Enrollment
373
Elementary
DISTRICT 405 · STATE 465
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·NEWPORT-MESA UNIFIED·NCES 062724004106
California Elementary
3232 California Ave., Costa Mesa, CA 92626 · (714) 424-7940 · Orange County
GRADES KG–06ELEMENTARY12-CITYTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL373 STUDENTS
A-
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 82% of California public elementary schools
- A-Test scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- B+Beats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
- BThree-year trend Change in reading and math proficiency over the last three test years.
Grades compare a school only with schools in the same state, because every state gives its own test. How grades work · Top-graded California public elementary schools
Student : Teacher
17.4:1
21 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 18.4:1 · STATE 22.3:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
41%
154 students
DISTRICT 54% · STATE 65%
Community
0
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other elementary schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Kindergarten | 77 | 21% |
| Grade 1 | 46 | 12% |
| Grade 2 | 56 | 15% |
| Grade 3 | 45 | 12% |
| Grade 4 | 41 | 11% |
| Grade 5 | 53 | 14% |
| Grade 6 | 55 | 15% |
This year's kindergarten class (77) is 40% larger than its 6th grade class (55).
Student demographics
63%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 63% · STATE 62% · US 70%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
Test scores
CAASPP 2024-25 . % met or exceeded standardEnglish Language Arts
65.8%
CA avg 49.1% . +10.8pp since 2014
Math
62.0%
CA avg 37.7% . +12.0pp since 2014
What this means: On the CAASPP, California's statewide test, about 66 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 62 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all California schools, those numbers are about 49 and 38. Reading and writing scores are up about 11 points since 2014, while math scores are up about 12 points.
Performance levels, 2024-25
| Subject | Standard Exceeded | Standard Met | Standard Nearly Met | Standard Not Met |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| English Language Arts | 39.0% | 26.7% | 21.9% | 12.3% |
| Math | 33.7% | 28.3% | 24.1% | 13.9% |
Share of tested students at each CAASPP level. Each student counts in one level, so a row adds to about 100%.
CAASPP results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 65.8% | 62.0% |
| 2023-24 | 65.8% | 54.7% |
| 2022-23 | 64.3% | 56.3% |
| 2021-22 | 60.9% | 59.3% |
| 2020-21 | N/A | 53.4% |
| 2018-19 | 68.8% | 62.8% |
| 2017-18 | 67.4% | 58.0% |
| 2016-17 | 65.2% | 61.7% |
| 2015-16 | 59.0% | 58.0% |
| 2014-15 | 55.0% | 50.0% |
% met or exceeded standard, all students and all tested grades.
Source: CAASPP. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
62.6%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
55.4%
based on CA schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+7.3pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 63% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 55% typical for California schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations measures results against demographically similar schools rather than by raw scores, and this school falls within the typical range, neither among California's top nor bottom 10%.
BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →
Schools most like California Elementary
California Elementary's state test result (62.6% proficient) is higher than 4 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| California Elementary this school | 373 | 41.3% | 62.6% |
| Bonsall West Elementary Oceanside | 383 | 38.1% | 59.7% |
| Enslen Elementary Modesto | 385 | 45.2% | 59.4% |
| Madrone Elementary Santa Rosa | 363 | 44.9% | 41.4% |
| Sierra View Elementary Madera | 365 | 37.8% | 47.1% |
| Sycamore Canyon Elementary Santee | 373 | 37.0% | 64.9% |
Matched among California elementary schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.
Where California Elementary ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In California | In Orange County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 62.6% | #995 of 5,151 | #144 of 381 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 62.0% | #966 of 5,172 ▲ 281 | #140 of 382 ▲ 31 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 65.8% | #974 of 5,172 ▼ 51 | #142 of 382 ▼ 6 |
| 3-year test score change ranked biggest gain first | +3.8pp | #2,034 of 5,116 | #146 of 381 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 373 | #4,020 of 5,915 | #315 of 404 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 17.4:1 | #174 of 5,352 | #14 of 398 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 62.6% | #1,557 of 5,354 | #132 of 398 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 41.3% | #4,277 of 5,625 | #248 of 400 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -13.1% | #2,280 of 3,837 | #219 of 324 |
Ranked against other public elementary schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
373
+54 (+17%) vs 2020
-45% since 1990-91, when it was 677
Student : Teacher
17.4:1
was 21.3:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 373 | 21.5 | 17.4:1 | 41% (154) |
| 2023-24 | 366 | 19.8 | 18.5:1 | 45% (165) |
| 2022-23 | 375 | 18 | 20.8:1 | 46% (171) |
| 2020-21 | 319 | 15 | 21.3:1 | 41% (132) |
| 2017-18 | 429 | 17 | 25.2:1 | 43% (184) |
| 2015-16 | 411 | 15 | 27.4:1 | 44% (181) |
| 2010-11 | 403 | N/A | N/A | 43% (175) |
| 2000-01 | 409 | 20 | 20.4:1 | 21% (87) |
| 1990-91 | 677 | 25 | 27.1:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for California Elementary.
