Vallecito Union

Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. District totals are aggregated directly from the schools reporting under this district in the source records. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.

Avery, California - 4 schools

An equity score of 48/100 ranks Vallecito Union #823 of 1517 districts in California (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.

At $16,676 per pupil, Vallecito Union ranks #593 of 1862 California districts by per-pupil spending (California districts). NCES F-33 finance data.

590
Total Enrollment
4
Schools
$16,676
Per-Pupil Spending
Elementary, Middle
School Types

District-Level NCES Analysis

Vallecito Union operates 4 public schools serving 590 students, placing it among the smallest districts in California. The school portfolio breaks down into 3 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 Calaveras County.

Per-pupil expenditure runs $16,676 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 73.5% local, 13.5% state, and 13.0% 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 48/100, ranked #823 of 1517 in California against a state average of 50, in line with the typical spread seen across the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.

a 249.5:1 student-counselor ratio, that meets the ASCA-recommended benchmark, and 43.9% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 72.2% White, 18.5% Hispanic or Latino, 1.2% Asian across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Avery Middle, with a diversity index of 48.3/100.

Its largest campus is Albert a. Michelson Elementary, enrolling 226 students (38% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Vallecito Independent Study (Alternative), at 3 students, a 75x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.

Albert a. Michelson Elementary accounts for 37.7% of all Vallecito Union student enrollment

That dominant concentration means Vallecito Union-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.

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

Vallecito Union school enrollment varies 75× across entities

Vallecito Union school enrollment ranges from 3 students (lowest) to 226 students (highest), a spread of 223 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.

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

Vallecito Union student-counselor ratio is 250:1 — low (typically associated with meeting or exceeding the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) recommended 250:1 benchmark, which correlates with stronger college and career counseling capacity)

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 Lower values often correlate with smaller scale and population characteristics rather than higher resource budgets per se.

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

Vallecito Union chronic absenteeism rate is 43.9% — well above typical (typically associated with unusually large scale or acute resource constraints)

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 Values this far above typical often signal acute resource constraints or a structurally different scale than most peers — worth reading alongside the underlying counts, not the ratio alone.

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

Where does the funding come from?

13.0%
Federal
13.5%
State
73.5%
Local

Funding Equity

48
Equity Score
823 / 1517
State Rank
50
State Average

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

Student Demographics

Average demographic composition across 4 schools in Vallecito Union.

White 72.2%
Hispanic or Latino 18.5%
Asian 1.2%
Multiracial 6.0%
Other 2.1%

Source: NCES CCD School Membership 2024-25.

Student-body diversity

Average diversity index 43.6/100

Average Simpson diversity index across Vallecito Union's schools, below the California average of 46.0.

Most mixed schools

  1. 1 Avery Middle 48.3
  2. 2 Albert a. Michelson Elementary 44.8
  3. 3 Hazel Fischer Elementary 37.7

Programs & Resources

249.5:1
Student-Counselor Ratio
43.9%
Chronically Absent

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

Schools in Vallecito Union

School Enrollment
Albert a. Michelson Elementary
226
Avery Middle
199
Hazel Fischer Elementary
172
Vallecito Independent Study (Alternative)
3

How Vallecito Union Compares to Similar-Size Districts

The California districts closest to this one in total enrollment.

District Enrollment Spending Funding Mix
Thomas Edison Charter Academy District Similar size Lower spending Less locally funded
Pollock Pines Elementary Similar size Lower spending Less locally funded
Aspire Richmond Ca. College Preparatory Academy District Similar size Lower spending Less locally funded
San Pasqual Valley Unified Similar size Higher spending Less locally funded
Rocketship Rising Stars District Similar size Similar spending Less locally funded

Comparisons are relative to Vallecito Union'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.

Los Angeles Unified
427,795 students · 785 schools · $21,940/pupil
Compare vs Vallecito Union →
San Diego Unified
93,893 students · 175 schools · $18,665/pupil
Compare vs Vallecito Union →
Fresno Unified
69,668 students · 101 schools · $18,783/pupil
Compare vs Vallecito Union →
Long Beach Unified
65,554 students · 84 schools · $16,028/pupil
Compare vs Vallecito Union →
Elk Grove Unified
62,061 students · 67 schools · $14,134/pupil
Compare vs Vallecito Union →

Compare Vallecito Union

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

Compare vs Los Angeles Unified →

Frequently Asked Questions

How many schools are in Vallecito Union?

Vallecito Union has 4 schools, including 3 elementary, 1 middle. Total enrollment is 590 students.

How much does Vallecito Union spend per student?

Vallecito Union spends $16,676 per student. The district has an equity score of 48/100, ranking #823 in California.

What is the demographic composition of Vallecito Union?

Vallecito Union students are 72.2% White, 18.5% Hispanic or Latino, 1.2% Asian, averaged across 4 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.

What is the equity score for Vallecito Union?

Vallecito Union has an equity score of 48/100, ranking #823 out of 1517 districts in California.