Enrollment
26
California · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 063678006226
Downieville Elementary — Downieville, CA
Federal NCES profile for Downieville Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 52/100.
👥 Class size 56
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 71
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: Sierra-Plumas Joint Unified · California
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)
2.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11:1
vs 21.6:1 California avg
-49% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
59.1%
vs 55.5% California avg
+6% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Downieville Elementary compares with California 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
Downieville Elementary reports 26 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 2.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 11:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 49% below the California state mean of 21.6:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 31% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 59.1% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 6% above the California average and 14% above the national baseline. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 11.5% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Sierra-Plumas Joint Unified spends $17,122 per pupil district-wide, below the California average of $18,039 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 38.5% from local sources (property taxes), 52.2% from the state, and 9.3% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 52/100 (C-), calculated from 3 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 Downieville Elementary compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against California state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs California | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 11:1 | ▼ 49% | 21.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 59.1% | ▲ 6% | 55.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 26 | top 4% | — | — |
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
59.1%
free-lunch eligible
— 6% 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
11:1
students per teacher
— 49% below state mean
Top 4% in California — lower ratio than 96% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
11.5%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Between 10–20% — above the pre-pandemic baseline of ~15% nationally but within the current U.S. range.
Funding equity
$17,122
per pupil, district-wide
— below California avg of $18,039
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 + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 26 Top 4% in California — larger than 96% of 10,006 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 2.0
Students per teacher 11:1 -49% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 59.1% +6% vs state
NCES ID 063678006226
Student demographics
White 46.2%
Hispanic or Latino 34.6%
Two or More 19.2%
Largest group: White at 46.2% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 11.5%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Sierra-Plumas Joint Unified, which includes Downieville Elementary.
$17,122
Per student
-5%
vs California
Avg $18,039
-12%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 38.5%
State 52.2%
Federal 9.3%
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
- 199
- Students per teacher
- 23.9:1
- Enrollment
- 165
- Students per teacher
- 14.6:1
- Enrollment
- 19
- Students per teacher
- 10:1
- Enrollment
- 5
- 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 Downieville Elementary
How many students attend Downieville Elementary?
Downieville Elementary has 26 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in Downieville, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Downieville Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Downieville Elementary is 11:1, which is 49% lower than the California average of 21.6:1 and 31% lower 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 Downieville Elementary?
59.1% of students at Downieville Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Downieville Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Downieville Elementary is White at 46.2%. The school serves a student body in Downieville, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Downieville Elementary?
Downieville Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 52/100 (C-) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.