Enrollment
120
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Grass Valley, CA
Chicago Park Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Chicago Park Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 21/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 060834000811
👥 S:T ratio 20
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 33
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Chicago Park Elementary earns 21/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median.
- #6 of 12
- elementary schools in Grass Valley · Resource Index
- 21
- Resource Index · Lower
- 20:1
- students per teacher
- 52.9%
- free-lunch eligible
Chicago Park Elementary has class sizes near the California median. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Chicago Park Elementary ranks #6 of 12 elementary schools in Grass Valley, CA.
School address
District: Chicago Park Elementary · California
NCES ID 060834000811 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
6.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
20:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-7% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
52.9%
vs 55.5% California avg
-5% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Chicago Park Elementary compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Chicago Park Elementary
Small campus with unusually lean teacher staffing
Chicago Park Elementary sits near the smaller end of the California enrollment distribution while also reporting a lower student-teacher ratio than most state schools. That pairing is consistent with a compact, teacher-dense setting, though small scale can limit the number of specialized courses or support roles a campus can sustain. The program and staffing sections below show whether the lean ratio extends beyond classroom teachers into broader student services.
The composite reveals a resource-side weakness
Chicago Park Elementary's free-meal eligibility sits closer to the broad California middle than to an extreme, but its Resource Investment Index falls near the lower end of scored schools. That makes the composite itself the notable signal rather than student need. Inspecting the underlying factors matters here: a low score can result from thin counselor coverage, limited gifted access, attendance pressure, or heavier classroom staffing, and those are different operational problems.
Attendance is the dominant support signal
Chicago Park Elementary's 26.7% chronic-absence rate is more consequential than a generic staffing label: at least one quarter of students missed 10% or more of school days in the 2021-22 collection. That level can affect instruction, counseling demand, and continuity even when other reported resources look ordinary. The dataset records the scale of absence but not its causes, so it should prompt a current-year question rather than a conclusion about school management.
Chicago Park Elementary is a higher-need, small elementary school in Grass Valley, California, enrolling 120 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 20:1 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 52.9% lands close to the California typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 120 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 9,998 scored California schools.
Among 298 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need California schools statewide, it ranks #252, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (70%) and Hispanic or Latino (21%) (diversity index 46/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 800 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 26.7% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding Chicago Park Elementary spends $14,281 per pupil, 23% below the California average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Among Grass Valley's elementary schools, it stands alongside Grass Valley Charter (546 students): Chicago Park Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (20:1 vs 24.8:1).
Its district, Chicago Park Elementary, also runs Chicago Park Community Charter (43 students).
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 Chicago Park Elementary compares
Chicago Park 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 | 52.9% | ▼ 5% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 120 | top 88% | - | - |
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.
120
Bigger than 12% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
52.9%
free-lunch eligible
- 5% below the California average of 55.5%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; 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
26.7%
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
$14,281
per pupil, district-wide
- below California avg of $18,665
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.2 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 2 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.7 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Student demographics
White 70.0%
Hispanic or Latino 20.8%
Two or More 7.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.7%
Largest group: White at 70.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 46.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 46.1, Chicago Park Elementary is about as mixed as the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Chicago Park Elementary, which includes Chicago Park Elementary.
$14,281
Per student
-23%
vs California
Avg $18,665
-19%
vs U.S.
Avg $17,658
Revenue mix
Local 59.4%
State 38.7%
Federal 1.9%
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2022-23 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.
How Chicago Park Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago Park Community Charter | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Chicago Park Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 43
- Students per teacher
- 43:1
- Resource Index
- 25/100
Similar elementary schools in Grass Valley
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Grass Valley Charter
Standard public school
546 students 24.8:1 students per teacher
Union Hill Elementary
Standard public school
542 students 20.8:1 students per teacher
Cottage Hill Elementary
Standard public school
485 students 24.3:1 students per teacher
Lyman Gilmore Middle
Standard public school
464 students 17.2:1 students per teacher
Margaret G. Scotten Elementary
Standard public school
357 students 19.8:1 students per teacher
Alta Sierra Elementary
Standard public school
338 students 22.5:1 students per teacher
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 (~120 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~20:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Chicago Park Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Chicago Park Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Chicago Park Elementary'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 Chicago Park Elementary
How many students attend Chicago Park Elementary?
Chicago Park Elementary has 120 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Grass Valley, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Chicago Park Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Chicago Park 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 Chicago Park Elementary?
52.9% of students at Chicago Park Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Chicago Park Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Chicago Park Elementary is White at 70.0% of enrollment, in Grass Valley, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Chicago Park Elementary?
Chicago Park Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 21/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, gifted-program reporting, counselor availability, chronic absenteeism. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Chicago Park Elementary rank among elementary schools in Grass Valley?
By Resource Investment Index, Chicago Park Elementary ranks #6 of 12 elementary schools in Grass Valley, 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 Grass Valley on the city page.
What other schools are in Chicago Park Elementary?
Besides Chicago Park Elementary, Chicago Park Elementary also operates Chicago Park Community Charter (43 students). See the Chicago Park Elementary 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, the data changelog, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.