Enrollment
481
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · El Centro, CA
Imperial County Special Education
Federal NCES profile for Imperial County Special Education, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 26/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 069101007929
👥 S:T ratio 49
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Imperial County Special Education earns 26/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 93% of California schools.
- #2 of 3
- schools in El Centro · Resource Index
- 26
- Resource Index · Lower
- 12.7:1
- small classes for California
- 49.9%
- free-lunch eligible
Imperial County Special Education has class sizes smaller than 93% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Imperial County Special Education ranks #2 of 3 schools in El Centro, CA.
School address
District: Imperial County Office of Education · California
NCES ID 069101007929 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
38.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.7:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-41% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
49.9%
vs 55.5% California avg
-10% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Imperial County Special Education compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Imperial County Special Education
Imperial County Special Education is a mid-sized combined-grade school in El Centro, California, enrolling 481 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 12.7:1, Imperial County Special Education is leaner than roughly 93% of California schools and 41% under the state's 21.5:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 49.9% lands close to the California typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
With 481 students, its enrollment sits close to the California median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 9,998 scored California schools.
Against 1,487 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #788.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 67.2% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding Imperial County Office of Education spends $97,749 per pupil, 492% above the California average, a better-resourced district than most.
Its district draws 20.4% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among El Centro's public schools, it stands alongside Valley Academy (205 students): Imperial County Special Education is larger than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (12.7:1 vs 25.6:1).
Imperial County Office of Education also operates Imperial Pathways Charter (246 students) and Valley Academy (205 students) alongside Imperial County Special Education.
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 Imperial County Special Education compares
Imperial County Special Education on the metrics families compare, against California and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs California | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 12.7:1 | ▼ 41% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 49.9% | ▼ 10% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 481 | top 48% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.7:1
Leaner classes than 69% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
481
Bigger than 59% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
49.9%
free-lunch eligible
- 10% 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
12.7:1
students per teacher
- 41% below state mean
Top 7% in California - lower ratio than 93% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
67.2%
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
$97,749
per pupil, district-wide
- above California avg of $16,509
Well above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting substantially higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 1 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.4 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.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Imperial County Office of Education, which includes Imperial County Special Education.
$97,749
Per student
+492%
vs California
Avg $16,509
+489%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 27.6%
State 52.0%
Federal 20.4%
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 Imperial County Special Education Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Imperial Pathways Charter | Smaller | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Valley Academy | Smaller | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Imperial County Juvenile Hall/Community | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Imperial County Special Education's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 246
- Students per teacher
- 35.1:1
- Resource Index
- 24/100
- Enrollment
- 205
- Students per teacher
- 25.6:1
- Resource Index
- 26/100
- Enrollment
- 11
- Students per teacher
- 11:1
- Resource Index
- 61/100
Similar other schools in El Centro
2 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Similar other 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 (~481 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~12.7:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Imperial County Special Education's federal record.
- Compare Imperial County Special Education against another school. Compare schools
- Imperial County Office of Education'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 Imperial County Special Education
How many students attend Imperial County Special Education?
Imperial County Special Education has 481 students enrolled. It is a special-education school in El Centro, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Imperial County Special Education?
The student-teacher ratio at Imperial County Special Education is 12.7:1, which is 41% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 19% lower 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 Imperial County Special Education?
49.9% of students at Imperial County Special Education are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Imperial County Special Education?
Imperial County Special Education has a Resource Investment Index of 26/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Imperial County Special Education rank among schools in El Centro?
By Resource Investment Index, Imperial County Special Education ranks #2 of 3 schools in El Centro, CA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in El Centro on the city page.
Is Imperial County Special Education a good school?
Imperial County Special Education earns 26/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 93% 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 Imperial County Office of Education?
Besides Imperial County Special Education, Imperial County Office of Education also operates Imperial Pathways Charter (246 students), Valley Academy (205 students), and Imperial County Juvenile Hall/Community (11 students). See the Imperial County Office of Education 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.