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Penn Valley, California - 3 schools
An equity score of 39/100 ranks Penn Valley Union Elementary #1049 of 1517 districts in California (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $13,778 per pupil, Penn Valley Union Elementary ranks #1261 of 1862 California districts by per-pupil spending (California districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
609
Total Enrollment
3
Schools
$13,778
Per-Pupil Spending
Elementary, Combined
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Penn Valley Union Elementary operates 3 public schools serving 609 students, placing it among the smallest districts in California. The school portfolio breaks down into 2 elementary, 1 combined schools, a small enough portfolio that most families will interact with nearly every campus in the district at some point. These enrollment and school figures come from the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 release, and the district is based in Nevada County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $13,778 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, in the lower half of 1862 California districts by per-pupil spending. See how California compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 58.6% local, 27.0% state, and 14.4% federal, a local-revenue-heavy mix that leaves the district more exposed to property-tax swings and local ballot measures than state-funded peers. The district's equity score is 39/100, ranked #1049 of 1517 in California against a state average of 50, notably less even than the typical district in the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.
a 251:1 student-counselor ratio, somewhat above the 250:1 ASCA recommendation, and 39.8% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 70.1% White, 17.3% Hispanic or Latino, 0.7% African American across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Williams Ranch Elementary, with a diversity index of 47.9/100.
Its largest campus is Ready Springs Elementary, enrolling 255 students (48% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Vantage Point Charter, at 33 students, a 8x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
Ready Springs Elementary accounts for 41.9% of all Penn Valley Union Elementary student enrollment
That dominant concentration means Penn Valley Union Elementary-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the dominant entity. Grade band: elementary. 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.
Penn Valley Union Elementary school enrollment varies 7.7× across entities
Penn Valley Union Elementary school enrollment ranges from 33 students (lowest) to 255 students (highest), a spread of 222 students. That relatively narrow ratio reflects an unusually homogeneous campus portfolio, most districts have a wider mix of school sizes. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.
Penn Valley Union Elementary has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 51.3% 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.
Penn Valley Union Elementary student-counselor ratio is 251:1 — near the typical range (US average ~408) — within the typical range for U.S. public districts
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 Variation between sub-units within Penn Valley Union Elementary is typically wider than the Penn Valley Union Elementary-aggregate figure suggests.
Penn Valley Union Elementary chronic absenteeism rate is 39.8% — 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.
How many schools are in Penn Valley Union Elementary?
Penn Valley Union Elementary has 3 schools, including 2 elementary, 1 combined. Total enrollment is 609 students.
How much does Penn Valley Union Elementary spend per student?
Penn Valley Union Elementary spends $13,778 per student. The district has an equity score of 39/100, ranking #1049 in California.
What is the demographic composition of Penn Valley Union Elementary?
Penn Valley Union Elementary students are 70.1% White, 17.3% Hispanic or Latino, 0.7% African American, 0.5% Asian, averaged across 3 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Penn Valley Union Elementary?
Penn Valley Union Elementary has an equity score of 39/100, ranking #1049 out of 1517 districts in California.