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

Washington Open Elementary

Federal NCES profile for Washington Open Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 35/100.

2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 063543006650
0/100100/10035/100
👥 S:T ratio
12
🌟 Gifted program
30
🎓 Counselors
30
📋 Attendance
70
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

Washington Open Elementary earns 35/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most California schools.

#2 of 16
elementary schools in Santa Clara · Resource Index
35
Resource Index · Typical
22:1
students per teacher
5.8%
free-lunch eligible

Washington Open Elementary has class sizes near the California median. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, Washington Open Elementary ranks #2 of 16 elementary schools in Santa Clara, CA.

Enrollment

352

California · 2024-25 NCES data

Teachers (FTE)

16.0

Federal CCD staff survey

Students per teacher

22:1

vs 21.5:1 California avg

+2% vs state

Free-lunch eligible

5.8%

vs 55.5% California avg

-90% vs state

Student-teacher ratio in context

How Washington Open Elementary compares with California and U.S. medians

Slightly above 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 Washington Open Elementary

Washington Open Elementary is a lower-poverty, mid-sized elementary school in Santa Clara, California, enrolling 352 students.

At 22:1, 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, 5.8% free-meal eligibility runs 90% below the California average.

Enrollment of 352 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 408 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #246.

Its student body is led by White (36%) and Asian (34%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 71/100).

Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 352 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.

11.9% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.

The surrounding Santa Clara Unified spends $24,038 per pupil, 46% above the California average, a better-resourced district than most.

Among Santa Clara's elementary schools, it stands alongside Laurelwood Elementary (571 students): Washington Open Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (22:1 vs 26:1).

Santa Clara Unified also operates Santa Clara High (1,663 students) and Adrian Wilcox High (1,614 students) alongside Washington Open 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 Washington Open Elementary compares

Washington Open 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 22:1 ▲ 2% 21.5:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 5.8% ▼ 90% 55.5% 51.7%
Enrollment 352 top 67% - -

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

22:1
Leaner classes than 10% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
352
Bigger than 40% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.

Equity indicators (what these measure)

Economic need
5.8%
free-lunch eligible - 90% 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
22:1
students per teacher - 2% above state mean
Top 53% in California - lower ratio than 47% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
11.9%
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
$24,038
per pupil, district-wide - above California avg of $16,509
Well above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting substantially higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 352 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: 0.3 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 36.1%
Asian 33.8%
Two or More 15.3%
Hispanic or Latino 13.6%
African American 1.1%

Largest group: White at 36.1% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 71.3/100

Simpson diversity index - at 71.3, Washington Open Elementary is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.

Programs

Funding & spending

District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Santa Clara Unified, which includes Washington Open Elementary.

$24,038
Per student
+46%
vs California
Avg $16,509
+45%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 81.9%
State 13.2%
Federal 4.9%

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 Washington Open Elementary Compares to District-Mates

School Enrollment Economic Profile Student-Teacher Ratio
Santa Clara High Larger Higher economic need Lower S:T ratio
Adrian Wilcox High Larger Higher economic need Lower S:T ratio
Juan Cabrillo Middle Larger Higher economic need Lower S:T ratio
Marian a. Peterson Middle Larger Higher economic need Similar S:T ratio
Buchser Middle Larger Higher economic need Lower S:T ratio

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

Other Schools in This District

Santa Clara Unified · 5 sibling schools

View district profile

Similar elementary schools in Santa Clara

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 Washington Open 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 Washington Open Elementary

How many students attend Washington Open Elementary?

Washington Open Elementary has 352 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Santa Clara, CA.

What is the student-teacher ratio at Washington Open Elementary?

The student-teacher ratio at Washington Open Elementary is 22:1, which is 2% higher than the California average of 21.5:1 and 40% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.

What percentage of students receive free lunch at Washington Open Elementary?

5.8% of students at Washington Open Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Washington Open Elementary?

The largest demographic group at Washington Open Elementary is White at 36.1% of enrollment, in Santa Clara, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 71.3/100.

What is the Resource Investment Index for Washington Open Elementary?

Washington Open Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 35/100 (typical 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 Washington Open Elementary rank among elementary schools in Santa Clara?

By Resource Investment Index, Washington Open Elementary ranks #2 of 16 elementary schools in Santa Clara, 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 Clara on the city page.

Is Washington Open Elementary a good school?

Washington Open Elementary earns 35/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median. 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 Santa Clara Unified?

Besides Washington Open Elementary, Santa Clara Unified also operates Santa Clara High (1,663 students), Adrian Wilcox High (1,614 students), and Juan Cabrillo Middle (796 students). See the Santa Clara 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.