Palo Verde Unified

Blythe, California — 5 schools

2,813
Total Enrollment
5
Schools
$18,618
Per-Pupil Spending
Elementary, High
School Types

District-Level NCES Analysis

Palo Verde Unified operates 5 public schools serving 2,813 students, placing it among the smaller districts in California. The school portfolio breaks down into 3 elementary, 2 high schools, giving families a clear picture of grade-band coverage before they move, rent, or enrol. Aggregated across those campuses, enrollment totals 2,610 pupils using the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2022-23 release, and the district is geographically located in Riverside County County.

Per-pupil expenditure runs $18,618 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, which aggregates every revenue and spending line reported under federal accounting standards. The funding mix is 19.8% local, 58.6% state, and 21.6% federal — a breakdown that matters because districts leaning heavily on local revenue are more exposed to property-tax swings, while higher federal shares typically track Title I concentration. Average teacher compensation clocks in at $78,540 per NCES F-33, a signal of the district's ability to recruit and retain staff against neighbouring districts. The district's equity score — 68/100, ranked #294 of 1547 in California against a state average of 50 — measures how evenly funding reaches schools within its boundaries.

Academic infrastructure includes 1 of 5 schools offering Advanced Placement (2 AP courses district-wide), a 1170.3:1 student-counselor ratio, above the 250:1 ASCA recommendation, and 61.2% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 74.6% Hispanic or Latino, 12.3% White, 9.0% African American across the district's schools.

Palo Verde High accounts for 28.4% of all Palo Verde Unified student enrollment

That concentration — well above the 8.4% national median for largest-entity share — means Palo Verde Unified-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the dominant entity. Grade band: high. A single dominant campus often anchors a district's program offerings and staffing patterns; the share helps explain why district-wide averages may not reflect the typical neighbourhood-school experience. When one entity dominates a region's footprint, its programmatic and budget decisions effectively set policy for a majority of the affected population.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data NCES Common Core of Data

Palo Verde Unified school enrollment varies 8.7× across entities

Palo Verde Unified school enrollment ranges from 85 students (lowest) to 740 students (highest), a spread of 655 students. That spread reflects typical mixed-portfolio variation between specialty programs and large neighbourhood schools. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data NCES Common Core of Data

Palo Verde Unified has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 73.2% of the population qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch

free or reduced-price lunch eligibility is the federal threshold for Title I funding allocations, established under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA, 2015). Areas above 75% eligibility receive concentration grants on top of the basic Title I formula. Regions with eligibility this high typically draw a substantially larger federal funding share relative to their local tax base, which can either offset or reinforce existing gaps depending on allocation policy.

Source: ESSA Title I Part A; ED EDFacts file system ESSA Title I Part A; ED EDFacts file system

Palo Verde Unified student-counselor ratio is 1170:1 — high (typically associated with staffing constraints that limit per-student counselor time; CRDC data shows higher ratios cluster in larger urban systems)

student-counselor ratio is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: the ratio counts FTE counselors against total enrollment — districts that contract intervention or social-emotional staff outside the counselor classification may be under-counted Higher values may reflect larger urban scale or recent resource constraints that have widened the gap.

Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection NCES Civil Rights Data Collection

Palo Verde Unified chronic absenteeism rate is 61.2% — high (typically associated with higher-than-average disruption; recent CRDC data showed elevated rates persisting after pandemic-era schooling changes)

chronic absenteeism rate is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: a student is chronically absent if they miss ≥10% of enrolled days for any reason — illness, family obligations, or disengagement Higher values may reflect larger urban scale or recent resource constraints that have widened the gap.

Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection 2021-22 NCES Civil Rights Data Collection 2021-22

Where does the funding come from?

21.6%
Federal
58.6%
State
19.8%
Local

Funding Equity

68
Equity Score
294 / 1547
State Rank
50
State Average

This district has moderate funding equity. There may be room to improve funding diversity or resource allocation.

Local Rent Costs

Fair Market Rents in Riverside County county, where this district is located.

$1,692
Studio/mo
$1,777
1 BR/mo
$2,201
2 BR/mo
$2,912
3 BR/mo
$3,514
4 BR/mo

Average Teacher Salary

$78,540
Average annual teacher salary

Source: NCES CCD F-33 (Finance Survey).

Teacher salary data from NCES CCD F-33 Finance Survey.

Student Demographics

Average demographic composition across 5 schools in Palo Verde Unified.

White 12.3%
Hispanic or Latino 74.6%
African American 9.0%
Asian 0.7%
Multiracial 2.8%
Other 0.6%

Source: NCES CCD School Membership 2024-25.

Programs & Resources

1 / 5
Schools with AP
2 AP courses total
1170.3:1
Student-Counselor Ratio
61.2%
Chronically Absent

Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) 2021-22.

Schools in Palo Verde Unified

School Enrollment
Palo Verde High
740
Felix J. Appleby Elementary
617
Ruth Brown Elementary
609
Margaret White Elementary
559
Twin Palms Continuation
85

Nearby Districts in California

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Los Angeles Unified
427,795 students · 785 schools · $25,877/pupil
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Long Beach Unified
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Elk Grove Unified
62,061 students · 67 schools · $16,975/pupil
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Compare Palo Verde Unified

See how this district compares to others in enrollment, spending, demographics, and academic resources.

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Frequently Asked Questions

How many schools are in Palo Verde Unified?

Palo Verde Unified has 5 schools, including 2 high, 3 elementary. Total enrollment is 2,813 students.

How much does Palo Verde Unified spend per student?

Palo Verde Unified spends $18,618 per student. The district has an equity score of 68/100, ranking #294 in California.

What is the average teacher salary in Palo Verde Unified?

The average teacher salary in Palo Verde Unified is $78,540 per year, according to the NCES CCD F-33 Finance Survey.

What is the average rent near Palo Verde Unified?

The HUD Fair Market Rent for a 2-bedroom in Riverside County County is $N/A/month (2026). This affects housing affordability for families in the district.

What is the demographic composition of Palo Verde Unified?

Palo Verde Unified students are 74.6% Hispanic or Latino, 12.3% White, 9.0% African American, 0.7% Asian, averaged across 5 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.

What is the equity score for Palo Verde Unified?

Palo Verde Unified has an equity score of 68/100, ranking #294 out of 1547 districts in California. This score measures resource distribution fairness across schools in the district.

Federal data Last updated 2026 Free public data

Coverage

50 states + DC

Full national footprint

Update cadence

Quarterly

Refreshed within 30 days of upstream release

Source agency

Federal

Authoritative data, no third-party aggregation

Page reliability score 94.0%
Industry baseline

Composite score weighing source authority, update freshness, and methodological transparency. 1.0 = full federal-source coverage with documented methodology and recent update.