Elementary school (grades K-5) · Davis, CA

Cesar Chavez Elementary

Federal NCES profile for Cesar Chavez Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 39/100.

2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 061062001183
0/100100/10039/100
👥 S:T ratio
3
🌟 Gifted program
70
🎓 Counselors
0
📋 Attendance
81
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

Cesar Chavez Elementary earns 39/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 74% of California schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most California schools.

#1 of 9
elementary schools in Davis · Resource Index
39
Resource Index · Typical
24.3:1
large classes for California
8.6%
free-lunch eligible

Cesar Chavez Elementary has class sizes larger than 74% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, Cesar Chavez Elementary ranks #1 of 9 elementary schools in Davis, CA.

School address

Enrollment

510

California · 2024-25 NCES data

Teachers (FTE)

21.0

Federal CCD staff survey

Students per teacher

24.3:1

vs 21.5:1 California avg

+13% vs state

Free-lunch eligible

8.6%

vs 55.5% California avg

-85% vs state

Student-teacher ratio in context

How Cesar Chavez Elementary compares with California and U.S. medians

Slightly above state median

Source: NCES Common Core of Data As of 2024-25 federal staff survey Total enrollment ÷ full-time-equivalent classroom teachers

What stands out at Cesar Chavez Elementary

Cesar Chavez Elementary is a lower-poverty, mid-sized elementary school in Davis, California, enrolling 510 students.

Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 24.3:1 puts it in the larger third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.

Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 8.6% free-meal eligibility runs 85% below the California average.

With 510 students, its enrollment sits close to the California median campus size.

Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 9,998 scored California schools.

Against 807 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #299.

Its student body is led by White (41%) and Hispanic or Latino (36%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 67/100).

Counselor access is stretched at roughly 510 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.

Attendance holds up well here: only 7.5% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.

Among Davis's elementary schools, it stands alongside Pioneer Elementary (572 students): Cesar Chavez Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (24.3:1 vs 24.9:1).

Davis Joint Unified also operates Davis Senior High (1,755 students) and Oliver Wendell Holmes Junior High (588 students) alongside Cesar Chavez 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 Cesar Chavez Elementary compares

Cesar Chavez 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 24.3:1 ▲ 13% 21.5:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 8.6% ▼ 85% 55.5% 51.7%
Enrollment 510 top 44% - -

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25

24.3:1
Leaner classes than 6% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
510
Bigger than 63% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.

Equity indicators (what these measure)

Economic need
8.6%
free-lunch eligible - 85% below the California average of 55.5%
Below the 40% Title I threshold, among the lower-need profiles in the state; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
24.3:1
students per teacher - 13% above state mean
Top 74% in California - lower ratio than 26% of state schools
Well above 20:1, one of the more stretched staffing loads nationally relative to enrollment.
Engagement
7.5%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 5-10% range, close to the pre-pandemic national baseline.
Funding equity
$15,208
per pupil, district-wide - below California avg of $16,509
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 510 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
4
in-school suspensions + 3 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.4 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

White 41.1%
Hispanic or Latino 36.4%
Two or More 13.8%
Asian 7.7%
African American 0.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%

Largest group: White at 41.1% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 67.4/100

Simpson diversity index - at 67.4, Cesar Chavez Elementary is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.

Programs

Gifted & talented Yes

Funding & spending

District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Davis Joint Unified, which includes Cesar Chavez Elementary.

$15,208
Per student
-8%
vs California
Avg $16,509
-8%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 52.6%
State 40.4%
Federal 7.0%

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 Cesar Chavez Elementary Compares to District-Mates

School Enrollment Economic Profile Student-Teacher Ratio
Davis Senior High Larger Similar economic need Lower S:T ratio
Oliver Wendell Holmes Junior High Similar size Similar economic need Lower S:T ratio
Pioneer Elementary Similar size Similar economic need Similar S:T ratio
Birch Lane Elementary Similar size Similar economic need Similar S:T ratio
Da Vinci Charter Academy Similar size Similar economic need Lower S:T ratio

Comparisons are relative to Cesar Chavez Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.

Other Schools in This District

Davis Joint Unified · 5 sibling schools

View district profile

Similar elementary schools in Davis

6 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.

Next steps

Verify locally before acting on Cesar Chavez Elementary's federal record.

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 Cesar Chavez Elementary

How many students attend Cesar Chavez Elementary?

Cesar Chavez Elementary has 510 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Davis, CA.

What is the student-teacher ratio at Cesar Chavez Elementary?

The student-teacher ratio at Cesar Chavez Elementary is 24.3:1, which is 13% higher than the California average of 21.5:1 and 55% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.

What percentage of students receive free lunch at Cesar Chavez Elementary?

8.6% of students at Cesar Chavez Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Cesar Chavez Elementary?

The largest demographic group at Cesar Chavez Elementary is White at 41.1% of enrollment, in Davis, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 67.4/100.

What is the Resource Investment Index for Cesar Chavez Elementary?

Cesar Chavez Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 39/100 (typical 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 Cesar Chavez Elementary rank among elementary schools in Davis?

By Resource Investment Index, Cesar Chavez Elementary ranks #1 of 9 elementary schools in Davis, 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 Davis on the city page.

Is Cesar Chavez Elementary a good school?

Cesar Chavez Elementary earns 39/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 74% of California schools. It is also more 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 Davis Joint Unified?

Besides Cesar Chavez Elementary, Davis Joint Unified also operates Davis Senior High (1,755 students), Oliver Wendell Holmes Junior High (588 students), and Pioneer Elementary (572 students). See the Davis Joint Unified district page for the complete list.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) CCD + Public School Universe (2024-25), CRDC (2021-22), F-33 District Finance Survey (FY 2021-22) · 2024-25 Data as of the 2024-25 school year. Coverage from U.S. Department of Education NCES Common Core of Data. Varies by entity type; administrative districts and certain charter networks may report only a subset of fields.

All federal data sources used on this page

Full source list and how we compute each figure: methodology page.

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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.