Elementary school (grades K-5) · La Puente, CA

J. E. Van Wig Elementary

Federal NCES profile for J. E. Van Wig Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 35/100.

2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 060411000378
0/100100/10035/100
👥 S:T ratio
4
🌟 Gifted program
70
🎓 Counselors
55
📋 Attendance
10
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

J. E. Van Wig Elementary earns 35/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 70% of California schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most California schools.

#3 of 19
elementary schools in La Puente · Resource Index
35
Resource Index · Typical
23.9:1
large classes for California
86.1%
free-lunch eligible

J. E. Van Wig Elementary has class sizes larger than 70% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, J. E. Van Wig Elementary ranks #3 of 19 elementary schools in La Puente, CA.

School address

Enrollment

334

California · 2024-25 NCES data

Teachers (FTE)

14.0

Federal CCD staff survey

Students per teacher

23.9:1

vs 21.5:1 California avg

+11% vs state

Free-lunch eligible

86.1%

vs 55.5% California avg

+55% vs state

Student-teacher ratio in context

How J. E. Van Wig Elementary compares with California and U.S. medians

Slightly above state median

Source: NCES Common Core of Data As of 2024-25 federal staff survey Total enrollment ÷ full-time-equivalent classroom teachers

What stands out at J. E. Van Wig Elementary

J. E. Van Wig Elementary is a high-poverty, mid-sized elementary school in La Puente, California, enrolling 334 students.

Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 23.9:1 puts it in the larger third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.

Economic need is high: 86.1% of students qualify for free meals, 55% above the California average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.

Enrollment of 334 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by headcount.

Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 9,998 scored California schools.

Against 1,165 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #228.

Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (90% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 18/100).

Counselor coverage is strong, about 223 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.

Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 35.9% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).

Among La Puente's elementary schools, it stands alongside Fairgrove Academy (749 students): J. E. Van Wig Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (23.9:1 vs 25.8:1).

Bassett Unified also operates Bassett Senior High (747 students) and Don Julian Elementary (544 students) alongside J. E. Van Wig 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 J. E. Van Wig Elementary compares

J. E. Van Wig 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 23.9:1 ▲ 11% 21.5:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 86.1% ▲ 55% 55.5% 51.7%
Enrollment 334 top 70% - -

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25

23.9:1
Leaner classes than 7% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
334
Bigger than 37% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.

Equity indicators (what these measure)

Economic need
86.1%
free-lunch eligible - 55% above the California average of 55.5%
Well above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold, among the highest-need profiles in the state; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
23.9:1
students per teacher - 11% above state mean
Top 70% in California - lower ratio than 30% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
35.9%
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
$15,662
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
Counselors1.5 FTE
Per 223 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
2
in-school suspensions + 3 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.5 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 90.4%
Asian 7.5%
African American 0.9%
Two or More 0.9%
White 0.3%

Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 90.4% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 17.7/100

Simpson diversity index - at 17.7, J. E. Van Wig Elementary is less mixed than the California school average of 46.0.

Programs

Gifted & talented Yes

Funding & spending

District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Bassett Unified, which includes J. E. Van Wig Elementary.

$15,662
Per student
-5%
vs California
Avg $16,509
-6%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 25.3%
State 61.4%
Federal 13.3%

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.

How J. E. Van Wig Elementary Compares to District-Mates

School Enrollment Economic Profile Student-Teacher Ratio
Bassett Senior High Larger Similar economic need Lower S:T ratio
Don Julian Elementary Larger Similar economic need Similar S:T ratio
Edgewood Academy Larger Lower economic need Lower S:T ratio
Torch Middle Similar size Similar economic need Similar S:T ratio
Sunkist Elementary Similar size Similar economic need Lower S:T ratio

Comparisons are relative to J. E. Van Wig Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.

Other Schools in This District

Bassett Unified · 5 sibling schools

View district profile

Similar elementary schools in La Puente

6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.

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.

Next steps

Verify locally before acting on J. E. Van Wig Elementary's federal record.

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 J. E. Van Wig Elementary

How many students attend J. E. Van Wig Elementary?

J. E. Van Wig Elementary has 334 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in La Puente, CA.

What is the student-teacher ratio at J. E. Van Wig Elementary?

The student-teacher ratio at J. E. Van Wig Elementary is 23.9:1, which is 11% higher than the California average of 21.5:1 and 52% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.

What percentage of students receive free lunch at J. E. Van Wig Elementary?

86.1% of students at J. E. Van Wig Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of J. E. Van Wig Elementary?

The largest demographic group at J. E. Van Wig Elementary is Hispanic or Latino at 90.4% of enrollment, in La Puente, CA.

What is the Resource Investment Index for J. E. Van Wig Elementary?

J. E. Van Wig Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 35/100 (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 J. E. Van Wig Elementary rank among elementary schools in La Puente?

By Resource Investment Index, J. E. Van Wig Elementary ranks #3 of 19 elementary schools in La Puente, 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 La Puente on the city page.

Is J. E. Van Wig Elementary a good school?

J. E. Van Wig Elementary earns 35/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 70% of California schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most 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 Bassett Unified?

Besides J. E. Van Wig Elementary, Bassett Unified also operates Bassett Senior High (747 students), Don Julian Elementary (544 students), and Edgewood Academy (478 students). See the Bassett Unified district page for the complete list.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) CCD + Public School Universe (2024-25), CRDC (2021-22), F-33 District Finance Survey (FY 2021-22) · 2024-25 Data as of the 2024-25 school year. Coverage from U.S. Department of Education NCES Common Core of Data. Varies by entity type; administrative districts and certain charter networks may report only a subset of fields.

All federal data sources used on this page

Full source list and how we compute each figure: methodology page.

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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.