Enrollment
858
California · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 063153004885
Chaparral Elementary — Poway, CA
Federal NCES profile for Chaparral Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 25/100.
👥 Class size 8
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 61
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: Poway 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)
36.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
23.1:1
vs 21.6:1 California avg
+7% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
9.1%
vs 55.5% California avg
-84% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Chaparral 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
Chaparral Elementary reports 858 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 36.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 23.1:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 7% 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 45% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 9.1% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 84% below the California average and 82% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 858 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 15.5% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Poway Unified spends $15,877 per pupil district-wide, below the California average of $18,039 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 54.2% from local sources (property taxes), 39.4% from the state, and 6.4% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 25/100 (F), calculated from 4 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 Chaparral 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 | 23.1:1 | ▲ 7% | 21.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 9.1% | ▼ 84% | 55.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 858 | top 85% | — | — |
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
9.1%
free-lunch eligible
— 84% below the California average of 55.5%
Below the 40% Title I threshold — federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
23.1:1
students per teacher
— 7% above state mean
Top 62% in California — lower ratio than 38% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Engagement
15.5%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Between 10–20% — above the pre-pandemic baseline of ~15% nationally but within the current U.S. range.
Funding equity
$15,877
per pupil, district-wide
— below California avg of $18,039
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 858 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
3
in-school suspensions + 3 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.7 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 858 Top 85% in California — larger than 15% of 10,006 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 36.0
Students per teacher 23.1:1 +7% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 9.1% -84% vs state
NCES ID 063153004885
Student demographics
White 49.2%
Asian 23.4%
Hispanic or Latino 13.5%
Two or More 12.8%
African American 0.9%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: White at 49.2% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 858:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 15.5%
In-school suspensions 3
Out-of-school suspensions 3
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Poway Unified, which includes Chaparral Elementary.
$15,877
Per student
-12%
vs California
Avg $18,039
-19%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 54.2%
State 39.4%
Federal 6.4%
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
- 2,557
- Students per teacher
- 26.6:1
- Enrollment
- 2,210
- Students per teacher
- 26:1
- Enrollment
- 2,116
- Students per teacher
- 25.1:1
- Enrollment
- 2,101
- Students per teacher
- 24.5:1
- Enrollment
- 1,800
- Students per teacher
- 23.3:1
Similar elementary schools in Poway
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Valley Elementary
Standard public school
663 students 24.8:1 students per teacher
Painted Rock Elementary
Standard public school
613 students 22.8:1 students per teacher
Midland Elementary
Standard public school
580 students 24.5:1 students per teacher
Garden Road Elementary
Standard public school
508 students 19.5:1 students per teacher
Tierra Bonita Elementary
Standard public school
377 students 23.8:1 students per teacher
Pomerado Elementary
Standard public school
305 students 24.3:1 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 Chaparral Elementary
How many students attend Chaparral Elementary?
Chaparral Elementary has 858 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in Poway, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Chaparral Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Chaparral Elementary is 23.1:1, which is 7% higher than the California average of 21.6:1 and 45% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Chaparral Elementary?
9.1% of students at Chaparral Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Chaparral Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Chaparral Elementary is White at 49.2%. The school serves a diverse student body in Poway, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Chaparral Elementary?
Chaparral Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 25/100 (F) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.