Enrollment
51
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Summerland, CA
Summerland Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Summerland Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 30/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 060756000729
👥 S:T ratio 32
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 17
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Summerland Elementary earns 30/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 83% of California schools.
- 30
- Resource Index · Lower
- 17:1
- small classes for California
- 34.0%
- free-lunch eligible
- 51
- students enrolled
Summerland Elementary has class sizes smaller than 83% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Carpinteria Unified · California
NCES ID 060756000729 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
3.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-21% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
34.0%
vs 55.5% California avg
-39% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Summerland Elementary compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Summerland Elementary
Summerland Elementary is a small elementary school in Summerland, California, enrolling 51 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 17:1 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 34.0% of students eligible for free meals.
This is a small campus: fewer students than 94% of California schools, with 51 enrolled.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 9,998 scored California schools.
Among 105 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need California schools statewide, it ranks #79, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (75%) and Hispanic or Latino (22%) (diversity index 40/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 510 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 33.3% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Carpinteria Unified also operates Carpinteria Senior High (593 students) and Canalino Elementary (471 students) alongside Summerland 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 Summerland Elementary compares
Summerland 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 | 17:1 | ▼ 21% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 34.0% | ▼ 39% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 51 | top 94% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
17:1
Leaner classes than 30% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
51
Bigger than 6% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
34.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 39% below the California average of 55.5%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
17:1
students per teacher
- 21% below state mean
Top 17% in California - lower ratio than 83% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
33.3%
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
$17,521
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
Counselors0.1 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
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
White 74.5%
Hispanic or Latino 21.6%
Two or More 3.9%
Largest group: White at 74.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 39.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 39.7, Summerland Elementary is less mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Carpinteria Unified, which includes Summerland Elementary.
$17,521
Per student
+6%
vs California
Avg $16,509
+6%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 72.9%
State 18.7%
Federal 8.4%
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 Summerland Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carpinteria Senior High | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Canalino Elementary | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Carpinteria Middle | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Aliso Elementary | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Carpinteria Family | Similar size | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Summerland Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 593
- Students per teacher
- 16.9:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 471
- Students per teacher
- 18.1:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
- Enrollment
- 437
- Students per teacher
- 16.2:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
- Enrollment
- 315
- Students per teacher
- 17.5:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 45
- Students per teacher
- 15:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
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 (~51 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~17:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Summerland Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Summerland Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Carpinteria 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 Summerland Elementary
How many students attend Summerland Elementary?
Summerland Elementary has 51 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Summerland, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Summerland Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Summerland Elementary is 17:1, which is 21% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 8% 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 Summerland Elementary?
34.0% of students at Summerland Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Summerland Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Summerland Elementary is White at 74.5% of enrollment, in Summerland, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Summerland Elementary?
Summerland Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 30/100 (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).
Is Summerland Elementary a good school?
Summerland Elementary earns 30/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 83% 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 Carpinteria Unified?
Besides Summerland Elementary, Carpinteria Unified also operates Carpinteria Senior High (593 students), Canalino Elementary (471 students), and Carpinteria Middle (437 students). See the Carpinteria 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.