Enrollment
50
California · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 069102109234
Wellington M. Smith Jr. — Salinas, CA
Federal NCES profile for Wellington M. Smith Jr., including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 46/100.
👥 Class size 61
🌟 Gifted program 30
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: Monterey County Office of Education · 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)
3.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
9.7:1
vs 21.6:1 California avg
-55% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
89.7%
vs 55.5% California avg
+62% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Wellington M. Smith Jr. 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
Wellington M. Smith Jr. reports 50 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 3.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 9.7:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 55% below the California state mean of 21.6:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 39% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 89.7% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 62% above the California average and 73% above the national baseline.
Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 46/100 (D), calculated from 2 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 Wellington M. Smith Jr. 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 | 9.7:1 | ▼ 55% | 21.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 89.7% | ▲ 62% | 55.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 50 | top 6% | — | — |
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
89.7%
free-lunch eligible
— 62% above the California average of 55.5%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
9.7:1
students per teacher
— 55% below state mean
Top 3% in California — lower ratio than 97% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
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
Enrollment 50 Top 6% in California — larger than 94% of 10,006 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 3.0
Students per teacher 9.7:1 -55% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 89.7% +62% vs state
NCES ID 069102109234
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 98.0%
White 2.0%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 98.0% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 274
- Students per teacher
- 6.6:1
- Enrollment
- 255
- Students per teacher
- 17.2:1
- Enrollment
- 101
- Students per teacher
- 21.4:1
Similar other schools in Salinas
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
El Puente
Alternative education program
326 students 15.5:1 students per teacher
Monterey County Special Education
Special-education school
274 students 6.6:1 students per teacher
Monterey County Home Charter
Standard public school
255 students 17.2:1 students per teacher
Salinas Community
Alternative education program
101 students 21.4:1 students per teacher
North Monterey County Center for Independent Study
Alternative education program
96 students 28:1 students per teacher
Carr Lake Community Day
Alternative education program
18 students 21:1 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 Wellington M. Smith Jr.
How many students attend Wellington M. Smith Jr.?
Wellington M. Smith Jr. has 50 students enrolled. It is a other school in Salinas, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Wellington M. Smith Jr.?
The student-teacher ratio at Wellington M. Smith Jr. is 9.7:1, which is 55% lower than the California average of 21.6:1 and 39% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Wellington M. Smith Jr.?
89.7% of students at Wellington M. Smith Jr. are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Wellington M. Smith Jr.?
The largest demographic group at Wellington M. Smith Jr. is Hispanic or Latino at 98.0%. The school serves a student body in Salinas, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Wellington M. Smith Jr.?
Wellington M. Smith Jr. has a Resource Investment Index of 46/100 (D) based on 2 factors: student-teacher ratio. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Limited indicators were available, so the index reflects partial data.