Enrollment
313
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Santa Barbara, CA
Vieja Valley Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Vieja Valley Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 30/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 061749002190
👥 S:T ratio 16
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 44
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Vieja Valley Elementary earns 30/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median.
- #18 of 20
- elementary schools in Santa Barbara · Resource Index
- 30
- Resource Index · Lower
- 20.9:1
- students per teacher
- 24.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Vieja Valley Elementary has class sizes near the California median. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Vieja Valley Elementary ranks #18 of 20 elementary schools in Santa Barbara, CA.
School address
District: Hope Elementary · California
NCES ID 061749002190 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
15.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
20.9:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-3% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
24.0%
vs 55.5% California avg
-57% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Vieja Valley Elementary compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Vieja Valley Elementary
Vieja Valley Elementary is a mid-sized elementary school in Santa Barbara, California, enrolling 313 students.
At 20.9:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the California median, within a few percentage points of the 21.5:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 24.0% free-meal eligibility runs 57% below the California average.
Enrollment of 313 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 9,998 scored California schools.
Against 648 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #409.
Its student body is led by White (55%) and Hispanic or Latino (36%) (diversity index 56/100).
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 22.4% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Among Santa Barbara's elementary schools, it stands alongside Peabody Charter (780 students): Vieja Valley Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (20.9:1 vs 24.4:1).
Hope Elementary also operates Hope Elementary (279 students) and Monte Vista Elementary (267 students) alongside Vieja Valley 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 Vieja Valley Elementary compares
Vieja Valley 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 | 20.9:1 | ▼ 3% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 24.0% | ▼ 57% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 313 | top 72% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
20.9:1
Leaner classes than 13% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
313
Bigger than 34% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
24.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 57% 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
20.9:1
students per teacher
- 3% below state mean
Top 42% in California - lower ratio than 58% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
22.4%
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
$17,118
per pupil, district-wide
- above California avg of $16,509
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
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
White 55.3%
Hispanic or Latino 35.8%
Two or More 5.8%
Asian 2.9%
African American 0.3%
Largest group: White at 55.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 56.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 56.2, Vieja Valley Elementary is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Hope Elementary, which includes Vieja Valley Elementary.
$17,118
Per student
+4%
vs California
Avg $16,509
+3%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 77.9%
State 14.5%
Federal 7.7%
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 Vieja Valley Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hope Elementary | Similar size | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Monte Vista Elementary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Vieja Valley Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 279
- Students per teacher
- 18.6:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
- Enrollment
- 267
- Students per teacher
- 19.1:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
Similar elementary schools in Santa Barbara
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Peabody Charter
Standard public school
780 students 24.4:1 students per teacher
Washington Elementary
Standard public school
477 students 17:1 students per teacher
Adams Elementary
Standard public school
469 students 17.4:1 students per teacher
Roosevelt Elementary
Standard public school
463 students 19.3:1 students per teacher
Franklin Elementary
Standard public school
424 students 18.4:1 students per teacher
Foothill Elementary
Standard public school
413 students 24.3:1 students per teacher
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 (~313 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~20.9:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Vieja Valley Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Vieja Valley Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Hope 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 Vieja Valley Elementary
How many students attend Vieja Valley Elementary?
Vieja Valley Elementary has 313 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Santa Barbara, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Vieja Valley Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Vieja Valley Elementary is 20.9:1, which is 3% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 33% 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 Vieja Valley Elementary?
24.0% of students at Vieja Valley Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Vieja Valley Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Vieja Valley Elementary is White at 55.3% of enrollment, in Santa Barbara, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 56.2/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Vieja Valley Elementary?
Vieja Valley Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 30/100 (lower 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 Vieja Valley Elementary rank among elementary schools in Santa Barbara?
By Resource Investment Index, Vieja Valley Elementary ranks #18 of 20 elementary schools in Santa Barbara, 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 Barbara on the city page.
Is Vieja Valley Elementary a good school?
Vieja Valley Elementary earns 30/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median. 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 Hope Elementary?
Besides Vieja Valley Elementary, Hope Elementary also operates Hope Elementary (279 students) and Monte Vista Elementary (267 students). See the Hope 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.