Elementary school (grades K-5) · Ventura, CA

Sheridan Way Elementary

Federal NCES profile for Sheridan Way Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 31/100.

2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 064098006767
0/100100/10031/100
👥 S:T ratio
19
🌟 Gifted program
70
🎓 Counselors
35
📋 Attendance
0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

Sheridan Way Elementary earns 31/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most California schools.

#4 of 18
elementary schools in Ventura · Resource Index
31
Resource Index · Lower
20.3:1
students per teacher
65.6%
free-lunch eligible

Sheridan Way Elementary has class sizes near the California median. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, Sheridan Way Elementary ranks #4 of 18 elementary schools in Ventura, CA.

School address

Enrollment

325

California · 2024-25 NCES data

Teachers (FTE)

16.0

Federal CCD staff survey

Students per teacher

20.3:1

vs 21.5:1 California avg

-6% vs state

Free-lunch eligible

65.6%

vs 55.5% California avg

+18% vs state

Student-teacher ratio in context

How Sheridan Way Elementary compares with California and U.S. medians

At or below state median

Source: NCES Common Core of Data As of 2024-25 federal staff survey Total enrollment ÷ full-time-equivalent classroom teachers

What stands out at Sheridan Way Elementary

Sheridan Way Elementary is a higher-need, mid-sized elementary school in Ventura, California, enrolling 325 students.

Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 20.3:1 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.

Its free-meal eligibility rate of 65.6% lands close to the California typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.

Enrollment of 325 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by headcount.

Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 9,998 scored California schools.

Against 1,315 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #472.

Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (95% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 9/100).

Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 325 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.

Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 43.7% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).

Among Ventura's elementary schools, it stands alongside Citrus Glen Elementary (491 students): Sheridan Way Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (20.3:1 vs 27.3:1).

Ventura Unified also operates Ventura High (1,939 students) and Buena High (1,585 students) alongside Sheridan Way 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 Sheridan Way Elementary compares

Sheridan Way 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 20.3:1 ▼ 6% 21.5:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 65.6% ▲ 18% 55.5% 51.7%
Enrollment 325 top 71% - -

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25

20.3:1
Leaner classes than 15% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
325
Bigger than 36% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.

Equity indicators (what these measure)

Economic need
65.6%
free-lunch eligible - 18% 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
20.3:1
students per teacher - 6% below state mean
Top 37% in California - lower ratio than 63% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
43.7%
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
$14,481
per pupil, district-wide - below California avg of $16,509
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 325 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
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

  • 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 95.1%
White 4.3%
African American 0.6%

Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 95.1% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 9.4/100

Simpson diversity index - at 9.4, Sheridan Way Elementary is less mixed than the California school average of 46.0.

Programs

Gifted & talented Yes

Funding & spending

District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Ventura Unified, which includes Sheridan Way Elementary.

$14,481
Per student
-12%
vs California
Avg $16,509
-13%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 40.6%
State 48.9%
Federal 10.4%

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 Sheridan Way Elementary Compares to District-Mates

School Enrollment Economic Profile Student-Teacher Ratio
Ventura High Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
Buena High Larger Lower economic need Similar S:T ratio
Foothill Technology High Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
Cabrillo Middle Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
Balboa Middle Larger Lower economic need Similar S:T ratio

Comparisons are relative to Sheridan Way Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.

Other Schools in This District

Ventura Unified · 5 sibling schools

View district profile

Similar elementary schools in Ventura

6 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.

Next steps

Verify locally before acting on Sheridan Way Elementary's federal record.

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 Sheridan Way Elementary

How many students attend Sheridan Way Elementary?

Sheridan Way Elementary has 325 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Ventura, CA.

What is the student-teacher ratio at Sheridan Way Elementary?

The student-teacher ratio at Sheridan Way Elementary is 20.3:1, which is 6% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 29% higher 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 Sheridan Way Elementary?

65.6% of students at Sheridan Way Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Sheridan Way Elementary?

The largest demographic group at Sheridan Way Elementary is Hispanic or Latino at 95.1% of enrollment, in Ventura, CA.

What is the Resource Investment Index for Sheridan Way Elementary?

Sheridan Way Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 31/100 (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 Sheridan Way Elementary rank among elementary schools in Ventura?

By Resource Investment Index, Sheridan Way Elementary ranks #4 of 18 elementary schools in Ventura, 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 Ventura on the city page.

Is Sheridan Way Elementary a good school?

Sheridan Way Elementary earns 31/100 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 Ventura Unified?

Besides Sheridan Way Elementary, Ventura Unified also operates Ventura High (1,939 students), Buena High (1,585 students), and Foothill Technology High (951 students). See the Ventura Unified district page for the complete list.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) CCD + Public School Universe (2024-25), CRDC (2021-22), F-33 District Finance Survey (FY 2021-22) · 2024-25 Data as of the 2024-25 school year. Coverage from U.S. Department of Education NCES Common Core of Data. Varies by entity type; administrative districts and certain charter networks may report only a subset of fields.

All federal data sources used on this page

Full source list and how we compute each figure: methodology page.

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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.