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

Chaparral Prep Academy

Federal NCES profile for Chaparral Prep Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 23/100.

2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 062958009173
0/100100/10023/100
👥 S:T ratio
0
🌟 Gifted program
70
📋 Attendance
0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

Chaparral Prep Academy earns 23/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 93% of California schools.

#24 of 31
elementary schools in Palmdale · Resource Index
23
Resource Index · Lower
28.3:1
large classes for California
81.9%
free-lunch eligible

Chaparral Prep Academy has class sizes larger than 93% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, Chaparral Prep Academy ranks #24 of 31 elementary schools in Palmdale, CA.

School address

Enrollment

594

California · 2024-25 NCES data

Teachers (FTE)

21.0

Federal CCD staff survey

Students per teacher

28.3:1

vs 21.5:1 California avg

+32% vs state

Free-lunch eligible

81.9%

vs 55.5% California avg

+48% vs state

Student-teacher ratio in context

How Chaparral Prep Academy compares with California and U.S. medians

Larger classes than 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 Chaparral Prep Academy

Chaparral Prep Academy is a high-poverty, mid-sized elementary school in Palmdale, California, enrolling 594 students.

Class loads run heavy: 28.3:1 is larger than about 93% of California schools and 32% above the 21.5:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.

Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 81.9% of students eligible for free meals.

Enrollment of 594 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 1,993 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #1,121.

Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (82% of enrollment) (diversity index 32/100).

Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 40.9% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).

Its district draws 18.4% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.

Among Palmdale's elementary schools, it stands alongside Los Amigos - Dual Immersion (1,027 students): Chaparral Prep Academy is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (28.3:1 vs 28.5:1).

Palmdale Elementary also operates Los Amigos - Dual Immersion (1,027 students) and Palmdale Academy Charter (989 students) alongside Chaparral Prep Academy.

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 Chaparral Prep Academy compares

Chaparral Prep Academy on the metrics families compare, against California and U.S. means.

Metric This school vs California California avg U.S. avg
Students per teacher 28.3:1 ▲ 32% 21.5:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 81.9% ▲ 48% 55.5% 51.7%
Enrollment 594 top 33% - -

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

28.3:1
Leaner classes than 2% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
594
Bigger than 72% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.

Equity indicators (what these measure)

Economic need
81.9%
free-lunch eligible - 48% 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
28.3:1
students per teacher - 32% above state mean
Top 93% in California - lower ratio than 7% of state schools
Well above 20:1, one of the more stretched staffing loads nationally relative to enrollment.
Engagement
40.9%
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
$16,847
per pupil, district-wide - above 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
0
in-school suspensions + 9 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

  • 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 81.6%
African American 11.3%
White 3.9%
Two or More 1.2%
Asian 1.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.0%

Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 81.6% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 32.0/100

Simpson diversity index - at 32.0, Chaparral Prep Academy is less mixed than the California school average of 46.0.

Programs

Gifted & talented Yes

Funding & spending

District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Palmdale Elementary, which includes Chaparral Prep Academy.

$16,847
Per student
+2%
vs California
Avg $16,509
+2%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 11.4%
State 70.2%
Federal 18.4%

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.

How Chaparral Prep Academy Compares to District-Mates

School Enrollment Economic Profile Student-Teacher Ratio
Los Amigos - Dual Immersion Larger Lower economic need Similar S:T ratio
Palmdale Academy Charter Larger Similar economic need Higher S:T ratio
David G. Millen Law and Government Magnet Academy Larger Similar economic need Lower S:T ratio
Desert Willow Fine Arts Sci and Tech Magnet Acad Larger Similar economic need Lower S:T ratio
Dos Caminos Dual Immersion Larger Lower economic need Similar S:T ratio

Comparisons are relative to Chaparral Prep Academy's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.

Other Schools in This District

Palmdale Elementary · 5 sibling schools

View district profile

Similar elementary schools in Palmdale

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 Chaparral Prep Academy'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 Chaparral Prep Academy

How many students attend Chaparral Prep Academy?

Chaparral Prep Academy has 594 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Palmdale, CA.

What is the student-teacher ratio at Chaparral Prep Academy?

The student-teacher ratio at Chaparral Prep Academy is 28.3:1, which is 32% higher than the California average of 21.5:1 and 80% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.

What percentage of students receive free lunch at Chaparral Prep Academy?

81.9% of students at Chaparral Prep Academy are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Chaparral Prep Academy?

The largest demographic group at Chaparral Prep Academy is Hispanic or Latino at 81.6% of enrollment, in Palmdale, CA.

What is the Resource Investment Index for Chaparral Prep Academy?

Chaparral Prep Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 23/100 (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 Chaparral Prep Academy rank among elementary schools in Palmdale?

By Resource Investment Index, Chaparral Prep Academy ranks #24 of 31 elementary schools in Palmdale, 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 Palmdale on the city page.

Is Chaparral Prep Academy a good school?

Chaparral Prep Academy earns 23/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 93% of 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 Palmdale Elementary?

Besides Chaparral Prep Academy, Palmdale Elementary also operates Los Amigos - Dual Immersion (1,027 students), Palmdale Academy Charter (989 students), and David G. Millen Law and Government Magnet Academy (952 students). See the Palmdale Elementary 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.

View saved

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.