Enrollment
188
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Descanso, CA
Descanso Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Descanso Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 15/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 062610003902
👥 S:T ratio 6
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 9
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Descanso Elementary earns 15/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median.
- 15
- Resource Index · Lower
- 23.5:1
- students per teacher
- 31.5%
- free-lunch eligible
- 188
- students enrolled
Descanso Elementary has class sizes near the California median. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Mountain Empire Unified · California
NCES ID 062610003902 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
8.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
23.5:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
+9% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
31.5%
vs 55.5% California avg
-43% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Descanso Elementary compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Descanso Elementary
Descanso Elementary is a mid-sized elementary school in Descanso, California, enrolling 188 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 23.5:1 puts it in the larger third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 31.5% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 188 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 91% of the 9,998 California schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.
Among 281 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need California schools statewide, it ranks #272, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (54%) and Hispanic or Latino (39%) (diversity index 55/100).
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 36.2% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 15.4% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Mountain Empire Unified also operates Mountain Empire High (412 students) and Campo Elementary (359 students) alongside Descanso 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 Descanso Elementary compares
Descanso 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 | 23.5:1 | ▲ 9% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 31.5% | ▼ 43% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 188 | top 84% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
23.5:1
Leaner classes than 7% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
188
Bigger than 18% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
31.5%
free-lunch eligible
- 43% below the California average of 55.5%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
23.5:1
students per teacher
- 9% above state mean
Top 67% in California - lower ratio than 33% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
36.2%
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
$17,631
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
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
2
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.1 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
White 54.3%
Hispanic or Latino 39.4%
Two or More 5.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.1%
Largest group: White at 54.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 54.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 54.7, Descanso Elementary is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Mountain Empire Unified, which includes Descanso Elementary.
$17,631
Per student
+7%
vs California
Avg $16,509
+6%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 31.0%
State 53.7%
Federal 15.4%
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 Descanso Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mountain Empire High | Larger | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Campo Elementary | Larger | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Potrero Elementary | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Camp Lockett Middle | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Clover Flat Elementary | Similar size | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Descanso Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 412
- Students per teacher
- 19.6:1
- Resource Index
- 28/100
- Enrollment
- 359
- Students per teacher
- 18.9:1
- Resource Index
- 21/100
- Enrollment
- 300
- Students per teacher
- 23.1:1
- Resource Index
- 19/100
- Enrollment
- 245
- Students per teacher
- 40.8:1
- Resource Index
- 11/100
- Enrollment
- 190
- Students per teacher
- 23.8:1
- Resource Index
- 19/100
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 (~188 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~23.5:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Descanso Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Descanso Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Mountain Empire 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 Descanso Elementary
How many students attend Descanso Elementary?
Descanso Elementary has 188 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Descanso, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Descanso Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Descanso Elementary is 23.5:1, which is 9% higher than the California average of 21.5:1 and 50% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Descanso Elementary?
31.5% of students at Descanso Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Descanso Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Descanso Elementary is White at 54.3% of enrollment, in Descanso, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 54.7/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Descanso Elementary?
Descanso Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 15/100 (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 Descanso Elementary a good school?
Descanso Elementary earns 15/100 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 Mountain Empire Unified?
Besides Descanso Elementary, Mountain Empire Unified also operates Mountain Empire High (412 students), Campo Elementary (359 students), and Potrero Elementary (300 students). See the Mountain Empire 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.