Since 2017-18: students down 13% (429 to 373); teachers up 26% (17 to 21.5).
About California Elementary
California Elementary is a small elementary school in Costa Mesa, California. The grade span is kindergarten through 6, and enrollment is 373 students.
Newport-Mesa Unified is made up of 31 schools with 17,540 students in all.
White students form the largest group at California Elementary, 48% of enrollment. Next come 37% Hispanic, 7% multiracial, and 5% Asian. By the diversity index, California Elementary comes in at 63%.
California Elementary's 21.5 full-time-equivalent teachers put its ratio at 17.4:1. For comparison, elementary schools in California average 22.3:1. Eligibility for subsidized school meals is 41%. The 55% average for public schools in Orange County is 14 points higher.
The allk12 Grade for California Elementary is A-. Compared with California public elementary schools, the school scored higher than 82% on a mix of test scores, poverty-adjusted results, and recent trend.
In California, California Elementary is in the middle band of BeatsExpectations: 62.6% actual against a predicted 55.4%.
Among Orange County residents, median household income is about $116,289, 44% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and about 7% of people live in poverty. Federal data list 649 public schools in Orange County, with a combined enrollment of about 430,458.
Charles W. Tewinkle Middle is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.1 miles away. Counting only straight-line distance, at least 8 other public schools are within five miles. Its average proficiency rate of 62.6% is above the 53.7% average for nearby schools.
The federal government classifies California Elementary's location as City: Mid-size.
From 2020-21 to 2024-25, California Elementary went from 319 students to 373. Staffing shifted too: the ratio moved from 21.3:1 to 17.4:1.
Parents and students can post about enrollment questions, class placement, and PTA news at California Elementary. Questions from prospective families are welcome too.
Orange County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
3,165,820
Census ACS
Median income
$116,289
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
44%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
7%
Below federal line
Schools in county
649
430,458 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Newport-Mesa Unified
- Corona del Mar HighHigh · 2,106 students
- Newport Harbor HighHigh · 2,084 students
- Costa Mesa HighHigh · 1,730 students
- Estancia HighHigh · 976 students
- Horace Ensign IntermediateMiddle · 875 students
- Mariners ElementaryElementary · 573 students
Other schools in Costa Mesa
- Costa Mesa HighHigh · 1,730 students
- ACCESS County CommunityCombined · 1,315 students
- Estancia HighHigh · 976 students
- Maude B. Davis ElementaryElementary · 570 students
- Heinz Kaiser ElementaryElementary · 539 students
- Charles W. Tewinkle MiddleMiddle · 501 students
Other California Elementary schools
3 other US public schools in 2 states are named California Elementary. California Elementary is the 2nd largest of the 4.
- California ElementaryLa Puente, CA · 317 students
- California ElementaryWest Covina, CA · 220 students
- CALIFORNIA ELEM.CALIFORNIA, MO · 504 students
Nearby schools
- Charles W. Tewinkle Middle0.1 mi · 501
- Early College High0.6 mi · 177
- Killybrooke Elementary0.7 mi · 473
- Adams Elementary1.1 mi · 321
- Gisler (Robert) Elementary1.3 mi · 470
- Paularino Elementary1.4 mi · 371
Frequently asked questions
About California ElementaryHow many students attend California Elementary?
California Elementary enrolls approximately 373 students in grades KG-06.
What grades does California Elementary serve?
California Elementary serves grades KG-06.
What is the student-teacher ratio at California Elementary?
The student-to-teacher ratio at California Elementary is approximately 17.4:1 (21 FTE teachers).
What is the racial breakdown of students at California Elementary?
At California Elementary, the student body is approximately 48% White, 37% Hispanic, 2% Black, 5% Asian, 7% Two or more.
Who oversees California Elementary?
California Elementary is overseen by Newport-Mesa Unified in Orange County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.