Enrollment
21
California · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 060681014179
Empower — El Cajon, CA
Federal NCES profile for Empower, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 33/100.
👥 Class size 69
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 0
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: Cajon Valley Union · 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)
3.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
7.7:1
vs 21.6:1 California avg
-64% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
91.3%
vs 55.5% California avg
+65% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Empower 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
Empower reports 21 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 3.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 7.7:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 64% 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 52% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 91.3% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 65% above the California average and 76% above the national baseline. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 76.2% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Cajon Valley Union spends $18,262 per pupil district-wide, above the California average of $18,039 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 28.3% from local sources (property taxes), 58.5% from the state, and 13.2% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 33/100 (F), 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 Empower 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 | 7.7:1 | ▼ 64% | 21.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 91.3% | ▲ 65% | 55.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 21 | top 3% | — | — |
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
91.3%
free-lunch eligible
— 65% 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
7.7:1
students per teacher
— 64% below state mean
Top 2% in California — lower ratio than 98% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
76.2%
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
$18,262
per pupil, district-wide
— above 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 + 1 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 4.8 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 21 Top 3% in California — larger than 97% of 10,006 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 3.0
Students per teacher 7.7:1 -64% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 91.3% +65% vs state
NCES ID 060681014179
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 38.1%
White 33.3%
African American 19.0%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 4.8%
Two or More 4.8%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 38.1% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 76.2%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 1
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Cajon Valley Union, which includes Empower.
$18,262
Per student
+1%
vs California
Avg $18,039
-6%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 28.3%
State 58.5%
Federal 13.2%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,481
- Students per teacher
- 23.8:1
- Enrollment
- 985
- Students per teacher
- 26.7:1
- Enrollment
- 942
- Students per teacher
- 20.1:1
- Enrollment
- 929
- Students per teacher
- 21.9:1
- Enrollment
- 878
- Students per teacher
- 24.4:1
Similar elementary schools in El Cajon
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Naranca Elementary
Standard public school
985 students 26.7:1 students per teacher
Lexington Elementary
Standard public school
878 students 24.4:1 students per teacher
Johnson Elementary
Standard public school
766 students 26.1:1 students per teacher
Chase Avenue Elementary
Standard public school
757 students 23.9:1 students per teacher
Flying Hills School of Arts
Standard public school
742 students 26:1 students per teacher
Magnolia Elementary
Standard public school
703 students 23.7:1 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 Empower
How many students attend Empower?
Empower has 21 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in El Cajon, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Empower?
The student-teacher ratio at Empower is 7.7:1, which is 64% lower than the California average of 21.6:1 and 52% 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 Empower?
91.3% of students at Empower are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Empower?
The largest demographic group at Empower is Hispanic or Latino at 38.1%. The school serves a diverse student body in El Cajon, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Empower?
Empower has a Resource Investment Index of 33/100 (F) 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.