Enrollment
162
California · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 061662001736 Charter school
Salmon Creek School - a Charter — Occidental, CA
Federal NCES profile for Salmon Creek School - a Charter, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 35/100.
👥 Class size 28
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 60
📋 Attendance 23
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
Salmon Creek School - a Charter earns an F Resource Investment Index (35/100), even as it posts class sizes smaller than 83% of California schools.
- F
- Resource Index · 35/100
- 18:1
- small classes for California
- 27.1%
- free-lunch eligible
- 162
- students enrolled
School address
District: Harmony Union Elementary · 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
18:1
vs 21.6:1 California avg
-17% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
27.1%
vs 55.5% California avg
-51% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Salmon Creek School - a 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
Salmon Creek School - a Charter reports 162 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 8.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 18:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 17% 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 15.7:1, it is 15% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 27.1% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 51% below the California average and 48% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 203 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 30.9% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Harmony Union Elementary spends $30,170 per pupil district-wide, above the California average of $16,509 and above the national average of $16,593. Revenue comes 44.4% from local sources (property taxes), 49.2% from the state, and 6.3% 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 Salmon Creek School - a 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 | 18:1 | ▼ 17% | 21.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 27.1% | ▼ 51% | 55.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 162 | top 15% | — | — |
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)
18 smaller classes than 24% 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')
162 larger than 16% 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
27.1%
free-lunch eligible
— 51% 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
18:1
students per teacher
— 17% below state mean
Top 17% in California — lower ratio than 83% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
30.9%
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
$30,170
per pupil, district-wide
— above California avg of $16,509
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors0.8 FTE
Per 202 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 1 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.2 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 162 Top 15% in California — larger than 85% of 10,006 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 8.0
Students per teacher 18:1 -17% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 27.1% -51% vs state
NCES ID 061662001736
Student demographics
White 71.1%
Hispanic or Latino 16.4%
Two or More 11.3%
Asian 1.3%
Largest group: White at 71.1% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 0.8
Students per counselor 203:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 30.9%
In-school suspensions 1
Out-of-school suspensions 1
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Harmony Union Elementary, which includes Salmon Creek School - a Charter.
$30,170
Per student
+83%
vs California
Avg $16,509
+82%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 44.4%
State 49.2%
Federal 6.3%
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
- 71
- Students per teacher
- 17:1
Similar elementary schools in Occidental
1 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
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 Salmon Creek School - a Charter
How many students attend Salmon Creek School - a Charter?
Salmon Creek School - a Charter has 162 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in Occidental, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Salmon Creek School - a Charter?
The student-teacher ratio at Salmon Creek School - a Charter is 18:1, which is 17% lower than the California average of 21.6:1 and 15% higher than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Salmon Creek School - a Charter?
27.1% of students at Salmon Creek School - a Charter are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Salmon Creek School - a Charter?
The largest demographic group at Salmon Creek School - a Charter is White at 71.1%. The school serves a diverse student body in Occidental, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Salmon Creek School - a Charter?
Salmon Creek School - a Charter 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.
Is Salmon Creek School - a Charter a good school?
Salmon Creek School - a Charter earns an F Resource Investment Index (35/100), even as it posts class sizes smaller than 83% of California schools. The Resource Investment Index reflects staffing, counselor access, gifted programs, and attendance reported to NCES, not test scores or academic outcomes, so treat it as a resource snapshot rather than an overall rating.