Enrollment
552
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Thousand Palms, CA
Della S. Lindley Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Della S. Lindley Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 25/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 062955008932
👥 S:T ratio 21
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 11
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Della S. Lindley Elementary earns 25/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most California schools.
- 25
- Resource Index · Lower
- 19.7:1
- students per teacher
- 93.8%
- free-lunch eligible
- 552
- students enrolled
Della S. Lindley Elementary has class sizes near the California median. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Palm Springs Unified · California
NCES ID 062955008932 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
28.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
19.7:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-8% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
93.8%
vs 55.5% California avg
+69% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Della S. Lindley Elementary compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Della S. Lindley Elementary
Della S. Lindley Elementary is a high-poverty, mid-sized elementary school in Thousand Palms, California, enrolling 552 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 19.7:1 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need is high: 93.8% of students qualify for free meals, 69% above the California average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
With 552 students, its enrollment sits close to the California median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 9,998 scored California schools.
Against 1,129 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #639.
Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (89% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 20/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 552 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 35.7% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Palm Springs Unified also operates Desert Hot Springs High (1,687 students) and Palm Springs High (1,497 students) alongside Della S. Lindley 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 Della S. Lindley Elementary compares
Della S. Lindley 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 | 19.7:1 | ▼ 8% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 93.8% | ▲ 69% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 552 | top 38% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
19.7:1
Leaner classes than 17% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
552
Bigger than 68% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
93.8%
free-lunch eligible
- 69% 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
19.7:1
students per teacher
- 8% below state mean
Top 33% in California - lower ratio than 67% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
35.7%
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
$17,520
per pupil, district-wide
- above California avg of $16,509
Somewhat above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 552 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 6 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.1 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 89.3%
White 6.3%
African American 1.4%
Asian 1.4%
Two or More 1.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 89.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 19.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 19.8, Della S. Lindley Elementary is less mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Palm Springs Unified, which includes Della S. Lindley Elementary.
$17,520
Per student
+6%
vs California
Avg $16,509
+6%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 36.1%
State 54.5%
Federal 9.5%
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 Della S. Lindley Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Desert Hot Springs High | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Palm Springs High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Rancho Mirage High | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Cathedral City High | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| James Workman Middle | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Della S. Lindley Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,687
- Students per teacher
- 18.7:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 1,497
- Students per teacher
- 21.7:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 1,401
- Students per teacher
- 20.6:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 1,334
- Students per teacher
- 19.3:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 1,020
- Students per teacher
- 22.7:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
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 (~552 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Della S. Lindley Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Della S. Lindley Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Palm Springs 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 Della S. Lindley Elementary
How many students attend Della S. Lindley Elementary?
Della S. Lindley Elementary has 552 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Thousand Palms, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Della S. Lindley Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Della S. Lindley Elementary is 19.7:1, which is 8% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 25% 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 Della S. Lindley Elementary?
93.8% of students at Della S. Lindley Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Della S. Lindley Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Della S. Lindley Elementary is Hispanic or Latino at 89.3% of enrollment, in Thousand Palms, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Della S. Lindley Elementary?
Della S. Lindley Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 25/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
Is Della S. Lindley Elementary a good school?
Della S. Lindley Elementary earns 25/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most 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 Palm Springs Unified?
Besides Della S. Lindley Elementary, Palm Springs Unified also operates Desert Hot Springs High (1,687 students), Palm Springs High (1,497 students), and Rancho Mirage High (1,401 students). See the Palm Springs 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.