 → 15.4 across the same CCD years.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data public-school universe (2022-23, 2023-24).

Steady CCD campus

-13 students YoY 062724004128 · Costa Mesa, CA Elementary · SMALL · TRAD

264 enr · 16.5:1 · 85.1% lunch · RII 36

Nearest enrollment peer: Corona Del Mar High (2,106 students)

Pomona Elementary held near 290 students from 2022-23 to 2023-24 (-13 headcount). Teacher FTE lost 16.8 → 15.4 across the same CCD years. Read with this school → · District book → · California schools → · Find another →

Pomona Elementary in the enrollment neighbourhood

Fall enrollment among this campus and nearest district peers

students

What this shows Pomona Elementary reports 264 students on the CCD universe file.

Source U.S. Department of Education, NCES Common Core of Data (Public School Universe) As of 2024-25

How Pomona Elementary compares

Pomona Elementary held steady on CCD headcount: ratios and free-lunch share vs California and U.S. means.

Metric This school vs California California avg U.S. avg
Students per teacher 16.5:1 ▼ 23% 21.5:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 85.1% ▲ 53% 55.5% 51.7%
Enrollment 264 top 78% - -

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

16.5:1
Leaner classes than 34% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
264
Bigger than 27% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.

Equity indicators methodology

Economic need
85.1%
free-lunch eligible - 53% above the California average of 55.5%
Well above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold, among the highest-need profiles in the state; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
16.5:1
students per teacher - 23% below state mean
Top 15% in California - lower ratio than 85% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
39.0%
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
$22,948
per pupil, district-wide - above California avg of $18,665
Well above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting substantially higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
7
in-school suspensions + 10 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 6.4 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.

Student demographics

Hispanic or Latino 97.3%
African American 1.1%
White 0.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%
Two or More 0.4%

Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 97.3% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 5.3/100

Simpson diversity index - at 5.3, Pomona Elementary is less mixed than the California school average of 46.0.

Programs

Gifted & talented Yes

District finance for Newport-Mesa Unified reports $22,948 per pupil (NCES F-33) - open the district page for the full revenue mix.

How Pomona Elementary Compares to District-Mates

School Enrollment Economic Profile Student-Teacher Ratio
Corona Del Mar High Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
Newport Harbor High Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
Costa Mesa High Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
Estancia High Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
Horace Ensign Intermediate Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio

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

Other Schools in This District

Newport-Mesa Unified · 5 sibling schools

View district profile

Similar elementary schools in Costa Mesa

6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.

Nationwide elementary schools with similar size or staffing

Out-of-state peers matched by enrollment and by student-teacher ratio, not the same-city or same-district lists above.

Frequently asked questions about Pomona Elementary

How many students attend Pomona Elementary?

Pomona Elementary has 264 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Costa Mesa, CA. CCD year-over-year: 303 (2022-23) → 290 (2023-24), nearly flat (-13).

What is the student-teacher ratio at Pomona Elementary?

The student-teacher ratio at Pomona Elementary is 16.5:1, which is 23% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 5% higher than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.

What percentage of students receive free lunch at Pomona Elementary?

85.1% of students at Pomona Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Pomona Elementary?

The largest demographic group at Pomona Elementary is Hispanic or Latino at 97.3% of enrollment, in Costa Mesa, CA.

What is the Resource Investment Index for Pomona Elementary?

Pomona Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 36/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, gifted-program reporting, chronic absenteeism. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).

How does Pomona Elementary rank among elementary schools in Costa Mesa?

By Resource Investment Index, Pomona Elementary ranks #7 of 15 elementary schools in Costa Mesa, 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 Costa Mesa on the city page.

What other schools are in Newport-Mesa Unified?

Besides Pomona Elementary, Newport-Mesa Unified also operates Corona Del Mar High (2,106 students), Newport Harbor High (2,084 students), and Costa Mesa High (1,730 students). See the Newport-Mesa 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 2022-23) · 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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