Enrollment
216
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Chowchilla, CA
Dairyland Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Dairyland Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 48/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 060236000126
👥 S:T ratio 14
🌟 Gifted program 70
📋 Attendance 62
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Dairyland Elementary earns 48/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median.
- #1 of 6
- elementary schools in Chowchilla · Resource Index
- 48
- Resource Index · Typical
- 21.6:1
- students per teacher
- 64.3%
- free-lunch eligible
Dairyland Elementary has class sizes near the California median. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Dairyland Elementary ranks #1 of 6 elementary schools in Chowchilla, CA.
School address
District: Alview-Dairyland Union Elementary · California
NCES ID 060236000126 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
10.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
21.6:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
+0% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
64.3%
vs 55.5% California avg
+16% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Dairyland Elementary compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Dairyland Elementary
Dairyland Elementary is a higher-need, mid-sized elementary school in Chowchilla, California, enrolling 216 students.
At 21.6:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the California median, within a few percentage points of the 21.5:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 64.3% lands close to the California typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 216 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 91% of the 9,998 California schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Against 624 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #70.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (65%) and White (33%) (diversity index 46/100).
15.3% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Among Chowchilla's elementary schools, it stands alongside Merle L. Fuller Elementary (508 students): Dairyland Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (21.6:1 vs 20.3:1).
Its district, Alview-Dairyland Union Elementary, also runs Alview Elementary (183 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 Dairyland Elementary compares
Dairyland 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 | 21.6:1 | ▲ 0% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 64.3% | ▲ 16% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 216 | top 82% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
21.6:1
Leaner classes than 11% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
216
Bigger than 21% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
64.3%
free-lunch eligible
- 16% 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
21.6:1
students per teacher
- 0% above state mean
Top 49% in California - lower ratio than 51% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
15.3%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$13,801
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
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 3 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 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
Hispanic or Latino 65.3%
White 33.3%
Asian 0.9%
African American 0.5%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 65.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 46.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 46.3, Dairyland Elementary is about as mixed as the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Alview-Dairyland Union Elementary, which includes Dairyland Elementary.
$13,801
Per student
-16%
vs California
Avg $16,509
-17%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 29.3%
State 60.6%
Federal 10.2%
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 Dairyland Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alview Elementary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Dairyland Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 183
- Students per teacher
- 26.1:1
- Resource Index
- 26/100
Similar elementary schools in Chowchilla
5 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Merle L. Fuller Elementary
Standard public school
508 students 20.3:1 students per teacher
Ronald Reagan Elementary
Standard public school
490 students 25.8:1 students per teacher
Fairmead Elementary
Standard public school
458 students 25.4:1 students per teacher
Stephens Elementary
Standard public school
217 students 21.7:1 students per teacher
Alview Elementary
Standard public school
183 students 26.1:1 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 (~216 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~21.6:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Dairyland Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Dairyland Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Alview-Dairyland Union 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 Dairyland Elementary
How many students attend Dairyland Elementary?
Dairyland Elementary has 216 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Chowchilla, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Dairyland Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Dairyland Elementary is 21.6:1, which is 0% higher than the California average of 21.5:1 and 38% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Dairyland Elementary?
64.3% of students at Dairyland Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Dairyland Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Dairyland Elementary is Hispanic or Latino at 65.3% of enrollment, in Chowchilla, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Dairyland Elementary?
Dairyland Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 48/100 (typical 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 Dairyland Elementary rank among elementary schools in Chowchilla?
By Resource Investment Index, Dairyland Elementary ranks #1 of 6 elementary schools in Chowchilla, 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 Chowchilla on the city page.
Is Dairyland Elementary a good school?
Dairyland Elementary earns 48/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median. 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 Alview-Dairyland Union Elementary?
Besides Dairyland Elementary, Alview-Dairyland Union Elementary also operates Alview Elementary (183 students). See the Alview-Dairyland Union 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, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.