Enrollment
840
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Tulare, CA
Sundale Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Sundale Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 42/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 063834006453
👥 S:T ratio 0
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 16
📋 Attendance 83
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Sundale Elementary earns 42/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 86% of California schools.
- #1 of 20
- elementary schools in Tulare · Resource Index
- 42
- Resource Index · Typical
- 26.3:1
- large classes for California
- 32.6%
- free-lunch eligible
Sundale Elementary has class sizes larger than 86% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Sundale Elementary ranks #1 of 20 elementary schools in Tulare, CA.
School address
District: Sundale Union Elementary · California
NCES ID 063834006453 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
32.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
26.3:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
+22% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
32.6%
vs 55.5% California avg
-41% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Sundale Elementary compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Sundale Elementary
Sundale Elementary is a mid-sized elementary school in Tulare, California, enrolling 840 students.
Class loads run heavy: 26.3:1 is larger than about 86% of California schools and 22% above the 21.5:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 32.6% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 840 puts it in the larger third of California schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 9,998 scored California schools.
Against 1,106 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #175.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (48%) and White (47%) (diversity index 55/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 420 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance holds up well here: only 7.0% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
The surrounding Sundale Union Elementary spends $12,736 per pupil, 23% below the California average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Its district draws 15.1% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Tulare's elementary schools, it stands alongside Liberty Elementary (861 students): Sundale Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (26.3:1 vs 26.1:1).
Sundale Union Elementary operates only this one school, so Sundale 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 Sundale Elementary compares
Sundale 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 | 26.3:1 | ▲ 22% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 32.6% | ▼ 41% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 840 | top 16% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
26.3:1
Leaner classes than 4% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
840
Bigger than 87% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
32.6%
free-lunch eligible
- 41% 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
26.3:1
students per teacher
- 22% above state mean
Top 86% in California - lower ratio than 14% of state schools
Well above 20:1, one of the more stretched staffing loads nationally relative to enrollment.
Engagement
7.0%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 5-10% range, close to the pre-pandemic national baseline.
Funding equity
$12,736
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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 420 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 2 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 47.5%
White 47.4%
Two or More 3.9%
Asian 0.8%
African American 0.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 47.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 54.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 54.8, Sundale Elementary is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Sundale Union Elementary, which includes Sundale Elementary.
$12,736
Per student
-23%
vs California
Avg $16,509
-23%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 11.8%
State 73.2%
Federal 15.1%
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 Tulare
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Liberty Elementary
Standard public school
861 students 26.1:1 students per teacher
Mulcahy Middle
Standard public school
745 students 22.6:1 students per teacher
Garden Elementary
Standard public school
689 students 23.8:1 students per teacher
Mission Valley Elementary
Standard public school
671 students 23.1:1 students per teacher
Pleasant Elementary
Standard public school
668 students 23.9:1 students per teacher
Alpine Vista
Standard public school
659 students 23.5:1 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 (~840 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~26.3:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Sundale Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Sundale Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Sundale Union 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 Sundale Elementary
How many students attend Sundale Elementary?
Sundale Elementary has 840 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Tulare, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Sundale Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Sundale Elementary is 26.3:1, which is 22% higher than the California average of 21.5:1 and 68% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Sundale Elementary?
32.6% of students at Sundale Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Sundale Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Sundale Elementary is Hispanic or Latino at 47.5% of enrollment, in Tulare, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 54.8/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Sundale Elementary?
Sundale Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 42/100 (typical 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 Sundale Elementary rank among elementary schools in Tulare?
By Resource Investment Index, Sundale Elementary ranks #1 of 20 elementary schools in Tulare, 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 Tulare on the city page.
Is Sundale Elementary a good school?
Sundale Elementary earns 42/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 86% 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 Sundale Union Elementary?
None reported; Sundale Union Elementary operates only Sundale 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.