Enrollment
643
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Sonora, CA
Sonora Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Sonora Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 24/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 063723006305
👥 S:T ratio 26
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Sonora Elementary earns 24/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 77% of California schools.
- #1 of 3
- elementary schools in Sonora · Resource Index
- 24
- Resource Index · Lower
- 18.4:1
- small classes for California
- 41.4%
- free-lunch eligible
Sonora Elementary has class sizes smaller than 77% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Sonora Elementary ranks #1 of 3 elementary schools in Sonora, CA.
School address
District: Sonora Elementary · California
NCES ID 063723006305 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
35.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18.4:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-14% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
41.4%
vs 55.5% California avg
-25% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Sonora Elementary compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Sonora Elementary
Sonora Elementary is a mid-sized elementary school in Sonora, California, enrolling 643 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 18.4:1 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 41.4% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 643 puts it in the larger third of California schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 9,998 scored California schools.
Against 1,374 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #880.
Its student body is led by White (72%) and Hispanic or Latino (18%) (diversity index 45/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 804 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 48.4% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding Sonora Elementary spends $13,084 per pupil, 21% below the California average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Its district draws 20.7% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 5 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Among Sonora's elementary schools, it stands alongside Curtis Creek Elementary (410 students): Sonora Elementary is larger than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (18.4:1 vs 19.5:1).
Sonora Elementary operates only this one school, so Sonora Elementary has no district-mates to compare against locally.
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 Sonora Elementary compares
Sonora 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 | 18.4:1 | ▼ 14% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 41.4% | ▼ 25% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 643 | top 28% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
18.4:1
Leaner classes than 22% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
643
Bigger than 76% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
41.4%
free-lunch eligible
- 25% below the California average of 55.5%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
18.4:1
students per teacher
- 14% below state mean
Top 23% in California - lower ratio than 77% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
48.4%
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
$13,084
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
Counselors0.8 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
5
in-school suspensions + 58 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 9.8 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 5 expulsions.
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 71.9%
Hispanic or Latino 17.6%
Two or More 4.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 2.8%
Asian 2.3%
African American 0.8%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: White at 71.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 44.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 44.9, Sonora Elementary is about as mixed as the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Sonora Elementary, which includes Sonora Elementary.
$13,084
Per student
-21%
vs California
Avg $16,509
-21%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 35.9%
State 43.4%
Federal 20.7%
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.
Similar elementary schools in Sonora
2 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 (~643 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Sonora Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Sonora Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Sonora Elementary'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 Sonora Elementary
How many students attend Sonora Elementary?
Sonora Elementary has 643 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Sonora, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Sonora Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Sonora Elementary is 18.4:1, which is 14% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 17% 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 Sonora Elementary?
41.4% of students at Sonora Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Sonora Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Sonora Elementary is White at 71.9% of enrollment, in Sonora, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Sonora Elementary?
Sonora Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 24/100 (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 Sonora Elementary rank among elementary schools in Sonora?
By Resource Investment Index, Sonora Elementary ranks #1 of 3 elementary schools in Sonora, 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 Sonora on the city page.
Is Sonora Elementary a good school?
Sonora Elementary earns 24/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 77% 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 Sonora Elementary?
None reported; Sonora Elementary operates only Sonora Elementary as a public school district in NCES's records.
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.