Enrollment
45
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Lancster, CA
Promise Academy
Federal NCES profile for Promise Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 33/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 062088014553
👥 S:T ratio 70
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Promise Academy earns 33/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 98% of California schools.
- 33
- Resource Index · Typical
- 7.5:1
- small classes for California
- 68.6%
- free-lunch eligible
- 45
- students enrolled
Promise Academy has class sizes smaller than 98% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Lancaster Elementary · California
NCES ID 062088014553 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
6.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
7.5:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-65% 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
What stands out at Promise Academy
Promise Academy is a higher-need, small elementary school in Lancster, California, enrolling 45 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 7.5:1, Promise Academy is leaner than roughly 98% of California schools and 65% under the state's 21.5:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 68.6% of students eligible for free meals.
This is a small campus: fewer students than 94% of California schools, with 45 enrolled.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 9,998 scored California schools.
Against 150 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #94.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (47%) and African American (27%) (diversity index 66/100).
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 97.8% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 19.3% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Lancaster Elementary also operates Amargosa Creek Middle (859 students) and New Vista Middle (835 students) alongside Promise Academy.
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 Promise Academy compares
Promise Academy on the metrics families compare, against California and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs California | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 7.5:1 | ▼ 65% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 68.6% | ▲ 24% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 45 | top 94% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
7.5:1
Leaner classes than 96% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
45
Bigger than 5% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
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
7.5:1
students per teacher
- 65% below state mean
Top 2% in California - lower ratio than 98% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
97.8%
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
$16,048
per pupil, district-wide
- below 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 + 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
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.
Student-body diversity index 65.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 65.9, Promise Academy is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Lancaster Elementary, which includes Promise Academy.
$16,048
Per student
-3%
vs California
Avg $16,509
-3%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
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.
How Promise Academy Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amargosa Creek Middle | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| New Vista Middle | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Endeavour Middle | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Monte Vista Elementary | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| El Dorado Elementary | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Promise Academy's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 859
- Students per teacher
- 18.3:1
- Resource Index
- 28/100
- Enrollment
- 835
- Students per teacher
- 20.4:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
- Enrollment
- 805
- Students per teacher
- 21.2:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 788
- Students per teacher
- 26.3:1
- Resource Index
- 23/100
- Enrollment
- 766
- Students per teacher
- 26.4:1
- Resource Index
- 17/100
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 (~45 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Promise Academy's federal record.
- Compare Promise Academy against another school. Compare schools
- Lancaster Elementary'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 Promise Academy
How many students attend Promise Academy?
Promise Academy has 45 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Lancster, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Promise Academy?
The student-teacher ratio at Promise Academy is 7.5:1, which is 65% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 52% lower 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 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% of enrollment, in Lancster, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 65.9/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Promise Academy?
Promise Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 33/100 (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).
Is Promise Academy a good school?
Promise Academy earns 33/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 98% 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 Lancaster Elementary?
Besides Promise Academy, Lancaster Elementary also operates Amargosa Creek Middle (859 students), New Vista Middle (835 students), and Endeavour Middle (805 students). See the Lancaster Elementary 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.