Enrollment
45
California · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 062088014553
Promise Academy — Lancster, CA
Federal NCES profile for Promise Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 32/100.
👥 Class size 66
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 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: Lancaster 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)
6.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
8.5:1
vs 21.6:1 California avg
-61% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
68.6%
vs 55.5% California avg
+24% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Promise Academy 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
Promise Academy reports 45 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 6.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 8.5:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 61% 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 47% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 68.6% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 24% above the California average and 32% above the national baseline. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 97.8% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Lancaster Elementary spends $17,361 per pupil district-wide, below the California average of $18,039 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 16.4% from local sources (property taxes), 64.4% from the state, and 19.3% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 32/100 (F), calculated from 3 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 Promise Academy 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 | 8.5:1 | ▼ 61% | 21.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 68.6% | ▲ 24% | 55.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 45 | 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
68.6%
free-lunch eligible
— 24% 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
8.5:1
students per teacher
— 61% below state mean
Top 3% in California — lower ratio than 97% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
97.8%
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
$17,361
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
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
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
Enrollment 45 Top 6% in California — larger than 94% of 10,006 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 6.0
Students per teacher 8.5:1 -61% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 68.6% +24% vs state
NCES ID 062088014553
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 46.7%
African American 26.7%
White 22.2%
Two or More 4.4%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 46.7% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 97.8%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Lancaster Elementary, which includes Promise Academy.
$17,361
Per student
-4%
vs California
Avg $18,039
-11%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 16.4%
State 64.4%
Federal 19.3%
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
- 859
- Students per teacher
- 20.7:1
- Enrollment
- 835
- Students per teacher
- 21.5:1
- Enrollment
- 805
- Students per teacher
- 20.5:1
- Enrollment
- 788
- Students per teacher
- 27.3:1
- Enrollment
- 766
- Students per teacher
- 26:1
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 Promise Academy
How many students attend Promise Academy?
Promise Academy has 45 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in Lancster, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Promise Academy?
The student-teacher ratio at Promise Academy is 8.5:1, which is 61% lower than the California average of 21.6:1 and 47% 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 Promise Academy?
68.6% of students at Promise Academy are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Promise Academy?
The largest demographic group at Promise Academy is Hispanic or Latino at 46.7%. The school serves a diverse student body in Lancster, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Promise Academy?
Promise Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 32/100 (F) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.