Enrollment
297
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Santa Margarita, CA
Santa Margarita Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Santa Margarita Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 19/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 060330000254
👥 S:T ratio 0
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 28
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Santa Margarita Elementary earns 19/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 89% of California schools.
- 19
- Resource Index · Lower
- 27:1
- large classes for California
- 25.5%
- free-lunch eligible
- 297
- students enrolled
Santa Margarita Elementary has class sizes larger than 89% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Atascadero Unified · California
NCES ID 060330000254 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
11.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
27:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
+26% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
25.5%
vs 55.5% California avg
-54% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Santa Margarita Elementary compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Santa Margarita Elementary
Santa Margarita Elementary is a mid-sized elementary school in Santa Margarita, California, enrolling 297 students.
Class loads run heavy: 27:1 is larger than about 89% of California schools and 26% above the 21.5:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 25.5% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 297 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 9,998 scored California schools.
Among 569 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need California schools statewide, it ranks #528, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (69%) and Hispanic or Latino (19%) (diversity index 48/100).
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 29.0% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding Atascadero Unified spends $13,091 per pupil, 21% below the California average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Among Santa Margarita's elementary schools, it stands alongside Carrisa Plains Elementary (21 students): Santa Margarita Elementary is larger than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (27:1 vs 21:1).
Atascadero Unified also operates Atascadero High (1,157 students) and Atascadero Middle (845 students) alongside Santa Margarita Elementary.
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 Santa Margarita Elementary compares
Santa Margarita 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 | 27:1 | ▲ 26% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 25.5% | ▼ 54% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 297 | top 74% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
27:1
Leaner classes than 3% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
297
Bigger than 32% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
25.5%
free-lunch eligible
- 54% 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
27:1
students per teacher
- 26% above state mean
Top 89% in California - lower ratio than 11% of state schools
Well above 20:1, one of the more stretched staffing loads nationally relative to enrollment.
Engagement
29.0%
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
$13,091
per pupil, district-wide
- below California avg of $16,509
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 1 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.7 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
White 68.7%
Hispanic or Latino 19.2%
Two or More 9.8%
Asian 1.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.7%
Largest group: White at 68.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 48.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 48.1, Santa Margarita Elementary is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Atascadero Unified, which includes Santa Margarita Elementary.
$13,091
Per student
-21%
vs California
Avg $16,509
-21%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 63.5%
State 30.2%
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.
How Santa Margarita Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Atascadero High | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Atascadero Middle | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| San Benito Elementary | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Monterey Road Elementary | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Santa Rosa Road Academic Academy | Larger | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Santa Margarita Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,157
- Students per teacher
- 19.3:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 845
- Students per teacher
- 20.6:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
- Enrollment
- 403
- Students per teacher
- 26.9:1
- Resource Index
- 18/100
- Enrollment
- 382
- Students per teacher
- 27.3:1
- Resource Index
- 18/100
- Enrollment
- 377
- Students per teacher
- 25.1:1
- Resource Index
- 7/100
Similar elementary schools in Santa Margarita
1 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
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 (~297 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~27:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Santa Margarita Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Santa Margarita Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Atascadero Unified'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 Santa Margarita Elementary
How many students attend Santa Margarita Elementary?
Santa Margarita Elementary has 297 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Santa Margarita, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Santa Margarita Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Santa Margarita Elementary is 27:1, which is 26% higher than the California average of 21.5:1 and 72% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Santa Margarita Elementary?
25.5% of students at Santa Margarita Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Santa Margarita Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Santa Margarita Elementary is White at 68.7% of enrollment, in Santa Margarita, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Santa Margarita Elementary?
Santa Margarita Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 19/100 (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 Santa Margarita Elementary a good school?
Santa Margarita Elementary earns 19/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 89% of 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 Atascadero Unified?
Besides Santa Margarita Elementary, Atascadero Unified also operates Atascadero High (1,157 students), Atascadero Middle (845 students), and San Benito Elementary (403 students). See the Atascadero Unified district page for the complete list.
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.