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

Tustin Ranch Elementary

Federal NCES profile for Tustin Ranch Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 25/100.

2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 064015004783
0/100100/10025/100
👥 S:T ratio
0
🌟 Gifted program
70
🎓 Counselors
0
📋 Attendance
29
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

Tustin Ranch Elementary earns 25/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 85% of California schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most California schools.

#6 of 10
elementary schools in Tustin · Resource Index
25
Resource Index · Lower
26:1
large classes for California
38.2%
free-lunch eligible

Tustin Ranch Elementary has class sizes larger than 85% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, Tustin Ranch Elementary ranks #6 of 10 elementary schools in Tustin, CA.

School address

Enrollment

520

California · 2024-25 NCES data

Teachers (FTE)

20.0

Federal CCD staff survey

Students per teacher

26:1

vs 21.5:1 California avg

+21% 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

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 Tustin Ranch Elementary

Tustin Ranch Elementary is a mid-sized elementary school in Tustin, California, enrolling 520 students.

Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 26:1 puts it in the larger third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.

Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 38.2% of students eligible for free meals.

With 520 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 1,349 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #877.

Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (51%) and White (21%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 66/100).

Counselor access is stretched at roughly 1040 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.

Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 28.3% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).

Among Tustin's elementary schools, it stands alongside Sycamore Magnet Academy (1,085 students): Tustin Ranch Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (26:1 vs 22.6:1).

Tustin Unified also operates Arnold O. Beckman High (2,776 students) and Foothill High (2,126 students) alongside Tustin Ranch 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 Tustin Ranch Elementary compares

Tustin Ranch 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 26:1 ▲ 21% 21.5:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 38.2% ▼ 31% 55.5% 51.7%
Enrollment 520 top 42% - -

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

26:1
Leaner classes than 4% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
520
Bigger than 64% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.

Equity indicators (what these measure)

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
26:1
students per teacher - 21% above state mean
Top 85% in California - lower ratio than 15% of state schools
Well above 20:1, one of the more stretched staffing loads nationally relative to enrollment.
Engagement
28.3%
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
$13,372
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
Counselors0.5 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
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

  • 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 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.

Student-body diversity index 66.3/100

Simpson diversity index - at 66.3, Tustin Ranch Elementary is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.

Programs

Gifted & talented Yes

Funding & spending

District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Tustin Unified, which includes Tustin Ranch Elementary.

$13,372
Per student
-19%
vs California
Avg $16,509
-19%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
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.

How Tustin Ranch Elementary Compares to District-Mates

School Enrollment Economic Profile Student-Teacher Ratio
Arnold O. Beckman High Larger Lower economic need Similar S:T ratio
Foothill High Larger Lower economic need Similar S:T ratio
Tustin High Larger Higher economic need Lower S:T ratio
Orchard Hills Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
Sycamore Magnet Academy Larger Higher economic need Lower S:T ratio

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

Other Schools in This District

Tustin Unified · 5 sibling schools

View district profile

Similar elementary schools in Tustin

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 Tustin Ranch 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 Tustin Ranch Elementary

How many students attend Tustin Ranch Elementary?

Tustin Ranch Elementary has 520 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Tustin, CA.

What is the student-teacher ratio at Tustin Ranch Elementary?

The student-teacher ratio at Tustin Ranch Elementary is 26:1, which is 21% higher than the California average of 21.5:1 and 66% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.

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% of enrollment, in Tustin, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 66.3/100.

What is the Resource Investment Index for Tustin Ranch Elementary?

Tustin Ranch Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 25/100 (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 Tustin Ranch Elementary rank among elementary schools in Tustin?

By Resource Investment Index, Tustin Ranch Elementary ranks #6 of 10 elementary schools in Tustin, 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 Tustin on the city page.

Is Tustin Ranch Elementary a good school?

Tustin Ranch Elementary earns 25/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 85% of California schools. It is also more 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 Tustin Unified?

Besides Tustin Ranch Elementary, Tustin Unified also operates Arnold O. Beckman High (2,776 students), Foothill High (2,126 students), and Tustin High (1,627 students). See the Tustin 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.

View saved

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.