Enrollment
645
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Cathedral City, CA
Agua Caliente Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Agua Caliente Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 24/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 062955004559
👥 S:T ratio 8
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 20
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Agua Caliente Elementary earns 24/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most California schools.
- #5 of 5
- elementary schools in Cathedral City · Resource Index
- 24
- Resource Index · Lower
- 23:1
- students per teacher
- 95.5%
- free-lunch eligible
Agua Caliente Elementary has class sizes near the California median. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Agua Caliente Elementary ranks #5 of 5 elementary schools in Cathedral City, CA.
School address
District: Palm Springs Unified · California
NCES ID 062955004559 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
28.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
23:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
+7% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
95.5%
vs 55.5% California avg
+72% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Agua Caliente Elementary compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Agua Caliente Elementary
Agua Caliente Elementary is a high-poverty, mid-sized elementary school in Cathedral City, California, enrolling 645 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 23:1 puts it in the larger third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need is high: 95.5% of students qualify for free meals, 72% above the California average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
Enrollment of 645 puts it in the larger third of California schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 9,998 scored California schools.
Against 927 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #554.
Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (94% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 12/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 645 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 32.1% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Among Cathedral City's elementary schools, it stands alongside Sunny Sands Elementary (692 students): Agua Caliente Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (23:1 vs 22.3:1).
Palm Springs Unified also operates Desert Hot Springs High (1,687 students) and Palm Springs High (1,497 students) alongside Agua Caliente Elementary.
Sourced from NCES CCD, CRDC, and F-33 (federal records, not a quality verdict). How we source and compute this.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Agua Caliente Elementary compares
Agua Caliente Elementary on the metrics families compare, against California and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs California | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 23:1 | ▲ 7% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 95.5% | ▲ 72% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 645 | top 28% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
23:1
Leaner classes than 8% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
645
Bigger than 76% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
95.5%
free-lunch eligible
- 72% above the California average of 55.5%
Well above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold, among the highest-need profiles in the state; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
23:1
students per teacher
- 7% above state mean
Top 62% in California - lower ratio than 38% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
32.1%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$17,520
per pupil, district-wide
- above California avg of $16,509
Somewhat above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 645 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 10 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.6 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
- Common Core of Data (June 2026): enrollment, staffing, and the student-teacher ratio above.
- Civil Rights Data Collection: discipline counts and program access (AP, gifted, special education).
- F-33 School District Finance Survey: the district-wide per-pupil spending figures below.
Three separate federal collections, each on its own reporting cadence - which is why this school's numbers line up on a consistent basis against every other school and state on this site, rather than mixing figures pulled from different survey years.
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 93.8%
White 2.2%
African American 1.6%
Asian 1.1%
Two or More 1.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 93.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 11.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 11.9, Agua Caliente Elementary is less mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Palm Springs Unified, which includes Agua Caliente Elementary.
$17,520
Per student
+6%
vs California
Avg $16,509
+6%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 36.1%
State 54.5%
Federal 9.5%
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2021-22 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.
How Agua Caliente Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Desert Hot Springs High | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Palm Springs High | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Rancho Mirage High | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Cathedral City High | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| James Workman Middle | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Agua Caliente Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,687
- Students per teacher
- 18.7:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 1,497
- Students per teacher
- 21.7:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 1,401
- Students per teacher
- 20.6:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 1,334
- Students per teacher
- 19.3:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 1,020
- Students per teacher
- 22.7:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
Similar elementary schools in Cathedral City
4 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Sunny Sands Elementary
Standard public school
692 students 22.3:1 students per teacher
Rio Vista Elementary
Standard public school
637 students 19.3:1 students per teacher
Cathedral City Elementary
Standard public school
606 students 19.5:1 students per teacher
Landau Elementary
Standard public school
579 students 19.3:1 students per teacher
Similar elementary schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of California, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~645 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Agua Caliente Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Agua Caliente Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Palm Springs Unified's spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
Federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) - PlainSchools assigns no subjective rating; the composite quality score is a transparent, reproducible index computed from this cited federal data.
Frequently asked questions about Agua Caliente Elementary
How many students attend Agua Caliente Elementary?
Agua Caliente Elementary has 645 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Cathedral City, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Agua Caliente Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Agua Caliente Elementary is 23:1, which is 7% higher than the California average of 21.5:1 and 46% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Agua Caliente Elementary?
95.5% of students at Agua Caliente Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Agua Caliente Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Agua Caliente Elementary is Hispanic or Latino at 93.8% of enrollment, in Cathedral City, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Agua Caliente Elementary?
Agua Caliente Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 24/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Agua Caliente Elementary rank among elementary schools in Cathedral City?
By Resource Investment Index, Agua Caliente Elementary ranks #5 of 5 elementary schools in Cathedral City, CA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all elementary schools in Cathedral City on the city page.
Is Agua Caliente Elementary a good school?
Agua Caliente Elementary earns 24/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most California schools. This is a resource snapshot, not an academic rating; see the Resource Investment Index question above for what the number does and doesn't measure.
What other schools are in Palm Springs Unified?
Besides Agua Caliente Elementary, Palm Springs Unified also operates Desert Hot Springs High (1,687 students), Palm Springs High (1,497 students), and Rancho Mirage High (1,401 students). See the Palm Springs Unified district page for the complete list.
Related tools
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. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.