Elementary school (grades K-5) · Santa Maria, CA

Rice (William) Elementary

Federal NCES profile for Rice (William) Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 25/100.

2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 060558009321
Compare schools View district
Compiled from official source data by .
0/100100/10025/100
👥 S:T ratio
4
🌟 Gifted program
70
📋 Attendance
0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

Rice (William) Elementary earns 25/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 71% of California schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most California schools.

#16 of 24
elementary schools in Santa Maria · Resource Index
25
Resource Index · Lower
24:1
large classes for California
78.8%
free-lunch eligible

Rice (William) Elementary has class sizes larger than 71% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, Rice (William) Elementary ranks #16 of 24 elementary schools in Santa Maria, CA.

School address

Santa Maria, CA 93454
District: Santa Maria-Bonita · California

NCES ID 060558009321 Verify on NCES CCD record →

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

+0 students YoY

Rice (William) Elementary held near 913 students from 2022-23 to 2023-24 (+0 headcount).

Teacher FTE added 37.9 → 41.9 across the same CCD years.

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

Steady CCD campus

+0 students YoY 060558009321 · Santa Maria, CA Elementary · MID · TRAD

887 enr · 24:1 · 78.8% lunch · RII 25

Nearest enrollment peer: Jimenez Roberto and Dr. Francisco Elementary (1,177 students)

Rice (William) Elementary held near 913 students from 2022-23 to 2023-24 (+0 headcount). Teacher FTE added 37.9 → 41.9 across the same CCD years. Read with this school → · District book → · California schools → · Find another →

Rice (William) Elementary in the enrollment neighbourhood

Fall enrollment among this campus and nearest district peers

students

What this shows Rice (William) Elementary reports 887 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 Rice (William) Elementary compares

Rice (William) 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 24:1 ▲ 12% 21.5:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 78.8% ▲ 42% 55.5% 51.7%
Enrollment 887 top 14% - -

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

24:1
Leaner classes than 6% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
887
Bigger than 89% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.

Equity indicators methodology

Economic need
78.8%
free-lunch eligible - 42% 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
24:1
students per teacher - 12% above state mean
Top 71% in California - lower ratio than 29% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
43.9%
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
$16,207
per pupil, district-wide - below California avg of $18,665
Somewhat 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
13
in-school suspensions + 17 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.4 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.

Student demographics

Hispanic or Latino 95.5%
White 1.8%
Two or More 1.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.8%
Asian 0.3%

Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 95.5% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 8.7/100

Simpson diversity index - at 8.7, Rice (William) Elementary is less mixed than the California school average of 46.0.

Programs

Gifted & talented Yes

District finance for Santa Maria-Bonita reports $16,207 per pupil (NCES F-33) - open the district page for the full revenue mix.

How Rice (William) Elementary Compares to District-Mates

School Enrollment Economic Profile Student-Teacher Ratio
Jimenez Roberto and Dr. Francisco Elementary Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
Bruce (Robert) Elementary Similar size Similar economic need Similar S:T ratio
Alvin Elementary Similar size Higher economic need Higher S:T ratio
Fesler (Isaac) Junior High Similar size Similar economic need Lower S:T ratio
Tunnell (Martin Luther) Elementary Similar size Similar economic need Higher S:T ratio

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

Other Schools in This District

Santa Maria-Bonita · 5 sibling schools

View district profile

Similar elementary schools in Santa Maria

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

Jimenez Roberto and Dr. Francisco Elementary
Standard public school
1,177 students 29.4:1 students per teacher
Bruce (Robert) Elementary
Standard public school
1,050 students 24.4:1 students per teacher
Alvin Elementary
Standard public school
998 students 25.6:1 students per teacher
Tunnell (Martin Luther) Elementary
Standard public school
917 students 25.5:1 students per teacher
Miller (Isaac) Elementary
Standard public school
883 students 25.2:1 students per teacher
Adam (William Laird) Elementary
Standard public school
874 students 24.3:1 students per teacher

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.

Similar enrollment (~887 students)

Similar student-teacher ratio (~24:1)

Frequently asked questions about Rice (William) Elementary

How many students attend Rice (William) Elementary?

Rice (William) Elementary has 887 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Santa Maria, CA. CCD year-over-year: 913 (2022-23) → 913 (2023-24), nearly flat (+0).

What is the student-teacher ratio at Rice (William) Elementary?

The student-teacher ratio at Rice (William) Elementary is 24:1, which is 12% higher than the California average of 21.5:1 and 53% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.

What percentage of students receive free lunch at Rice (William) Elementary?

78.8% of students at Rice (William) Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Rice (William) Elementary?

The largest demographic group at Rice (William) Elementary is Hispanic or Latino at 95.5% of enrollment, in Santa Maria, CA.

What is the Resource Investment Index for Rice (William) Elementary?

Rice (William) Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 25/100 (lower 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 Rice (William) Elementary rank among elementary schools in Santa Maria?

By Resource Investment Index, Rice (William) Elementary ranks #16 of 24 elementary schools in Santa Maria, 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 Santa Maria on the city page.

What other schools are in Santa Maria-Bonita?

Besides Rice (William) Elementary, Santa Maria-Bonita also operates Jimenez Roberto and Dr. Francisco Elementary (1,177 students), Bruce (Robert) Elementary (1,050 students), and Alvin Elementary (998 students). See the Santa Maria-Bonita district page for the complete list.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

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.

View saved
Compiled from official source data by .