Elementary school (grades K-5) · Santa Maria, CA

Tunnell (Martin Luther) Elementary

Federal NCES profile for Tunnell (Martin Luther) Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 27/100.

2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 060558009318
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Compiled from official source data by .
0/100100/10027/100
👥 S:T ratio
0
🌟 Gifted program
70
📋 Attendance
12
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

Tunnell (Martin Luther) Elementary earns 27/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 82% of California schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most California schools.

#13 of 24
elementary schools in Santa Maria · Resource Index
27
Resource Index · Lower
25.5:1
large classes for California
69.7%
free-lunch eligible

Tunnell (Martin Luther) Elementary has class sizes larger than 82% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, Tunnell (Martin Luther) Elementary ranks #13 of 24 elementary schools in Santa Maria, CA.

School address

Santa Maria, CA 93454
District: Santa Maria-Bonita · California

NCES ID 060558009318 Verify on NCES CCD record →

CCD year-over-year · 2022-23 → 2023-24

+71 students YoY

Tunnell (Martin Luther) Elementary grew from 803 students in 2022-23 to 874 in 2023-24 (+8.8%).

Teacher FTE added 36.2 → 40.2 across the same CCD years.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data public-school universe (2022-23, 2023-24).

Growing CCD campus

+71 students YoY 060558009318 · Santa Maria, CA Elementary · MID · TRAD

917 enr · 25.5:1 · 69.7% lunch · RII 27

Nearest enrollment peer: Jimenez Roberto and Dr. Francisco Elementary (1,177 students)

Tunnell (Martin Luther) Elementary grew from 803 students in 2022-23 to 874 in 2023-24 (+8.8%). Teacher FTE added 36.2 → 40.2 across the same CCD years. Read with this school → · District book → · California schools → · Find another →

Tunnell (Martin Luther) Elementary in the enrollment neighbourhood

Fall enrollment among this campus and nearest district peers

students

What this shows Tunnell (Martin Luther) Elementary reports 917 students on the CCD universe file.

Source U.S. Department of Education, NCES Common Core of Data (Public School Universe) As of 2024-25

How Tunnell (Martin Luther) Elementary compares

Tunnell (Martin Luther) Elementary is a growing campus on CCD: ratios and free-lunch share vs California and U.S. means.

Metric This school vs California California avg U.S. avg
Students per teacher 25.5:1 ▲ 19% 21.5:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 69.7% ▲ 26% 55.5% 51.7%
Enrollment 917 top 13% - -

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25

25.5:1
Leaner classes than 4% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
917
Bigger than 89% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.

Equity indicators methodology

Economic need
69.7%
free-lunch eligible - 26% 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
25.5:1
students per teacher - 19% above state mean
Top 82% in California - lower ratio than 18% of state schools
Well above 20:1, one of the more stretched staffing loads nationally relative to enrollment.
Engagement
35.2%
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
$16,207
per pupil, district-wide - below California avg of $18,665
Somewhat 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
0
in-school suspensions + 8 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.9 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.

Student demographics

Hispanic or Latino 89.3%
White 6.1%
Asian 2.0%
Two or More 1.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%
African American 0.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%

Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 89.3% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 19.8/100

Simpson diversity index - at 19.8, Tunnell (Martin Luther) Elementary is less mixed than the California school average of 46.0.

Programs

Gifted & talented Yes

District finance for Santa Maria-Bonita reports $16,207 per pupil (NCES F-33) - open the district page for the full revenue mix.

How Tunnell (Martin Luther) Elementary Compares to District-Mates

School Enrollment Economic Profile Student-Teacher Ratio
Jimenez Roberto and Dr. Francisco Elementary Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
Bruce (Robert) Elementary Similar size Higher economic need Similar S:T ratio
Alvin Elementary Similar size Higher economic need Similar S:T ratio
Fesler (Isaac) Junior High Similar size Higher economic need Lower S:T ratio
Kunst (Tommie) Junior High Similar size Similar economic need Lower S:T ratio

Comparisons are relative to Tunnell (Martin Luther) Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.

Other Schools in This District

Santa Maria-Bonita · 5 sibling schools

View district profile

Similar elementary schools in Santa Maria

6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.

Jimenez Roberto and Dr. Francisco Elementary
Standard public school
1,177 students 29.4:1 students per teacher
Bruce (Robert) Elementary
Standard public school
1,050 students 24.4:1 students per teacher
Alvin Elementary
Standard public school
998 students 25.6:1 students per teacher
Rice (William) Elementary
Standard public school
887 students 24:1 students per teacher
Miller (Isaac) Elementary
Standard public school
883 students 25.2:1 students per teacher
Adam (William Laird) Elementary
Standard public school
874 students 24.3:1 students per teacher

Nationwide elementary schools with similar size or staffing

Out-of-state peers matched by enrollment and by student-teacher ratio, not the same-city or same-district lists above.

Similar enrollment (~917 students)

Similar student-teacher ratio (~25.5:1)

Frequently asked questions about Tunnell (Martin Luther) Elementary

How many students attend Tunnell (Martin Luther) Elementary?

Tunnell (Martin Luther) Elementary has 917 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Santa Maria, CA. CCD year-over-year: 803 (2022-23) → 874 (2023-24), up 71.

What is the student-teacher ratio at Tunnell (Martin Luther) Elementary?

The student-teacher ratio at Tunnell (Martin Luther) Elementary is 25.5:1, which is 19% higher than the California average of 21.5:1 and 62% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.

What percentage of students receive free lunch at Tunnell (Martin Luther) Elementary?

69.7% of students at Tunnell (Martin Luther) Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Tunnell (Martin Luther) Elementary?

The largest demographic group at Tunnell (Martin Luther) Elementary is Hispanic or Latino at 89.3% of enrollment, in Santa Maria, CA.

What is the Resource Investment Index for Tunnell (Martin Luther) Elementary?

Tunnell (Martin Luther) Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 27/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, gifted-program reporting, chronic absenteeism. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).

How does Tunnell (Martin Luther) Elementary rank among elementary schools in Santa Maria?

By Resource Investment Index, Tunnell (Martin Luther) Elementary ranks #13 of 24 elementary schools in Santa Maria, 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 Santa Maria on the city page.

What other schools are in Santa Maria-Bonita?

Besides Tunnell (Martin Luther) Elementary, Santa Maria-Bonita also operates Jimenez Roberto and Dr. Francisco Elementary (1,177 students), Bruce (Robert) Elementary (1,050 students), and Alvin Elementary (998 students). See the Santa Maria-Bonita district page for the complete list.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) CCD + Public School Universe (2024-25), CRDC (2021-22), F-33 District Finance Survey (FY 2022-23) · 2024-25 Data as of the 2024-25 school year. Coverage from U.S. Department of Education NCES Common Core of Data. Varies by entity type; administrative districts and certain charter networks may report only a subset of fields.

All federal data sources used on this page

Full source list and how we compute each figure: methodology page.

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Compiled from official source data by .