Enrollment
387
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Orange, CA
Taft Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Taft Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 23/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 062865004454
👥 S:T ratio 0
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 23
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Taft Elementary earns 23/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 84% of California schools.
- #16 of 17
- elementary schools in Orange · Resource Index
- 23
- Resource Index · Lower
- 25.8:1
- large classes for California
- 84.8%
- free-lunch eligible
Taft Elementary has class sizes larger than 84% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Taft Elementary ranks #16 of 17 elementary schools in Orange, CA.
School address
District: Orange Unified · California
NCES ID 062865004454 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
15.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
25.8:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
+20% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
84.8%
vs 55.5% California avg
+53% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Taft Elementary compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Taft Elementary
Taft Elementary is a high-poverty, mid-sized elementary school in Orange, California, enrolling 387 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 25.8:1 puts it in the larger third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need is high: 84.8% of students qualify for free meals, 53% above the California average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
With 387 students, its enrollment sits close to the California median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 9,998 scored California schools.
Against 1,563 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #1,006.
Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (88% of enrollment) (diversity index 23/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 387 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 46.5% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Among Orange's elementary schools, it stands alongside Mcpherson Magnet (863 students): Taft Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (25.8:1 vs 27:1).
Orange Unified also operates Canyon High (2,183 students) and Villa Park High (2,023 students) alongside Taft 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 Taft Elementary compares
Taft 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 | 25.8:1 | ▲ 20% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 84.8% | ▲ 53% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 387 | top 62% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
25.8:1
Leaner classes than 4% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
387
Bigger than 45% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
84.8%
free-lunch eligible
- 53% above the California average of 55.5%
Well above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold, among the highest-need profiles in the state; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
25.8:1
students per teacher
- 20% above state mean
Top 84% in California - lower ratio than 16% of state schools
Well above 20:1, one of the more stretched staffing loads nationally relative to enrollment.
Engagement
46.5%
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
$14,036
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 387 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
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: 0.5 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 87.6%
White 5.2%
Asian 3.4%
Two or More 2.8%
African American 1.0%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 87.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 22.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 22.8, Taft Elementary is less mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Orange Unified, which includes Taft Elementary.
$14,036
Per student
-15%
vs California
Avg $16,509
-15%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 53.9%
State 35.0%
Federal 11.0%
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 Taft Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canyon High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Villa Park High | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| El Modena High | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Orange High | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| El Rancho Charter | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Taft Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,183
- Students per teacher
- 27.3:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
- Enrollment
- 2,023
- Students per teacher
- 24.1:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 1,795
- Students per teacher
- 20.9:1
- Resource Index
- 28/100
- Enrollment
- 1,728
- Students per teacher
- 21.9:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
- Enrollment
- 1,144
- Students per teacher
- 29.3:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
Similar elementary schools in Orange
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Mcpherson Magnet
Standard public school
863 students 27:1 students per teacher
California Iinspire Academy
Standard public school
699 students 33.3:1 students per teacher
Fletcher Mandarin Language & Gate Academy
Standard public school
493 students 23.5:1 students per teacher
Jordan Academy of Language and Computer Science
Standard public school
430 students 30.7:1 students per teacher
Palmyra Elementary
Standard public school
429 students 25.2:1 students per teacher
Cambridge Elementary
Standard public school
415 students 23.1:1 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 (~387 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Taft Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Taft Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Orange 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 Taft Elementary
How many students attend Taft Elementary?
Taft Elementary has 387 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Orange, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Taft Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Taft Elementary is 25.8:1, which is 20% higher than the California average of 21.5:1 and 64% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Taft Elementary?
84.8% of students at Taft Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Taft Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Taft Elementary is Hispanic or Latino at 87.6% of enrollment, in Orange, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Taft Elementary?
Taft Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 23/100 (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 Taft Elementary rank among elementary schools in Orange?
By Resource Investment Index, Taft Elementary ranks #16 of 17 elementary schools in Orange, 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 Orange on the city page.
Is Taft Elementary a good school?
Taft Elementary earns 23/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 84% 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 Orange Unified?
Besides Taft Elementary, Orange Unified also operates Canyon High (2,183 students), Villa Park High (2,023 students), and El Modena High (1,795 students). See the Orange 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.