Enrollment
387
California · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 062772004194
Rancho Elementary — Novato, CA
Federal NCES profile for Rancho Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 53/100.
👥 Class size 2
🌟 Gifted program 70
📋 Attendance 87
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: Novato 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)
14.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
24.6:1
vs 21.6:1 California avg
+14% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
32.0%
vs 55.5% California avg
-42% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Rancho 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
Rancho Elementary reports 387 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 14.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 24.6:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 14% 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 55% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 32.0% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 42% below the California average and 38% below the national baseline. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 5.4% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Novato Unified spends $19,941 per pupil district-wide, above the California average of $18,039 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 49.1% from local sources (property taxes), 43.5% from the state, and 7.4% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 53/100 (C-), 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 Rancho 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 | 24.6:1 | ▲ 14% | 21.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 32.0% | ▼ 42% | 55.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 387 | top 38% | — | — |
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
32.0%
free-lunch eligible
— 42% below the California average of 55.5%
Below the 40% Title I threshold — federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
24.6:1
students per teacher
— 14% above state mean
Top 78% in California — lower ratio than 22% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Engagement
5.4%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 10% — strong attendance relative to the post-pandemic national landscape.
Funding equity
$19,941
per pupil, district-wide
— above California avg of $18,039
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 2 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.8 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 387 Top 38% in California — larger than 62% of 10,006 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 14.0
Students per teacher 24.6:1 +14% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 32.0% -42% vs state
NCES ID 062772004194
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 46.0%
White 39.5%
Two or More 8.5%
Asian 4.4%
African American 1.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.3%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 46.0% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 5.4%
In-school suspensions 1
Out-of-school suspensions 2
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Novato Unified, which includes Rancho Elementary.
$19,941
Per student
+11%
vs California
Avg $18,039
+2%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 49.1%
State 43.5%
Federal 7.4%
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
- 1,287
- Students per teacher
- 23.5:1
- Enrollment
- 1,250
- Students per teacher
- 21.6:1
- Enrollment
- 693
- Students per teacher
- 23.3:1
- Enrollment
- 559
- Students per teacher
- 21.7:1
- Enrollment
- 544
- Students per teacher
- 22.1:1
Similar elementary schools in Novato
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Hamilton Meadow Park
Standard public school
544 students 22.1:1 students per teacher
Pleasant Valley Elementary
Standard public school
464 students 25.5:1 students per teacher
San Ramon Elementary
Standard public school
456 students 23.8:1 students per teacher
Loma Verde Elementary
Standard public school
426 students 25.2:1 students per teacher
Lu Sutton Elementary
Standard public school
367 students 23.1:1 students per teacher
Olive Elementary
Standard public school
364 students 22.1:1 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 Rancho Elementary
How many students attend Rancho Elementary?
Rancho Elementary has 387 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in Novato, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Rancho Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Rancho Elementary is 24.6:1, which is 14% higher than the California average of 21.6:1 and 55% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Rancho Elementary?
32.0% of students at Rancho Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Rancho Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Rancho Elementary is Hispanic or Latino at 46.0%. The school serves a diverse student body in Novato, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Rancho Elementary?
Rancho Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 53/100 (C-) 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.