Enrollment
455
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Terra Bella, CA
Terra Bella Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Terra Bella Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 31/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 063906006543
👥 S:T ratio 30
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 64
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Terra Bella Elementary earns 31/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 81% of California schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most California schools.
- #2 of 3
- public schools in Terra Bella · Resource Index
- 31
- Resource Index · Lower
- 17.5:1
- small classes for California
- 94.3%
- free-lunch eligible
Terra Bella Elementary has class sizes smaller than 81% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Terra Bella Elementary ranks #2 of 3 public schools in Terra Bella, CA.
School address
District: Terra Bella Union Elementary · California
NCES ID 063906006543 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
26.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.5:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-19% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
94.3%
vs 55.5% California avg
+70% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Terra Bella Elementary compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Terra Bella Elementary
Terra Bella Elementary is a high-poverty, mid-sized elementary school in Terra Bella, California, enrolling 455 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 17.5:1 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need is high: 94.3% of students qualify for free meals, 70% above the California average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
With 455 students, its enrollment sits close to the California median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 9,998 scored California schools.
Against 1,069 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #354.
Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (97% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 6/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 650 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
14.5% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Its district draws 18.1% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Terra Bella's elementary schools, it stands alongside Saucelito Elementary (75 students): Terra Bella Elementary is larger than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (17.5:1 vs 18.8:1).
Its district, Terra Bella Union Elementary, also runs Carl Smith Middle (262 students).
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 Terra Bella Elementary compares
Terra Bella 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 | 17.5:1 | ▼ 19% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 94.3% | ▲ 70% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 455 | top 52% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
17.5:1
Leaner classes than 27% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
455
Bigger than 56% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
94.3%
free-lunch eligible
- 70% 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
17.5:1
students per teacher
- 19% below state mean
Top 19% in California - lower ratio than 81% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
14.5%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 10-15% range, above the pre-pandemic national baseline but within the broader post-pandemic picture.
Funding equity
$16,853
per pupil, district-wide
- above California avg of $16,509
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors0.7 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
Hispanic or Latino 97.1%
White 1.8%
Asian 0.9%
African American 0.2%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 97.1% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 5.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 5.7, Terra Bella Elementary is less mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Terra Bella Union Elementary, which includes Terra Bella Elementary.
$16,853
Per student
+2%
vs California
Avg $16,509
+2%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 12.2%
State 69.7%
Federal 18.1%
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.
How Terra Bella Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carl Smith Middle | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Terra Bella Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 262
- Students per teacher
- 21.8:1
- Resource Index
- 27/100
Similar elementary schools in Terra Bella
1 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 (~455 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Terra Bella Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Terra Bella Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Terra Bella 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 Terra Bella Elementary
How many students attend Terra Bella Elementary?
Terra Bella Elementary has 455 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Terra Bella, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Terra Bella Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Terra Bella Elementary is 17.5:1, which is 19% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 11% 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 Terra Bella Elementary?
94.3% of students at Terra Bella Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Terra Bella Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Terra Bella Elementary is Hispanic or Latino at 97.1% of enrollment, in Terra Bella, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Terra Bella Elementary?
Terra Bella Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 31/100 (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 Terra Bella Elementary rank among public schools in Terra Bella?
By Resource Investment Index, Terra Bella Elementary ranks #2 of 3 public schools in Terra Bella, CA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Terra Bella on the city page.
Is Terra Bella Elementary a good school?
Terra Bella Elementary earns 31/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 81% of California schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most 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 Terra Bella Union Elementary?
Besides Terra Bella Elementary, Terra Bella Union Elementary also operates Carl Smith Middle (262 students). See the Terra Bella Union Elementary 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.