Enrollment
779
California · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 062955004565
Bella Vista Elementary — Desert Hot Springs, CA
Federal NCES profile for Bella Vista Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 15/100.
👥 Class size 14
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 0
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
District: Palm Springs Unified · California
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
35.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
21.6:1
vs 21.6:1 California avg
+0% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
92.2%
vs 55.5% California avg
+66% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Bella Vista Elementary compares with California and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
Bella Vista Elementary reports 779 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 35.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 21.6:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 0% above the California state mean of 21.6:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 36% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 92.2% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 66% above the California average and 78% above the national baseline. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 44.3% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Palm Springs Unified spends $19,325 per pupil district-wide, above the California average of $18,039 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 36.1% from local sources (property taxes), 54.5% from the state, and 9.5% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 15/100 (F), calculated from 3 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Bella Vista Elementary compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against California state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs California | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 21.6:1 | ▼ 0% | 21.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 92.2% | ▲ 66% | 55.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 779 | top 82% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Economic need
92.2%
free-lunch eligible
— 66% above the California average of 55.5%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
21.6:1
students per teacher
— 0% above state mean
Top 45% in California — lower ratio than 55% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Engagement
44.3%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$19,325
per pupil, district-wide
— above California avg of $18,039
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 12 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.5 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 779 Top 82% in California — larger than 18% of 10,006 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 35.0
Students per teacher 21.6:1 +0% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 92.2% +66% vs state
NCES ID 062955004565
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 73.4%
White 14.0%
African American 5.9%
Two or More 5.3%
Asian 1.0%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 73.4% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 44.3%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 12
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Palm Springs Unified, which includes Bella Vista Elementary.
$19,325
Per student
+7%
vs California
Avg $18,039
-1%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,687
- Students per teacher
- 19.4:1
- Enrollment
- 1,497
- Students per teacher
- 23:1
- Enrollment
- 1,401
- Students per teacher
- 21.9:1
- Enrollment
- 1,334
- Students per teacher
- 20.2:1
- Enrollment
- 1,020
- Students per teacher
- 22.8:1
Similar elementary schools in Desert Hot Springs
4 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Two Bunch Palms Elementary
Standard public school
717 students 22.2:1 students per teacher
Cabot Yerxa Elementary
Standard public school
664 students 20.8:1 students per teacher
Bubbling Wells Elementary
Standard public school
581 students 20.8:1 students per teacher
Julius Corsini Elementary
Standard public school
397 students 20.5:1 students per teacher
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about Bella Vista Elementary
How many students attend Bella Vista Elementary?
Bella Vista Elementary has 779 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in Desert Hot Springs, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Bella Vista Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Bella Vista Elementary is 21.6:1, which is 0% higher than the California average of 21.6:1 and 36% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Bella Vista Elementary?
92.2% of students at Bella Vista Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Bella Vista Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Bella Vista Elementary is Hispanic or Latino at 73.4%. The school serves a diverse student body in Desert Hot Springs, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Bella Vista Elementary?
Bella Vista Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 15/100 (F) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.