Barbara Benson Elementary

Set in Tustin, California, Barbara Benson Elementary is a cozy elementary school, operated by Tustin Unified. It teaches 313 students across grades K through 5. Enrollment runs roughly 33% leaner than the state mean of about 465.

Tustin Unified comprises 28 schools with combined enrollment of 21,220 students; Barbara Benson Elementary is among them.

Demographically, Barbara Benson Elementary reports that Hispanic students make up the majority at 71%. Beyond that, the school lists 14% White, 8% Asian, 5% multiracial. The wider county runs roughly 34% Hispanic, putting the school's mix noticeably more Hispanic than the area baseline.

On the resource side, The school reports having 14 full-time-equivalent teachers, for a student-teacher ratio near 22.4:1. That tracks the state average closely. An estimated 73% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, a number frequently used as a low-income enrollment indicator. By comparison, Orange County runs at roughly 55%, so the school's eligibility rate is above the surrounding baseline.

On a residual basis (actual vs predicted given the student mix), Barbara Benson Elementary sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 35.9%; this one delivers 48.3%.

Around the school, Orange County reports that median household income runs about $116,289, about 44% of the adult population holds a bachelor's degree or above, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 7%. Across Orange County's 649 public schools (combined enrollment of about 430,458 students), Barbara Benson Elementary is one campus in the mix.

The closest other public school is Guin Foss Elementary, roughly 0.5 miles away. Counting just inside five miles, 8 other public schools cluster around Barbara Benson Elementary. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts Barbara Benson Elementary at 5th of 7; the average score across the group is 59.4%.

Barbara Benson Elementary operates from a bedroom-community location.

Trend over the last 7 years. Barbara Benson Elementary's enrollment has declined 16% since 2018, when it stood at 373 (now 313). Over the same period, the Hispanic share grew from 62% to 71%. Class-load math has tightened: from 24.9:1 in 2018 to 22.4:1 in 2025.

Within the allk12 community for this school, recent activity here tends to focus on fundraisers, lost-and-found posts, and report-card season. Posting is open to anyone connected to the school.