Elementary school (grades K-5) · Irvine, CA

Turtle Rock Elementary

Federal NCES profile for Turtle Rock Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 46/100.

2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 068450007066
0/100100/10046/100
👥 S:T ratio
0
🌟 Gifted program
70
📋 Attendance
67
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

Turtle Rock Elementary earns 46/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 98% of California schools.

#10 of 35
elementary schools in Irvine · Resource Index
46
Resource Index · Typical
33.9:1
large classes for California
19.4%
free-lunch eligible

Turtle Rock Elementary has class sizes larger than 98% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, Turtle Rock Elementary ranks #10 of 35 elementary schools in Irvine, CA.

School address

Enrollment

881

California · 2024-25 NCES data

Teachers (FTE)

26.0

Federal CCD staff survey

Students per teacher

33.9:1

vs 21.5:1 California avg

+58% vs state

Free-lunch eligible

19.4%

vs 55.5% California avg

-65% vs state

Student-teacher ratio in context

How Turtle Rock Elementary compares with California and U.S. medians

Larger classes than state median

Source: NCES Common Core of Data As of 2024-25 federal staff survey Total enrollment ÷ full-time-equivalent classroom teachers

What stands out at Turtle Rock Elementary

Turtle Rock Elementary is a lower-poverty, large elementary school in Irvine, California, enrolling 881 students.

Class loads run heavy: 33.9:1 is larger than about 98% of California schools and 58% above the 21.5:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.

Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 19.4% free-meal eligibility runs 65% below the California average.

Enrollment of 881 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 951 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #114.

Its student body is led by Asian (54%) and White (23%) (diversity index 64/100).

13.2% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.

The surrounding Irvine Unified spends $13,289 per pupil, 20% below the California average, a leaner-resourced district than most.

Among Irvine's elementary schools, it stands alongside Orchard Hills (1,373 students): Turtle Rock Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (33.9:1 vs 29.2:1).

Irvine Unified also operates Portola High (2,693 students) and University High (2,307 students) alongside Turtle Rock 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 Turtle Rock Elementary compares

Turtle Rock 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 33.9:1 ▲ 58% 21.5:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 19.4% ▼ 65% 55.5% 51.7%
Enrollment 881 top 14% - -

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

33.9:1
Leaner classes than 1% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
881
Bigger than 88% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.

Equity indicators (what these measure)

Economic need
19.4%
free-lunch eligible - 65% below the California average of 55.5%
Below the 40% Title I threshold, among the lower-need profiles in the state; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
33.9:1
students per teacher - 58% above state mean
Top 98% in California - lower ratio than 2% of state schools
Well above 20:1, one of the more stretched staffing loads nationally relative to enrollment.
Engagement
13.2%
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
$13,289
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
Counselors0.0 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

Asian 53.7%
White 22.8%
Hispanic or Latino 12.7%
Two or More 8.5%
African American 2.3%

Largest group: Asian at 53.7% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 63.6/100

Simpson diversity index - at 63.6, Turtle Rock Elementary is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.

Programs

Gifted & talented Yes

Funding & spending

District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Irvine Unified, which includes Turtle Rock Elementary.

$13,289
Per student
-20%
vs California
Avg $16,509
-20%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 62.4%
State 31.0%
Federal 6.6%

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 Turtle Rock Elementary Compares to District-Mates

School Enrollment Economic Profile Student-Teacher Ratio
Portola High Larger Similar economic need Lower S:T ratio
University High Larger Similar economic need Lower S:T ratio
Northwood High Larger Similar economic need Lower S:T ratio
Woodbridge High Larger Similar economic need Lower S:T ratio
Irvine High Larger Similar economic need Lower S:T ratio

Comparisons are relative to Turtle Rock Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.

Other Schools in This District

Irvine Unified · 5 sibling schools

View district profile

Similar elementary schools in Irvine

6 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.

Next steps

Verify locally before acting on Turtle Rock Elementary's federal record.

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 Turtle Rock Elementary

How many students attend Turtle Rock Elementary?

Turtle Rock Elementary has 881 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Irvine, CA.

What is the student-teacher ratio at Turtle Rock Elementary?

The student-teacher ratio at Turtle Rock Elementary is 33.9:1, which is 58% higher than the California average of 21.5:1 and 116% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.

What percentage of students receive free lunch at Turtle Rock Elementary?

19.4% of students at Turtle Rock Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Turtle Rock Elementary?

The largest demographic group at Turtle Rock Elementary is Asian at 53.7% of enrollment, in Irvine, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 63.6/100.

What is the Resource Investment Index for Turtle Rock Elementary?

Turtle Rock Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 46/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).

How does Turtle Rock Elementary rank among elementary schools in Irvine?

By Resource Investment Index, Turtle Rock Elementary ranks #10 of 35 elementary schools in Irvine, 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 Irvine on the city page.

Is Turtle Rock Elementary a good school?

Turtle Rock Elementary earns 46/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 98% 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 Irvine Unified?

Besides Turtle Rock Elementary, Irvine Unified also operates Portola High (2,693 students), University High (2,307 students), and Northwood High (2,244 students). See the Irvine Unified district page for the complete list.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) CCD + Public School Universe (2024-25), CRDC (2021-22), F-33 District Finance Survey (FY 2021-22) · 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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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.