Enrollment
598
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Indian Wells, CA
Gerald R. Ford Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Gerald R. Ford Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 23/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 061111010274
👥 S:T ratio 12
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 1
📋 Attendance 8
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Gerald R. Ford Elementary earns 23/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median.
- 23
- Resource Index · Lower
- 22.1:1
- students per teacher
- 46.3%
- free-lunch eligible
- 598
- students enrolled
Gerald R. Ford Elementary has class sizes near the California median. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Desert Sands Unified · California
NCES ID 061111010274 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
27.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
22.1:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
+3% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
46.3%
vs 55.5% California avg
-17% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Gerald R. Ford Elementary compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Gerald R. Ford Elementary
Gerald R. Ford Elementary is a mid-sized elementary school in Indian Wells, California, enrolling 598 students.
At 22.1:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the California median, within a few percentage points of the 21.5:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 46.3% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 598 puts it in the larger third of California schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 9,998 scored California schools.
Against 1,415 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #905.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (56%) and White (30%) (diversity index 60/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 494 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 36.6% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Desert Sands Unified also operates La Quinta High (2,425 students) and Palm Desert High (2,079 students) alongside Gerald R. Ford 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 Gerald R. Ford Elementary compares
Gerald R. Ford 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 | 22.1:1 | ▲ 3% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 46.3% | ▼ 17% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 598 | top 33% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
22.1:1
Leaner classes than 10% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
598
Bigger than 72% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
46.3%
free-lunch eligible
- 17% below the California average of 55.5%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
22.1:1
students per teacher
- 3% above state mean
Top 54% in California - lower ratio than 46% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
36.6%
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
$15,695
per pupil, district-wide
- below California avg of $16,509
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.2 FTE
Per 494 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 4 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.7 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 55.5%
White 29.9%
Asian 7.2%
Two or More 5.0%
African American 1.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.0%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 55.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 59.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 59.5, Gerald R. Ford Elementary is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Desert Sands Unified, which includes Gerald R. Ford Elementary.
$15,695
Per student
-5%
vs California
Avg $16,509
-5%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 38.4%
State 50.5%
Federal 11.0%
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.
How Gerald R. Ford Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| La Quinta High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Palm Desert High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Indio High | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Shadow Hills High | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Palm Desert Charter Middle | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Gerald R. Ford Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,425
- Students per teacher
- 24:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
- Enrollment
- 2,079
- Students per teacher
- 24.8:1
- Resource Index
- 18/100
- Enrollment
- 1,962
- Students per teacher
- 23.4:1
- Resource Index
- 28/100
- Enrollment
- 1,650
- Students per teacher
- 21.4:1
- Resource Index
- 26/100
- Enrollment
- 1,298
- Students per teacher
- 26.5:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
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 (~598 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~22.1:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Gerald R. Ford Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Gerald R. Ford Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Desert Sands 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 Gerald R. Ford Elementary
How many students attend Gerald R. Ford Elementary?
Gerald R. Ford Elementary has 598 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Indian Wells, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Gerald R. Ford Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Gerald R. Ford Elementary is 22.1:1, which is 3% higher than the California average of 21.5:1 and 41% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Gerald R. Ford Elementary?
46.3% of students at Gerald R. Ford Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Gerald R. Ford Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Gerald R. Ford Elementary is Hispanic or Latino at 55.5% of enrollment, in Indian Wells, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 59.5/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Gerald R. Ford Elementary?
Gerald R. Ford Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 23/100 (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 Gerald R. Ford Elementary a good school?
Gerald R. Ford Elementary earns 23/100 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 Desert Sands Unified?
Besides Gerald R. Ford Elementary, Desert Sands Unified also operates La Quinta High (2,425 students), Palm Desert High (2,079 students), and Indio High (1,962 students). See the Desert Sands 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.