Enrollment
348
California · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 063747006331
South Fork Elementary — Weldon, CA
Federal NCES profile for South Fork Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 36/100.
👥 Class size 19
🌟 Gifted program 70
📋 Attendance 20
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
District: South Fork Union · California
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
17.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
20.2:1
vs 21.6:1 California avg
-6% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
70.3%
vs 55.5% California avg
+27% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How South Fork Elementary compares with California and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
South Fork Elementary reports 348 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 17.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 20.2:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 6% below the California state mean of 21.6:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 27% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 70.3% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 27% above the California average and 36% above the national baseline. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 31.9% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding South Fork Union spends $18,251 per pupil district-wide, above the California average of $18,039 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 18.0% from local sources (property taxes), 66.5% from the state, and 15.6% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 36/100 (F), calculated from 3 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How South Fork Elementary compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against California state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs California | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 20.2:1 | ▼ 6% | 21.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 70.3% | ▲ 27% | 55.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 348 | top 32% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Economic need
70.3%
free-lunch eligible
— 27% 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
20.2:1
students per teacher
— 6% below state mean
Top 31% in California — lower ratio than 69% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Engagement
31.9%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$18,251
per pupil, district-wide
— above California avg of $18,039
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints 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: 0.6 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 348 Top 32% in California — larger than 68% of 10,006 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 17.0
Students per teacher 20.2:1 -6% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 70.3% +27% vs state
NCES ID 063747006331
Student demographics
White 62.9%
Hispanic or Latino 24.7%
Two or More 10.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.7%
Asian 0.3%
Largest group: White at 62.9% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 31.9%
In-school suspensions 1
Out-of-school suspensions 1
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for South Fork Union, which includes South Fork Elementary.
$18,251
Per student
+1%
vs California
Avg $18,039
-6%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 18.0%
State 66.5%
Federal 15.6%
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.
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about South Fork Elementary
How many students attend South Fork Elementary?
South Fork Elementary has 348 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in Weldon, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at South Fork Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at South Fork Elementary is 20.2:1, which is 6% lower than the California average of 21.6:1 and 27% higher than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at South Fork Elementary?
70.3% of students at South Fork Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of South Fork Elementary?
The largest demographic group at South Fork Elementary is White at 62.9%. The school serves a diverse student body in Weldon, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for South Fork Elementary?
South Fork Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 36/100 (F) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.