Enrollment
76
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · San Ardo, CA
San Ardo Elementary
Federal NCES profile for San Ardo Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 30/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 063408005343
👥 S:T ratio 39
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 21
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
San Ardo Elementary earns 30/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 89% of California schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most California schools.
- 30
- Resource Index · Lower
- 15.2:1
- small classes for California
- 70.9%
- free-lunch eligible
- 76
- students enrolled
San Ardo Elementary has class sizes smaller than 89% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: San Ardo Union Elementary · California
NCES ID 063408005343 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
5.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.2:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-29% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
70.9%
vs 55.5% California avg
+28% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How San Ardo Elementary compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at San Ardo Elementary
San Ardo Elementary is a higher-need, small elementary school in San Ardo, California, enrolling 76 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 15.2:1, San Ardo Elementary is leaner than roughly 89% of California schools and 29% under the state's 21.5:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 70.9% of students eligible for free meals.
This is a small campus: fewer students than 92% of California schools, with 76 enrolled.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 9,998 scored California schools.
Against 225 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #150.
Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (93% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 13/100).
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 31.6% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding San Ardo Union Elementary spends $25,634 per pupil, 55% above the California average, a better-resourced district than most.
Its district draws 20.2% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
San Ardo Union Elementary operates only this one school, so San Ardo Elementary has no district-mates to compare against locally. At 76 students, it is also a small operation, on the smaller end of California's single-school districts.
Sourced from NCES CCD, CRDC, and F-33 (federal records, not a quality verdict). How we source and compute this.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How San Ardo Elementary compares
San Ardo Elementary on the metrics families compare, against California and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs California | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 15.2:1 | ▼ 29% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 70.9% | ▲ 28% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 76 | top 92% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
15.2:1
Leaner classes than 45% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
76
Bigger than 8% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
70.9%
free-lunch eligible
- 28% 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
15.2:1
students per teacher
- 29% below state mean
Top 11% in California - lower ratio than 89% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
31.6%
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
$25,634
per pupil, district-wide
- above California avg of $16,509
Well above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting substantially higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 6 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 7.9 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
- Common Core of Data (June 2026): enrollment, staffing, and the student-teacher ratio above.
- Civil Rights Data Collection: discipline counts and program access (AP, gifted, special education).
- F-33 School District Finance Survey: the district-wide per-pupil spending figures below.
Three separate federal collections, each on its own reporting cadence - which is why this school's numbers line up on a consistent basis against every other school and state on this site, rather than mixing figures pulled from different survey years.
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 93.4%
Two or More 3.9%
White 2.6%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 93.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 12.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 12.5, San Ardo Elementary is less mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for San Ardo Union Elementary, which includes San Ardo Elementary.
$25,634
Per student
+55%
vs California
Avg $16,509
+54%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 38.4%
State 41.4%
Federal 20.2%
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 statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of California, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~76 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~15.2:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on San Ardo Elementary's federal record.
- Compare San Ardo Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- San Ardo Union Elementary's spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
Federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) - PlainSchools assigns no subjective rating; the composite quality score is a transparent, reproducible index computed from this cited federal data.
Frequently asked questions about San Ardo Elementary
How many students attend San Ardo Elementary?
San Ardo Elementary has 76 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in San Ardo, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at San Ardo Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at San Ardo Elementary is 15.2:1, which is 29% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 3% lower 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 San Ardo Elementary?
70.9% of students at San Ardo Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of San Ardo Elementary?
The largest demographic group at San Ardo Elementary is Hispanic or Latino at 93.4% of enrollment, in San Ardo, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for San Ardo Elementary?
San Ardo Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 30/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
Is San Ardo Elementary a good school?
San Ardo Elementary earns 30/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 89% of California schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most California schools. This is a resource snapshot, not an academic rating; see the Resource Investment Index question above for what the number does and doesn't measure.
What other schools are in San Ardo Union Elementary?
None reported; San Ardo Union Elementary operates only San Ardo Elementary as a public school district in NCES's records.
Related tools
Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.