Enrollment
827
California · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 063531007597
Romero-Cruz Academy — Santa Ana, CA
Federal NCES profile for Romero-Cruz Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 35/100.
👥 Class size 22
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 45
📋 Attendance 4
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: Santa Ana 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)
48.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
19.4:1
vs 21.6:1 California avg
-10% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
71.9%
vs 55.5% California avg
+30% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Romero-Cruz Academy 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
Romero-Cruz Academy reports 827 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 48.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 19.4:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 10% 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 22% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 71.9% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 30% above the California average and 39% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 276 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 38.5% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Santa Ana Unified spends $20,942 per pupil district-wide, above the California average of $18,039 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 26.0% from local sources (property taxes), 54.7% from the state, and 19.3% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 35/100 (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 Romero-Cruz Academy 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 | 19.4:1 | ▼ 10% | 21.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 71.9% | ▲ 30% | 55.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 827 | top 84% | — | — |
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
71.9%
free-lunch eligible
— 30% 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
19.4:1
students per teacher
— 10% below state mean
Top 25% in California — lower ratio than 75% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
38.5%
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
$20,942
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
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 276 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
11
in-school suspensions + 33 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 5.3 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 827 Top 84% in California — larger than 16% of 10,006 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 48.0
Students per teacher 19.4:1 -10% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 71.9% +30% vs state
NCES ID 063531007597
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 97.1%
Asian 1.3%
White 1.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%
African American 0.2%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 97.1% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 3.0
Students per counselor 276:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 38.5%
In-school suspensions 11
Out-of-school suspensions 33
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Santa Ana Unified, which includes Romero-Cruz Academy.
$20,942
Per student
+16%
vs California
Avg $18,039
+7%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 26.0%
State 54.7%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,505
- Students per teacher
- 23.2:1
- Enrollment
- 2,376
- Students per teacher
- 25.4:1
- Enrollment
- 1,908
- Students per teacher
- 20.9:1
- Enrollment
- 1,687
- Students per teacher
- 21.6:1
- Enrollment
- 1,519
- Students per teacher
- 17.6:1
Similar elementary schools in Santa Ana
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Mcfadden Institute of Technology
Standard public school
1,074 students 20.1:1 students per teacher
El Sol Santa Ana Science and Arts Academy
Standard public school
980 students 19.9:1 students per teacher
Santiago Elementary
Standard public school
906 students 23.6:1 students per teacher
Greenville Fundamental Elementary
Standard public school
817 students 23.9:1 students per teacher
Manuel Esqueda Elementary
Standard public school
811 students 21.8:1 students per teacher
Martin R. Heninger Elementary
Standard public school
783 students 23.1:1 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 Romero-Cruz Academy
How many students attend Romero-Cruz Academy?
Romero-Cruz Academy has 827 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in Santa Ana, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Romero-Cruz Academy?
The student-teacher ratio at Romero-Cruz Academy is 19.4:1, which is 10% lower than the California average of 21.6:1 and 22% 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 Romero-Cruz Academy?
71.9% of students at Romero-Cruz Academy are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Romero-Cruz Academy?
The largest demographic group at Romero-Cruz Academy is Hispanic or Latino at 97.1%. The school serves a diverse student body in Santa Ana, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Romero-Cruz Academy?
Romero-Cruz Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 35/100 (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.