Enrollment
809
California · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 060006411533
Santa Fe Elementary — Porterville, CA
Federal NCES profile for Santa Fe Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 25/100.
👥 Class size 6
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 40
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
Santa Fe Elementary earns an F Resource Investment Index (25/100), with class sizes near the California median.
- F
- Resource Index · 25/100
- 23.5:1
- students per teacher
- 77.4%
- free-lunch eligible
- 809
- students enrolled
School address
District: Porterville 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)
35.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
23.5:1
vs 21.6:1 California avg
+9% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
77.4%
vs 55.5% California avg
+39% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Santa Fe Elementary 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
Santa Fe Elementary reports 809 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 35.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 23.5:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 9% above the California state mean of 21.6:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 48% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 77.4% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 39% above the California average and 49% above the national baseline. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 24.2% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Porterville Unified spends $18,726 per pupil district-wide, above the California average of $18,039 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 12.4% from local sources (property taxes), 66.8% from the state, and 20.8% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 25/100 (F), calculated from 3 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 Santa Fe Elementary 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 | 23.5:1 | ▲ 9% | 21.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 77.4% | ▲ 39% | 55.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 809 | top 83% | — | — |
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)
24 smaller classes than 7% 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')
809 larger than 86% 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
77.4%
free-lunch eligible
— 39% 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
23.5:1
students per teacher
— 9% above state mean
Top 67% in California — lower ratio than 33% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Engagement
24.2%
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
$18,726
per pupil, district-wide
— above California avg of $18,039
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
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 809 Top 83% in California — larger than 17% of 10,006 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 35.0
Students per teacher 23.5:1 +9% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 77.4% +39% vs state
NCES ID 060006411533
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 98.3%
White 0.7%
Two or More 0.5%
Asian 0.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 98.3% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 24.2%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Porterville Unified, which includes Santa Fe Elementary.
$18,726
Per student
+4%
vs California
Avg $18,039
-4%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 12.4%
State 66.8%
Federal 20.8%
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
- 2,125
- Students per teacher
- 25.9:1
- Enrollment
- 1,855
- Students per teacher
- 23.3:1
- Enrollment
- 1,206
- Students per teacher
- 22.2:1
- Enrollment
- 754
- Students per teacher
- 20.4:1
- Enrollment
- 661
- Students per teacher
- 26.3:1
Similar elementary schools in Porterville
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Westfield Elementary
Standard public school
661 students 26.3:1 students per teacher
Olive Street Elementary
Standard public school
624 students 26.8:1 students per teacher
Vandalia Elementary
Standard public school
556 students 26.2:1 students per teacher
John J. Doyle Elementary
Standard public school
552 students 23:1 students per teacher
Alta Vista Elementary
Standard public school
531 students 22.5:1 students per teacher
William R. Buckley Elementary
Standard public school
499 students 24:1 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 Santa Fe Elementary
How many students attend Santa Fe Elementary?
Santa Fe Elementary has 809 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in Porterville, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Santa Fe Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Santa Fe Elementary is 23.5:1, which is 9% higher than the California average of 21.6:1 and 48% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Santa Fe Elementary?
77.4% of students at Santa Fe Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Santa Fe Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Santa Fe Elementary is Hispanic or Latino at 98.3%. The school serves a diverse student body in Porterville, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Santa Fe Elementary?
Santa Fe Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 25/100 (F) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.