Elementary school (grades K-5) · San Francisco, CA

West Portal Elementary

Federal NCES profile for West Portal Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 34/100.

2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 063441005679
0/100100/10034/100
👥 S:T ratio
0
🌟 Gifted program
30
📋 Attendance
71
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

West Portal Elementary earns 34/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 88% of California schools.

#13 of 83
elementary schools in San Francisco · Resource Index
34
Resource Index · Typical
26.7:1
large classes for California
28.8%
free-lunch eligible

West Portal Elementary has class sizes larger than 88% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, West Portal Elementary ranks #13 of 83 elementary schools in San Francisco, CA.

Enrollment

588

California · 2024-25 NCES data

Teachers (FTE)

22.0

Federal CCD staff survey

Students per teacher

26.7:1

vs 21.5:1 California avg

+24% vs state

Free-lunch eligible

28.8%

vs 55.5% California avg

-48% vs state

Student-teacher ratio in context

How West Portal 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 West Portal Elementary

West Portal Elementary is a mid-sized elementary school in San Francisco, California, enrolling 588 students.

Class loads run heavy: 26.7:1 is larger than about 88% of California schools and 24% above the 21.5:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.

Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 28.8% of students eligible for free meals.

Enrollment of 588 puts it in the larger third of California schools by headcount.

Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 9,998 scored California schools.

Against 1,414 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #609.

Its student body is led by Asian (58%) and White (17%) (diversity index 60/100).

11.7% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.

The surrounding San Francisco Unified spends $23,654 per pupil, 43% above the California average, a better-resourced district than most.

Among San Francisco's elementary schools, it stands alongside Lilienthal (Claire) Elementary (673 students): West Portal Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (26.7:1 vs 23.2:1).

San Francisco Unified also operates Lowell High (2,571 students) and Lincoln (Abraham) High (2,074 students) alongside West Portal 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 West Portal Elementary compares

West Portal 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 26.7:1 ▲ 24% 21.5:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 28.8% ▼ 48% 55.5% 51.7%
Enrollment 588 top 34% - -

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

26.7:1
Leaner classes than 3% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
588
Bigger than 72% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.

Equity indicators (what these measure)

Economic need
28.8%
free-lunch eligible - 48% 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
26.7:1
students per teacher - 24% above state mean
Top 88% in California - lower ratio than 12% of state schools
Well above 20:1, one of the more stretched staffing loads nationally relative to enrollment.
Engagement
11.7%
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
$23,654
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
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

Asian 58.1%
White 17.2%
Two or More 15.0%
Hispanic or Latino 8.3%
African American 1.4%

Largest group: Asian at 58.1% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 60.3/100

Simpson diversity index - at 60.3, West Portal Elementary is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.

Programs

Funding & spending

District-wide per-pupil expenditure for San Francisco Unified, which includes West Portal Elementary.

$23,654
Per student
+43%
vs California
Avg $16,509
+43%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 56.8%
State 31.2%
Federal 12.0%

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 West Portal Elementary Compares to District-Mates

School Enrollment Economic Profile Student-Teacher Ratio
Lowell High Larger Similar economic need Lower S:T ratio
Lincoln (Abraham) High Larger Higher economic need Lower S:T ratio
Washington (George) High Larger Higher economic need Lower S:T ratio
Galileo High Larger Higher economic need Lower S:T ratio
Balboa High Larger Higher economic need Lower S:T ratio

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

Other Schools in This District

San Francisco Unified · 5 sibling schools

View district profile

Similar elementary schools in San Francisco

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 West Portal 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 West Portal Elementary

How many students attend West Portal Elementary?

West Portal Elementary has 588 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in San Francisco, CA.

What is the student-teacher ratio at West Portal Elementary?

The student-teacher ratio at West Portal Elementary is 26.7:1, which is 24% higher than the California average of 21.5:1 and 70% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.

What percentage of students receive free lunch at West Portal Elementary?

28.8% of students at West Portal Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of West Portal Elementary?

The largest demographic group at West Portal Elementary is Asian at 58.1% of enrollment, in San Francisco, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 60.3/100.

What is the Resource Investment Index for West Portal Elementary?

West Portal Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 34/100 (typical 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 West Portal Elementary rank among elementary schools in San Francisco?

By Resource Investment Index, West Portal Elementary ranks #13 of 83 elementary schools in San Francisco, 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 San Francisco on the city page.

Is West Portal Elementary a good school?

West Portal Elementary earns 34/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 88% of 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 San Francisco Unified?

Besides West Portal Elementary, San Francisco Unified also operates Lowell High (2,571 students), Lincoln (Abraham) High (2,074 students), and Washington (George) High (2,068 students). See the San Francisco 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.