Enrollment
654
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Avenal, CA
Avenal Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Avenal Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 28/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 063227007334
👥 S:T ratio 13
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 42
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Avenal Elementary earns 28/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most California schools.
- #3 of 6
- public schools in Avenal · Resource Index
- 28
- Resource Index · Lower
- 21.8:1
- students per teacher
- 85.5%
- free-lunch eligible
Avenal Elementary has class sizes near the California median. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Avenal Elementary ranks #3 of 6 public schools in Avenal, CA.
School address
District: Reef-Sunset Unified · California
NCES ID 063227007334 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
30.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
21.8:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
+1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
85.5%
vs 55.5% California avg
+54% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Avenal Elementary compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Avenal Elementary
Avenal Elementary is a high-poverty, mid-sized elementary school in Avenal, California, enrolling 654 students.
At 21.8:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the California median, within a few percentage points of the 21.5:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Economic need is high: 85.5% of students qualify for free meals, 54% above the California average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
Enrollment of 654 puts it in the larger third of California schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 9,998 scored California schools.
Against 1,686 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #660.
Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (96% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 7/100).
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 23.4% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Its district draws 20.0% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Avenal's elementary schools, it stands alongside Tamarack Elementary (433 students): Avenal Elementary is larger than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (21.8:1 vs 21.6:1).
Reef-Sunset Unified also operates Avenal High (762 students) and Reef Sunset Middle (554 students) alongside Avenal 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 Avenal Elementary compares
Avenal 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 | 21.8:1 | ▲ 1% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 85.5% | ▲ 54% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 654 | top 27% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
21.8:1
Leaner classes than 11% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
654
Bigger than 77% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
85.5%
free-lunch eligible
- 54% 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
21.8:1
students per teacher
- 1% above state mean
Top 51% in California - lower ratio than 49% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
23.4%
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
$15,964
per pupil, district-wide
- below California avg of $16,509
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
3
in-school suspensions + 12 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.3 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 96.3%
Asian 2.1%
White 1.4%
Two or More 0.2%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 96.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 7.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 7.2, Avenal Elementary is less mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Reef-Sunset Unified, which includes Avenal Elementary.
$15,964
Per student
-3%
vs California
Avg $16,509
-4%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 9.3%
State 70.6%
Federal 20.0%
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 Avenal Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Avenal High | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Reef Sunset Middle | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Tamarack Elementary | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Kettleman City Elementary | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Sunrise High (Continuation) | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Avenal Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 762
- Students per teacher
- 26.3:1
- Resource Index
- 23/100
- Enrollment
- 554
- Students per teacher
- 21.3:1
- Resource Index
- 11/100
- Enrollment
- 433
- Students per teacher
- 21.6:1
- Resource Index
- 15/100
- Enrollment
- 239
- Students per teacher
- 19.9:1
- Resource Index
- 19/100
- Enrollment
- 14
- Students per teacher
- 14:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
Similar elementary schools in Avenal
1 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
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 (~654 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~21.8:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Avenal Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Avenal Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Reef-Sunset 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 Avenal Elementary
How many students attend Avenal Elementary?
Avenal Elementary has 654 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Avenal, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Avenal Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Avenal Elementary is 21.8:1, which is 1% higher than the California average of 21.5:1 and 39% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Avenal Elementary?
85.5% of students at Avenal Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Avenal Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Avenal Elementary is Hispanic or Latino at 96.3% of enrollment, in Avenal, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Avenal Elementary?
Avenal Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 28/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Avenal Elementary rank among public schools in Avenal?
By Resource Investment Index, Avenal Elementary ranks #3 of 6 public schools in Avenal, CA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Avenal on the city page.
Is Avenal Elementary a good school?
Avenal Elementary earns 28/100 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 Reef-Sunset Unified?
Besides Avenal Elementary, Reef-Sunset Unified also operates Avenal High (762 students), Reef Sunset Middle (554 students), and Tamarack Elementary (433 students). See the Reef-Sunset 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.