Enrollment
577
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Santa Rosa, CA
Sheppard Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Sheppard Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 13/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 063351005177
👥 S:T ratio 4
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 17
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Sheppard Elementary earns 13/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 71% of California schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most California schools.
- #39 of 45
- elementary schools in Santa Rosa · Resource Index
- 13
- Resource Index · Lower
- 24:1
- large classes for California
- 65.1%
- free-lunch eligible
Sheppard Elementary has class sizes larger than 71% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Sheppard Elementary ranks #39 of 45 elementary schools in Santa Rosa, CA.
School address
District: Roseland · California
NCES ID 063351005177 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
24.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
24:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
+12% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
65.1%
vs 55.5% California avg
+17% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Sheppard Elementary compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Sheppard Elementary
Sheppard Elementary is a higher-need, mid-sized elementary school in Santa Rosa, California, enrolling 577 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 24:1 puts it in the larger third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 65.1% lands close to the California typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 577 puts it in the larger third of California schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 94% of the 9,998 California schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.
Among 2,008 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need California schools statewide, it ranks #1,716, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (97% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 6/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 577 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 33.1% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding Roseland spends $28,357 per pupil, 72% above the California average, a better-resourced district than most.
Among Santa Rosa's elementary schools, it stands alongside Cesar Chavez Language Academy (773 students): Sheppard Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (24:1 vs 18.9:1).
Roseland also operates Roseland Creek Elementary (534 students) and Roseland Elementary (471 students) alongside Sheppard 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 Sheppard Elementary compares
Sheppard 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 | 24:1 | ▲ 12% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 65.1% | ▲ 17% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 577 | top 35% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
24:1
Leaner classes than 6% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
577
Bigger than 70% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
65.1%
free-lunch eligible
- 17% 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
24:1
students per teacher
- 12% above state mean
Top 71% in California - lower ratio than 29% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
33.1%
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
$28,357
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 577 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 1 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.2 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 97.1%
White 1.2%
Asian 0.5%
Two or More 0.5%
African American 0.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 97.1% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 5.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 5.7, Sheppard Elementary is less mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Roseland, which includes Sheppard Elementary.
$28,357
Per student
+72%
vs California
Avg $16,509
+71%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 50.9%
State 41.7%
Federal 7.4%
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 Sheppard Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roseland Creek Elementary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Roseland Elementary | Similar size | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Sheppard Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 534
- Students per teacher
- 24.3:1
- Resource Index
- 8/100
- Enrollment
- 471
- Students per teacher
- 23.6:1
- Resource Index
- 10/100
Similar elementary schools in Santa Rosa
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Cesar Chavez Language Academy
Standard public school
773 students 18.9:1 students per teacher
Oak Grove Elementary/Willowside Middle
Standard public school
708 students 21.5:1 students per teacher
Mattie Washburn Elementary
Standard public school
535 students 19.8:1 students per teacher
Roseland Creek Elementary
Standard public school
534 students 24.3:1 students per teacher
Santa Rosa French-American Charter (Srfacs)
Standard public school
525 students 23.9:1 students per teacher
Yulupa Elementary
Standard public school
523 students 19.4:1 students per teacher
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 (~577 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Sheppard Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Sheppard Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Roseland'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 Sheppard Elementary
How many students attend Sheppard Elementary?
Sheppard Elementary has 577 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Santa Rosa, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Sheppard Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Sheppard Elementary is 24:1, which is 12% higher than the California average of 21.5:1 and 53% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Sheppard Elementary?
65.1% of students at Sheppard Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Sheppard Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Sheppard Elementary is Hispanic or Latino at 97.1% of enrollment, in Santa Rosa, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Sheppard Elementary?
Sheppard Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 13/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Sheppard Elementary rank among elementary schools in Santa Rosa?
By Resource Investment Index, Sheppard Elementary ranks #39 of 45 elementary schools in Santa Rosa, CA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all elementary schools in Santa Rosa on the city page.
Is Sheppard Elementary a good school?
Sheppard Elementary earns 13/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 71% 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 Roseland?
Besides Sheppard Elementary, Roseland also operates Roseland Creek Elementary (534 students) and Roseland Elementary (471 students). See the Roseland 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.