Enrollment
474
Nevada · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 320048000426
Desert Heights Elementary — Reno, NV
Federal NCES profile for Desert Heights Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 32/100.
👥 Class size 23
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 5
📋 Attendance 29
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
District: Washoe County School District · Nevada
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
24.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
19.3:1
vs 22.6:1 Nevada avg
-15% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
95.7%
vs 76.8% Nevada avg
+25% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Desert Heights Elementary compares with Nevada and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
Desert Heights Elementary reports 474 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 24.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 19.3:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 15% below the Nevada state mean of 22.6:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 21% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 95.7% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 25% above the Nevada average and 85% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 474 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 28.5% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Washoe County School District spends $14,973 per pupil district-wide, below the Nevada average of $18,421 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 19.8% from local sources (property taxes), 68.2% from the state, and 12.0% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 32/100 (F), calculated from 4 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Desert Heights Elementary compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Nevada state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Nevada | Nevada avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 19.3:1 | ▼ 15% | 22.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 95.7% | ▲ 25% | 76.8% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 474 | top 45% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Economic need
95.7%
free-lunch eligible
— 25% above the Nevada average of 76.8%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
19.3:1
students per teacher
— 15% below state mean
Top 55% in Nevada — lower ratio than 45% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
28.5%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$14,973
per pupil, district-wide
— below Nevada avg of $18,421
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 474 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 12 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.5 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 474 Top 45% in Nevada — larger than 55% of 742 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 24.0
Students per teacher 19.3:1 -15% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 95.7% +25% vs state
NCES ID 320048000426
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 51.7%
White 27.0%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 8.2%
Two or More 6.3%
African American 3.2%
Asian 3.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.6%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 51.7% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 474:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 28.5%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 12
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Washoe County School District, which includes Desert Heights Elementary.
$14,973
Per student
-19%
vs Nevada
Avg $18,421
-23%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 19.8%
State 68.2%
Federal 12.0%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,307
- Students per teacher
- 24.6:1
- Enrollment
- 2,131
- Students per teacher
- 23.9:1
- Enrollment
- 2,092
- Students per teacher
- 25.2:1
- Enrollment
- 2,008
- Students per teacher
- 25.9:1
- Enrollment
- 1,741
- Students per teacher
- 24.9:1
Similar other schools in Reno
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Lemmon Valley Elementary
Standard public school
635 students 21:1 students per teacher
North Star Online School
Alternative education program
575 students 26.2:1 students per teacher
High Desert Montessori
Standard public school
529 students
Brown Elementary
Standard public school
514 students 18.8:1 students per teacher
Alice Smith Elementary
Standard public school
512 students 15.2:1 students per teacher
Smithridge S.T.E.M. Academy
Standard public school
494 students 14.5:1 students per teacher
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about Desert Heights Elementary
How many students attend Desert Heights Elementary?
Desert Heights Elementary has 474 students enrolled. It is a other school in RENO, NV.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Desert Heights Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Desert Heights Elementary is 19.3:1, which is 15% lower than the Nevada average of 22.6:1 and 21% higher than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Desert Heights Elementary?
95.7% of students at Desert Heights Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Nevada average of 76.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Desert Heights Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Desert Heights Elementary is Hispanic or Latino at 51.7%. The school serves a diverse student body in RENO, NV.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Desert Heights Elementary?
Desert Heights Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 32/100 (F) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.