Enrollment
274
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Placerville, CA
Gold Trail
Federal NCES profile for Gold Trail, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 37/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 061545001963
👥 S:T ratio 27
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 32
📋 Attendance 21
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Gold Trail earns 37/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 77% of California schools.
- #1 of 7
- elementary schools in Placerville · Resource Index
- 37
- Resource Index · Typical
- 18.3:1
- small classes for California
- 27.3%
- free-lunch eligible
Gold Trail has class sizes smaller than 77% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Gold Trail ranks #1 of 7 elementary schools in Placerville, CA.
School address
District: Gold Trail Union Elementary · California
NCES ID 061545001963 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
15.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18.3:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-15% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
27.3%
vs 55.5% California avg
-51% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Gold Trail compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Gold Trail
Gold Trail is a mid-sized elementary school in Placerville, California, enrolling 274 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 18.3:1 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 27.3% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 274 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 9,998 scored California schools.
Against 491 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #147.
Its student body is predominantly White (80% of enrollment) (diversity index 33/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 343 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 31.8% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Among Placerville's elementary schools, it stands alongside Sierra Elementary (402 students): Gold Trail is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (18.3:1 vs 25.1:1).
Its district, Gold Trail Union Elementary, also runs Sutters Mill (201 students).
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 Gold Trail compares
Gold Trail on the metrics families compare, against California and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs California | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 18.3:1 | ▼ 15% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 27.3% | ▼ 51% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 274 | top 77% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
18.3:1
Leaner classes than 23% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
274
Bigger than 29% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
27.3%
free-lunch eligible
- 51% 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
18.3:1
students per teacher
- 15% below state mean
Top 23% in California - lower ratio than 77% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
31.8%
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
$13,304
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
Counselors0.8 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
12
in-school suspensions + 17 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 4.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 10.6 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 80.3%
Hispanic or Latino 16.8%
Two or More 1.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.7%
Asian 0.4%
Largest group: White at 80.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 32.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 32.7, Gold Trail is less mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Gold Trail Union Elementary, which includes Gold Trail.
$13,304
Per student
-19%
vs California
Avg $16,509
-20%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 34.8%
State 56.7%
Federal 8.4%
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 Gold Trail Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sutters Mill | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Gold Trail's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 201
- Students per teacher
- 20.1:1
- Resource Index
- 12/100
Similar elementary schools in Placerville
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Sierra Elementary
Standard public school
402 students 25.1:1 students per teacher
Indian Creek Elementary
Standard public school
392 students 17.8:1 students per teacher
Louisiana Schnell Elementary
Standard public school
370 students 24.7:1 students per teacher
Herbert C. Green Middle
Standard public school
363 students 20.2:1 students per teacher
Gold Oak Elementary
Standard public school
270 students 19.3:1 students per teacher
Sutters Mill
Standard public school
201 students 20.1:1 students per teacher
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 (~274 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Gold Trail's federal record.
- Compare Gold Trail against another school. Compare schools
- Gold Trail Union Elementary'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 Gold Trail
How many students attend Gold Trail?
Gold Trail has 274 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Placerville, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Gold Trail?
The student-teacher ratio at Gold Trail is 18.3:1, which is 15% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 17% higher than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Gold Trail?
27.3% of students at Gold Trail are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Gold Trail?
The largest demographic group at Gold Trail is White at 80.3% of enrollment, in Placerville, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Gold Trail?
Gold Trail has a Resource Investment Index of 37/100 (typical 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).
How does Gold Trail rank among elementary schools in Placerville?
By Resource Investment Index, Gold Trail ranks #1 of 7 elementary schools in Placerville, CA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all elementary schools in Placerville on the city page.
Is Gold Trail a good school?
Gold Trail earns 37/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 77% of California schools. 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 Gold Trail Union Elementary?
Besides Gold Trail, Gold Trail Union Elementary also operates Sutters Mill (201 students). See the Gold Trail Union Elementary 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.