Enrollment
217
California · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 060962000970
Ralph Bunche Elementary — Carson, CA
Federal NCES profile for Ralph Bunche Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 29/100.
👥 Class size 0
🌟 Gifted program 70
📋 Attendance 17
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: Compton Unified · 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)
8.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
31:1
vs 21.6:1 California avg
+44% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
55.6%
vs 55.5% California avg
+0% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Ralph Bunche Elementary 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
Ralph Bunche Elementary reports 217 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 8.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 31:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 44% above the California state mean of 21.6:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 95% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 55.6% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 0% above the California average and 7% above the national baseline. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 33.2% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Compton Unified spends $17,668 per pupil district-wide, below the California average of $18,039 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 15.5% from local sources (property taxes), 70.8% from the state, and 13.8% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 29/100 (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 Ralph Bunche Elementary 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 | 31:1 | ▲ 44% | 21.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 55.6% | ▲ 0% | 55.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 217 | top 18% | — | — |
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
55.6%
free-lunch eligible
— 0% 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
31:1
students per teacher
— 44% above state mean
Top 98% in California — lower ratio than 2% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Engagement
33.2%
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
$17,668
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
2
in-school suspensions + 12 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 6.5 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 217 Top 18% in California — larger than 82% of 10,006 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 8.0
Students per teacher 31:1 +44% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 55.6% +0% vs state
NCES ID 060962000970
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 59.0%
African American 38.7%
Two or More 1.4%
White 0.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.5%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 59.0% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 33.2%
In-school suspensions 2
Out-of-school suspensions 12
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Compton Unified, which includes Ralph Bunche Elementary.
$17,668
Per student
-2%
vs California
Avg $18,039
-9%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 15.5%
State 70.8%
Federal 13.8%
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
- 1,582
- Students per teacher
- 23.9:1
- Enrollment
- 1,438
- Students per teacher
- 23.2:1
- Enrollment
- 908
- Students per teacher
- 20.2:1
- Enrollment
- 692
- Students per teacher
- 27.3:1
- Enrollment
- 685
- Students per teacher
- 27.5:1
Similar elementary schools in Carson
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Carson Street Elementary
Standard public school
623 students 21.3:1 students per teacher
Caroldale Learning Community
Standard public school
620 students 19.8:1 students per teacher
Dominguez Elementary
Standard public school
450 students 21:1 students per teacher
Ambler Avenue Elementary
Standard public school
445 students 20:1 students per teacher
Catskill Avenue Elementary
Standard public school
419 students 20.8:1 students per teacher
Two Hundred Thirty-Second Place
Standard public school
413 students 21.6:1 students per teacher
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 Ralph Bunche Elementary
How many students attend Ralph Bunche Elementary?
Ralph Bunche Elementary has 217 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in Carson, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Ralph Bunche Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Ralph Bunche Elementary is 31:1, which is 44% higher than the California average of 21.6:1 and 95% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Ralph Bunche Elementary?
55.6% of students at Ralph Bunche Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Ralph Bunche Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Ralph Bunche Elementary is Hispanic or Latino at 59.0%. The school serves a diverse student body in Carson, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Ralph Bunche Elementary?
Ralph Bunche Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 29/100 (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.