Enrollment
520
California · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 064015004783
Tustin Ranch Elementary — Tustin, CA
Federal NCES profile for Tustin Ranch Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 25/100.
👥 Class size 0
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 29
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
District: Tustin Unified · California
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
20.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
28.2:1
vs 21.6:1 California avg
+31% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
38.2%
vs 55.5% California avg
-31% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Tustin Ranch Elementary compares with California and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
Tustin Ranch Elementary reports 520 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 20.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 28.2:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 31% above the California state mean of 21.6:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 77% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 38.2% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 31% below the California average and 26% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 1040 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 28.3% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Tustin Unified spends $14,867 per pupil district-wide, below the California average of $18,039 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 53.9% from local sources (property taxes), 38.0% from the state, and 8.1% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 25/100 (F), calculated from 4 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Tustin Ranch Elementary compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against California state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs California | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 28.2:1 | ▲ 31% | 21.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 38.2% | ▼ 31% | 55.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 520 | top 58% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Economic need
38.2%
free-lunch eligible
— 31% 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
28.2:1
students per teacher
— 31% above state mean
Top 96% in California — lower ratio than 4% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Engagement
28.3%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$14,867
per pupil, district-wide
— below California avg of $18,039
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.5 FTE
Per 1040 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 1 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
Enrollment 520 Top 58% in California — larger than 42% of 10,006 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 20.0
Students per teacher 28.2:1 +31% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 38.2% -31% vs state
NCES ID 064015004783
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 51.0%
White 20.6%
Asian 16.2%
Two or More 8.7%
African American 3.1%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 51.0% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 0.5
Students per counselor 1040:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 28.3%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 1
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Tustin Unified, which includes Tustin Ranch Elementary.
$14,867
Per student
-18%
vs California
Avg $18,039
-24%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 53.9%
State 38.0%
Federal 8.1%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,776
- Students per teacher
- 26.6:1
- Enrollment
- 2,126
- Students per teacher
- 27.4:1
- Enrollment
- 1,627
- Students per teacher
- 24.9:1
- Enrollment
- 1,373
- Students per teacher
- 29.2:1
- Enrollment
- 1,085
- Students per teacher
- 25.2:1
Similar elementary schools in Tustin
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Sycamore Magnet Academy
Standard public school
1,085 students 25.2:1 students per teacher
Heritage Elementary
Standard public school
567 students 25.4:1 students per teacher
Robert Heideman Elementary
Standard public school
502 students 28:1 students per teacher
W. R. Nelson Elementary
Standard public school
460 students 24.8:1 students per teacher
Helen Estock Elementary
Standard public school
456 students 25.2:1 students per teacher
Benjamin F. Beswick Elementary
Standard public school
426 students 26.4:1 students per teacher
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about Tustin Ranch Elementary
How many students attend Tustin Ranch Elementary?
Tustin Ranch Elementary has 520 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in Tustin, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Tustin Ranch Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Tustin Ranch Elementary is 28.2:1, which is 31% higher than the California average of 21.6:1 and 77% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Tustin Ranch Elementary?
38.2% of students at Tustin Ranch Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Tustin Ranch Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Tustin Ranch Elementary is Hispanic or Latino at 51.0%. The school serves a diverse student body in Tustin, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Tustin Ranch Elementary?
Tustin Ranch Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 25/100 (F) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.