Enrollment
446
California · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 060231413849 Charter school
River Charter Schools Lighthouse Charter — West Sacramento, CA
Federal NCES profile for River Charter Schools Lighthouse Charter, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 30/100.
👥 Class size 36
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 55
📋 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 →
The verdict
River Charter Schools Lighthouse Charter earns an F Resource Investment Index (30/100), even as it posts class sizes smaller than 89% of California schools.
- F
- Resource Index · 30/100
- 16:1
- small classes for California
- 46.3%
- free-lunch eligible
- 446
- students enrolled
School address
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)
23.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16:1
vs 21.6:1 California avg
-26% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
46.3%
vs 55.5% California avg
-17% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How River Charter Schools Lighthouse Charter 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
River Charter Schools Lighthouse Charter reports 446 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 23.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 16:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 26% 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 1% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 46.3% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 17% below the California average and 11% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 223 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 41.9% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding River Charter Schools Lighthouse Charter District spends $12,651 per pupil district-wide, below the California average of $18,039 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 23.6% from local sources (property taxes), 72.1% from the state, and 4.3% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 30/100 (F), calculated from 4 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 River Charter Schools Lighthouse Charter 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 | 16:1 | ▼ 26% | 21.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 46.3% | ▼ 17% | 55.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 446 | top 47% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
Class size vs. every US school
Students per teacher (lower means more individual attention)
16 smaller classes than 39% of 92,598 US schools
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US schools. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education — NCES Common Core of Data · 2024-25
School size vs. every US school
Total enrollment — where this school sits by size (neither large nor small is 'better')
446 larger than 54% of 95,891 US schools
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US schools. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education — NCES Common Core of Data · 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
46.3%
free-lunch eligible
— 17% below the California average of 55.5%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
16:1
students per teacher
— 26% below state mean
Top 11% in California — lower ratio than 89% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
41.9%
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
$12,651
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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 223 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 1 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.4 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 446 Top 47% in California — larger than 53% of 10,006 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 23.0
Students per teacher 16:1 -26% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 46.3% -17% vs state
NCES ID 060231413849
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 49.3%
White 24.0%
Two or More 13.9%
Asian 7.0%
African American 3.6%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 1.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 49.3% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 223:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 41.9%
In-school suspensions 1
Out-of-school suspensions 1
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for River Charter Schools Lighthouse Charter District, which includes River Charter Schools Lighthouse Charter.
$12,651
Per student
-30%
vs California
Avg $18,039
-35%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 23.6%
State 72.1%
Federal 4.3%
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.
Similar elementary schools in West Sacramento
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Bridgeway Island Elementary
Standard public school
1,062 students 24.2:1 students per teacher
Stonegate Elementary
Standard public school
928 students 22.1:1 students per teacher
Southport Elementary
Standard public school
785 students 22.1:1 students per teacher
Riverbank Elementary
Standard public school
599 students 18.1:1 students per teacher
Elkhorn Village Elementary
Standard public school
557 students 20.1:1 students per teacher
Westmore Oaks Elementary
Standard public school
531 students 20.7:1 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 River Charter Schools Lighthouse Charter
How many students attend River Charter Schools Lighthouse Charter?
River Charter Schools Lighthouse Charter has 446 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in West Sacramento, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at River Charter Schools Lighthouse Charter?
The student-teacher ratio at River Charter Schools Lighthouse Charter is 16:1, which is 26% lower than the California average of 21.6:1 and 1% higher 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 River Charter Schools Lighthouse Charter?
46.3% of students at River Charter Schools Lighthouse Charter are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of River Charter Schools Lighthouse Charter?
The largest demographic group at River Charter Schools Lighthouse Charter is Hispanic or Latino at 49.3%. The school serves a diverse student body in West Sacramento, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for River Charter Schools Lighthouse Charter?
River Charter Schools Lighthouse Charter has a Resource Investment Index of 30/100 (F) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.