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Oroville, California - 6 schools
An equity score of 67/100 ranks Thermalito Union Elementary #330 of 1517 districts in California (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $16,669 per pupil, Thermalito Union Elementary ranks #597 of 1862 California districts by per-pupil spending (California districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
1,522
Total Enrollment
6
Schools
$16,669
Per-Pupil Spending
Elementary, Middle
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Thermalito Union Elementary operates 6 public schools serving 1,522 students, placing it among the smallest districts in California. The school portfolio breaks down into 5 elementary, 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 Butte County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $16,669 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 12.7% local, 64.1% state, and 23.2% 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 67/100, ranked #330 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.
a 251.2:1 student-counselor ratio, somewhat above the 250:1 ASCA recommendation, and 39.1% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 43.6% White, 26.5% Asian, 15.2% Hispanic or Latino across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Sierra Avenue Elementary, with a diversity index of 73.7/100.
Its largest campus is Nelson Avenue Middle, enrolling 456 students (30% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Heritage Community Day, at 5 students, a 91x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
Nelson Avenue Middle accounts for 30.0% of all Thermalito Union Elementary student enrollment
That dominant concentration means Thermalito Union Elementary-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the dominant entity. Grade band: middle. 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.
Thermalito Union Elementary school enrollment varies 91× across entities
Thermalito Union Elementary school enrollment ranges from 5 students (lowest) to 456 students (highest), a spread of 451 students. That ratio is an extreme outlier spread — among the widest gaps observed anywhere in this dataset. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.
Thermalito Union Elementary has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 77.8% 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 — including this one — 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.
Thermalito 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 Thermalito Union Elementary is typically wider than the Thermalito Union Elementary-aggregate figure suggests.
Thermalito Union Elementary chronic absenteeism rate is 39.1% — 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 Thermalito Union Elementary?
Thermalito Union Elementary has 6 schools, including 1 middle, 5 elementary. Total enrollment is 1,522 students.
How much does Thermalito Union Elementary spend per student?
Thermalito Union Elementary spends $16,669 per student. The district has an equity score of 67/100, ranking #330 in California.
What is the demographic composition of Thermalito Union Elementary?
Thermalito Union Elementary students are 43.6% White, 26.5% Asian, 15.2% Hispanic or Latino, 1.6% African American, averaged across 6 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Thermalito Union Elementary?
Thermalito Union Elementary has an equity score of 67/100, ranking #330 out of 1517 districts in California.