NCES CCD 2024-25 52 schools CA

Best-Resourced Schools in Visalia, CA

52 public K-12 schools in Visalia from NCES Common Core of Data: enrollment, grade span, demographics, and Civil Rights Data Collection statistics for every active campus.

52
Schools
32,998
Students
22.5/100
Avg Resource Index
22.2:1
Avg Student-Teacher Ratio

National city placement

Large, fragmented school market

According to NCES CCD 2024-25, Visalia has more public-school enrollment than 97% of the 4,487 US cities in this directory. Visalia is among the largest city school systems in this directory by enrollment, but its campuses are divided among 9 districts. That combination matters: citywide averages blend separate budgets, staffing policies, attendance boundaries, and program rules. For a family comparing schools here, the district column is as important as the city average; two nearby campuses may answer to different boards and draw on different F-33 funding pools.

The school portfolio is elementary-weighted

31 of Visalia's 52 listed schools are elementary campuses. That composition means citywide enrollment and staffing averages are influenced more by early-grade operating patterns than by the city's 5 middle and 7 high-school records. Families comparing later grades should rely on those individual rows rather than the all-school mean.

Campus spread matters more than the city mean

The 67-point gap between Tulare County Community and Crestwood Elementary shows the range hidden by Visalia's average Resource Investment Index. The city figure is useful for national placement, but families ultimately choose among campuses with different grade spans, enrollment, district affiliations, and reported support fields. Start with schools serving the relevant grade level, then compare the index components rather than assuming the city average describes any one classroom.

City enrollment
Top 3%
School count
Top 3%
Resource Index average
2nd percentile
Teacher staffing
7th percentile

Visalia school enrollment varies 498× across entities

Visalia school enrollment ranges from 5 students (lowest) to 2,490 students (highest), a spread of 2,485 students. That ratio is an extreme outlier spread — among the widest gaps observed anywhere in this dataset. Per-school staffing and program breadth can differ sharply at opposite ends of that enrollment range, so the city average should not be treated as a typical campus.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data

Visalia reports 60.5% free-lunch eligibility

The reported share clears the 50% majority mark. Title I operates under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA, 2015), but its statutory allocation uses additional LEA-level counts and rules not represented by this average. This percentage is an economic-need context measure; it does not establish a Title I award, show dollars received, or describe how funds are distributed among campuses.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data

Visalia operates 9 school districts — among the most fragmented governance structures in the country

Each school district has independent budgeting, hiring, and service delivery authority. The fragmentation reflects historical patterns of inter-municipal boundary lines that pre-date modern city growth, students in different parts of the same city can attend different districts with different per-pupil spending, calendars, and graduation requirements. Per-region variation is largest in fragmented systems because each school district sets its own budget, contracts, and priorities without higher-level coordination above the regulatory floor.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data

Visalia student-teacher ratio is 22.2:1 — high (typically associated with larger urban scale or staffing constraints that have widened the headcount gap)

student-teacher ratio is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: the ratio counts FTE classroom teachers against total enrollment, push-in specialists, English-language aides, special-education co-teachers, and counselors are not included in most reporting Higher values may reflect larger urban scale or recent resource constraints that have widened the gap.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data, Public School Universe

11 of Visalia's 52 listed schools are charters

21% of the city's listed public-school campuses are reported as charter schools in NCES CCD. Charter status identifies a different governance arrangement; it does not establish admissions availability, academic quality, or the share of city students enrolled in those campuses. Open each school record to compare enrollment and staffing directly.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data

# School Score
1. Tulare County Community 74
2. Tulare County Court 63
3. Valley Life Charter 49
4. Sequoia High 48
5. University Preparatory High 40
6. Blue Oak Academy 37
7. Charter Home School Academy 36
8. La Sierra High 34
9. Creekside Community Day 34
10. Oak Grove Elementary 32
11. Stone Corral Elementary 31
12. Outside Creek Elementary 30
13. Special Education 28
14. Visalia Technical Early College 28
15. Visalia Charter Independent Study 26
16. La Joya Middle 25
17. Redwood High 22
18. Golden West High 22
19. Denton Elementary 21
20. Royal Oaks Elementary 21
21. Mt. Whitney High 20
22. Green Acres Middle 20
23. Washington Elementary 20
24. Divisadero Middle 19
25. Shannon Ranch Elementary 19
26. Sycamore Valley Academy 19
27. Crescent Valley Public Charter Ii 18
28. Hurley Elementary 17
29. Linwood Elementary 17
30. Elbow Creek Elementary 17
31. Pinkham Elementary 17
32. Highland Elementary 17
33. Global Learning Charter 17
34. Ridgeview Middle 16
35. Riverway Elementary 16
36. Annie R. Mitchell 16
37. Manuel F. Hernandez 15
38. Eleanor Roosevelt Community Learning Center 15
39. El Diamante High 14
40. Willow Glen Elementary 14
41. Crowley Elementary 14
42. Conyer Elementary 14
43. Golden Oak Elementary 12
44. Valley Oak Middle 11
45. Four Creeks Elementary 11
46. Cottonwood Creek Elementary 11
47. Mountain View Elementary 10
48. Houston Elementary 10
49. Veva Blunt Elementary 9
50. Mineral King Elementary 9

Showing top 50 of 52 schools.

Most racially and ethnically mixed schools in Visalia

Ranked by the Simpson student-body diversity index (0-100) from NCES race and ethnicity data, where higher means a more evenly mixed student body. It measures mix, not quality.

  1. 1 Oak Grove Elementary 64.0/100
  2. 2 University Preparatory High 62.1/100
  3. 3 Hurley Elementary 61.2/100
  4. 4 Valley Life Charter 58.7/100
  5. 5 Eleanor Roosevelt Community Learning Center 57.2/100

What do families ask about schools in Visalia?

Which Visalia school has the highest Resource Investment Index?

Tulare County Community has the highest Resource Investment Index among the Visalia schools in this federal-data comparison at 74/100. The index summarizes reported staffing, counseling, gifted-program, and attendance inputs; it is not an academic rating.

How many schools are in Visalia, CA?

Visalia has 52 public schools with a total enrollment of 32,998 students. 11 are charter schools. Average student-teacher ratio: 22.2:1.

Other Cities in California

Side-by-side: Compare any two schools or districts in California →

Data from NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 and Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) 2021-22. The Resource Investment Index uses reported student-teacher ratio, counselor access, gifted programs, and attendance; it is not an academic rating. Cities must include at least five schools to be listed. This public-data comparison is for informational purposes: verify current enrollment, attendance boundaries, and programs with the school district before acting. See the guide to understanding NCES data.