Enrollment
961
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Mecca, CA
Saul Martinez Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Saul Martinez Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 12/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 060907007604
👥 S:T ratio 6
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Saul Martinez Elementary earns 12/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most California schools.
- 12
- Resource Index · Lower
- 23.4:1
- students per teacher
- 89.2%
- free-lunch eligible
- 961
- students enrolled
Saul Martinez Elementary has class sizes near the California median. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Coachella Valley Unified · California
NCES ID 060907007604 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
41.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
23.4:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
+9% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
89.2%
vs 55.5% California avg
+61% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Saul Martinez Elementary compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Saul Martinez Elementary
Saul Martinez Elementary is a high-poverty, large elementary school in Mecca, California, enrolling 961 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 23.4:1 puts it in the larger third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need is high: 89.2% of students qualify for free meals, 61% above the California average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
Enrollment of 961 puts it in the larger third of California schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 95% of the 9,998 California schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.
Among 721 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need California schools statewide, it ranks #637, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (99% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 3/100).
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 46.7% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 15.5% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Mecca's elementary schools, it stands alongside Mecca Elementary (677 students): Saul Martinez Elementary is larger than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (23.4:1 vs 20.5:1).
Coachella Valley Unified also operates Coachella Valley High (2,300 students) and Desert Mirage High (1,875 students) alongside Saul Martinez 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 Saul Martinez Elementary compares
Saul Martinez 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 | 23.4:1 | ▲ 9% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 89.2% | ▲ 61% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 961 | top 12% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
23.4:1
Leaner classes than 7% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
961
Bigger than 90% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
89.2%
free-lunch eligible
- 61% above the California average of 55.5%
Well above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold, among the highest-need profiles in the state; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
23.4:1
students per teacher
- 9% above state mean
Top 66% in California - lower ratio than 34% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
46.7%
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
$18,466
per pupil, district-wide
- above California avg of $16,509
Somewhat above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
4
in-school suspensions + 14 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.9 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 98.6%
White 0.8%
Two or More 0.4%
Asian 0.1%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 98.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 2.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 2.8, Saul Martinez Elementary is less mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Coachella Valley Unified, which includes Saul Martinez Elementary.
$18,466
Per student
+12%
vs California
Avg $16,509
+11%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 22.5%
State 62.1%
Federal 15.5%
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 Saul Martinez Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coachella Valley High | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Desert Mirage High | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Toro Canyon Middle | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Coral Mountain Academy | Similar size | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Sea View Elementary | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Saul Martinez Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,300
- Students per teacher
- 18.3:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 1,875
- Students per teacher
- 19.5:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
- Enrollment
- 989
- Students per teacher
- 22:1
- Resource Index
- 21/100
- Enrollment
- 815
- Students per teacher
- 20.4:1
- Resource Index
- 16/100
- Enrollment
- 682
- Students per teacher
- 23.5:1
- Resource Index
- 12/100
Similar elementary schools in Mecca
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 (~961 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~23.4:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Saul Martinez Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Saul Martinez Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Coachella Valley 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 Saul Martinez Elementary
How many students attend Saul Martinez Elementary?
Saul Martinez Elementary has 961 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Mecca, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Saul Martinez Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Saul Martinez Elementary is 23.4:1, which is 9% higher than the California average of 21.5:1 and 49% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Saul Martinez Elementary?
89.2% of students at Saul Martinez Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Saul Martinez Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Saul Martinez Elementary is Hispanic or Latino at 98.6% of enrollment, in Mecca, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Saul Martinez Elementary?
Saul Martinez Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 12/100 (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 Saul Martinez Elementary a good school?
Saul Martinez Elementary earns 12/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median. 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 Coachella Valley Unified?
Besides Saul Martinez Elementary, Coachella Valley Unified also operates Coachella Valley High (2,300 students), Desert Mirage High (1,875 students), and Toro Canyon Middle (989 students). See the Coachella Valley 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.