Enrollment
40
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Havasu Lake, CA
Chemehuevi Valley Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Chemehuevi Valley Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 17/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 062676013880
👥 S:T ratio 20
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Chemehuevi Valley Elementary earns 17/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median. It is also one of the smallest schools in California.
- 17
- Resource Index · Lower
- 20:1
- students per teacher
- 85.0%
- free-lunch eligible
- 40
- students enrolled
Chemehuevi Valley Elementary has class sizes near the California median. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Needles Unified · California
NCES ID 062676013880 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
2.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
20:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-7% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
85.0%
vs 55.5% California avg
+53% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Chemehuevi Valley Elementary compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Chemehuevi Valley Elementary
Chemehuevi Valley Elementary is a high-poverty, small elementary school in Havasu Lake, California, enrolling 40 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 20:1 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need is high: 85.0% of students qualify for free meals, 53% above the California average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
This is a small campus: fewer students than 95% of California schools, with 40 enrolled.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 9,998 scored California schools.
Among 118 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need California schools statewide, it ranks #108, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by American Indian / Alaska Native (53%) and Hispanic or Latino (40%) (diversity index 56/100).
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 40.0% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding Needles Unified spends $20,418 per pupil, 24% above the California average, a better-resourced district than most.
Its district draws 22.6% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Needles Unified also operates Vista Colorado Elementary (319 students) and Needles High (269 students) alongside Chemehuevi Valley 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 Chemehuevi Valley Elementary compares
Chemehuevi Valley 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 | 20:1 | ▼ 7% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 85.0% | ▲ 53% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 40 | top 95% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
20:1
Leaner classes than 16% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
40
Bigger than 5% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
85.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 53% 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
20:1
students per teacher
- 7% below state mean
Top 35% in California - lower ratio than 65% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
40.0%
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
$20,418
per pupil, district-wide
- above California avg of $16,509
Well above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting substantially higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 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
American Indian / Alaska Native 52.5%
Hispanic or Latino 40.0%
African American 5.0%
Two or More 2.5%
Largest group: American Indian / Alaska Native at 52.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 56.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 56.1, Chemehuevi Valley Elementary is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Needles Unified, which includes Chemehuevi Valley Elementary.
$20,418
Per student
+24%
vs California
Avg $16,509
+23%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 22.9%
State 54.6%
Federal 22.6%
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 Chemehuevi Valley Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vista Colorado Elementary | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Needles High | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Needles Middle | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Monument Peak | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Needles Community Day | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Chemehuevi Valley Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 319
- Students per teacher
- 21.3:1
- Resource Index
- 15/100
- Enrollment
- 269
- Students per teacher
- 19.2:1
- Resource Index
- 25/100
- Enrollment
- 196
- Students per teacher
- 17.8:1
- Resource Index
- 25/100
- Enrollment
- 70
- Students per teacher
- 17.5:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
- Enrollment
- 18
- Students per teacher
- 18:1
- Resource Index
- 29/100
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 (~40 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~20:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Chemehuevi Valley Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Chemehuevi Valley Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Needles 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 Chemehuevi Valley Elementary
How many students attend Chemehuevi Valley Elementary?
Chemehuevi Valley Elementary has 40 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Havasu Lake, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Chemehuevi Valley Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Chemehuevi Valley Elementary is 20:1, which is 7% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 27% higher than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Chemehuevi Valley Elementary?
85.0% of students at Chemehuevi Valley Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Chemehuevi Valley Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Chemehuevi Valley Elementary is American Indian / Alaska Native at 52.5% of enrollment, in Havasu Lake, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 56.1/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Chemehuevi Valley Elementary?
Chemehuevi Valley Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 17/100 (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).
Is Chemehuevi Valley Elementary a good school?
Chemehuevi Valley Elementary earns 17/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median. It is also one of the smallest schools in California. 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 Needles Unified?
Besides Chemehuevi Valley Elementary, Needles Unified also operates Vista Colorado Elementary (319 students), Needles High (269 students), and Needles Middle (196 students). See the Needles 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.