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Potter Valley, California - 3 schools
An equity score of 73/100 ranks Potter Valley Community Unified #214 of 1517 districts in California (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $19,230 per pupil, Potter Valley Community Unified ranks #288 of 1862 California districts by per-pupil spending (California districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
276
Total Enrollment
3
Schools
$19,230
Per-Pupil Spending
Elementary, High
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Potter Valley Community Unified operates 3 public schools serving 276 students, placing it among the smallest districts in California. The school portfolio breaks down into 1 elementary, 1 high, 1 middle 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 Mendocino County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $19,230 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, in the upper half of 1862 California districts by per-pupil spending. See how California compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 34.9% local, 52.3% state, and 12.8% federal, a state-revenue-heavy mix that insulates the district somewhat from local property-tax volatility, though it ties funding to state budget cycles. The district's equity score is 73/100, ranked #214 of 1517 in California against a state average of 50, notably more even than the typical district in the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.
and 25.5% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 55.0% White, 34.2% Hispanic or Latino, 1.1% African American across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Potter Valley Junior High, with a diversity index of 57.6/100.
Its largest campus is Potter Valley Elementary, enrolling 143 students (55% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Potter Valley Junior High, at 39 students, a 4x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
Potter Valley Elementary accounts for 51.8% of all Potter Valley Community Unified student enrollment
That is an overwhelming concentration, leaving the rest of Potter Valley Community Unified a distant remainder — means Potter Valley Community Unified-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.
Potter Valley Community Unified school enrollment varies 3.7× across entities
Potter Valley Community Unified school enrollment ranges from 39 students (lowest) to 143 students (highest), a spread of 104 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.
Potter Valley Community Unified has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 52.7% 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.
Potter Valley Community Unified chronic absenteeism rate is 25.5% — near the typical range (US average ~28) — aligned with the national post-pandemic baseline of roughly 28% chronic absenteeism
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 Variation between sub-units within Potter Valley Community Unified is typically wider than the Potter Valley Community Unified-aggregate figure suggests.
Comparisons are relative to Potter Valley Community Unified's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data and the F-33 Finance Survey.
Nearby Districts in California
Top districts in the same state, compare side-by-side for enrollment, spending, and demographics.
How many schools are in Potter Valley Community Unified?
Potter Valley Community Unified has 3 schools, including 1 elementary, 1 high, 1 middle. Total enrollment is 276 students.
How much does Potter Valley Community Unified spend per student?
Potter Valley Community Unified spends $19,230 per student. The district has an equity score of 73/100, ranking #214 in California.
What is the demographic composition of Potter Valley Community Unified?
Potter Valley Community Unified students are 55.0% White, 34.2% Hispanic or Latino, 1.1% African American, 0.2% Asian, averaged across 3 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Potter Valley Community Unified?
Potter Valley Community Unified has an equity score of 73/100, ranking #214 out of 1517 districts in California.