Elementary school (grades K-5) · Vallejo, CA

Joseph H. Wardlaw Elementary

Federal NCES profile for Joseph H. Wardlaw Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 10/100.

2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 064074010331
0/100100/10010/100
👥 S:T ratio
0
🌟 Gifted program
30
📋 Attendance
0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

Joseph H. Wardlaw Elementary earns 10/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 85% of California schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most California schools.

#6 of 16
elementary schools in Vallejo · Resource Index
10
Resource Index · Lower
26:1
large classes for California
48.7%
free-lunch eligible

Joseph H. Wardlaw Elementary has class sizes larger than 85% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, Joseph H. Wardlaw Elementary ranks #6 of 16 elementary schools in Vallejo, CA.

School address

Enrollment

676

California · 2024-25 NCES data

Teachers (FTE)

26.0

Federal CCD staff survey

Students per teacher

26:1

vs 21.5:1 California avg

+21% vs state

Free-lunch eligible

48.7%

vs 55.5% California avg

-12% vs state

Student-teacher ratio in context

How Joseph H. Wardlaw Elementary compares with California and U.S. medians

Larger classes than 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 Joseph H. Wardlaw Elementary

Joseph H. Wardlaw Elementary is a mid-sized elementary school in Vallejo, California, enrolling 676 students.

Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 26:1 puts it in the larger third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.

Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 48.7% of students eligible for free meals.

Enrollment of 676 puts it in the larger third of California schools by headcount.

Its Resource Investment Index trails 98% of the 9,998 California schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.

Among 1,385 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need California schools statewide, it ranks #1,314, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.

Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (28%) and Asian (27%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 77/100).

Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 60.7% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).

Among Vallejo's elementary schools, it stands alongside Caliber: Changemakers Academy (975 students): Joseph H. Wardlaw Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (26:1 vs 23.2:1).

Vallejo City Unified also operates Jesse M. Bethel High (1,418 students) and Vallejo High (1,146 students) alongside Joseph H. Wardlaw 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 Joseph H. Wardlaw Elementary compares

Joseph H. Wardlaw 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 26:1 ▲ 21% 21.5:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 48.7% ▼ 12% 55.5% 51.7%
Enrollment 676 top 25% - -

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

26:1
Leaner classes than 4% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
676
Bigger than 79% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.

Equity indicators (what these measure)

Economic need
48.7%
free-lunch eligible - 12% 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
26:1
students per teacher - 21% above state mean
Top 85% in California - lower ratio than 15% of state schools
Well above 20:1, one of the more stretched staffing loads nationally relative to enrollment.
Engagement
60.7%
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
$15,749
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
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
6
in-school suspensions + 19 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.7 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 28.3%
Asian 26.9%
African American 24.4%
Two or More 11.5%
White 6.8%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 1.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%

Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 28.3% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 77.0/100

Simpson diversity index - at 77.0, Joseph H. Wardlaw Elementary is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.

Programs

Funding & spending

District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Vallejo City Unified, which includes Joseph H. Wardlaw Elementary.

$15,749
Per student
-5%
vs California
Avg $16,509
-5%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 27.2%
State 59.2%
Federal 13.6%

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 Joseph H. Wardlaw Elementary Compares to District-Mates

School Enrollment Economic Profile Student-Teacher Ratio
Jesse M. Bethel High Larger Similar economic need Lower S:T ratio
Vallejo High Larger Higher economic need Lower S:T ratio
Hogan Middle Similar size Similar economic need Lower S:T ratio
Solano Widenmann Leadership Academy Similar size Higher economic need Lower S:T ratio
Highland Elementary Similar size Higher economic need Higher S:T ratio

Comparisons are relative to Joseph H. Wardlaw Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.

Other Schools in This District

Vallejo City Unified · 5 sibling schools

View district profile

Similar elementary schools in Vallejo

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 Joseph H. Wardlaw 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 Joseph H. Wardlaw Elementary

How many students attend Joseph H. Wardlaw Elementary?

Joseph H. Wardlaw Elementary has 676 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Vallejo, CA.

What is the student-teacher ratio at Joseph H. Wardlaw Elementary?

The student-teacher ratio at Joseph H. Wardlaw Elementary is 26:1, which is 21% higher than the California average of 21.5:1 and 66% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.

What percentage of students receive free lunch at Joseph H. Wardlaw Elementary?

48.7% of students at Joseph H. Wardlaw Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Joseph H. Wardlaw Elementary?

The largest demographic group at Joseph H. Wardlaw Elementary is Hispanic or Latino at 28.3% of enrollment, in Vallejo, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 77.0/100.

What is the Resource Investment Index for Joseph H. Wardlaw Elementary?

Joseph H. Wardlaw Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 10/100 (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 Joseph H. Wardlaw Elementary rank among elementary schools in Vallejo?

By Resource Investment Index, Joseph H. Wardlaw Elementary ranks #6 of 16 elementary schools in Vallejo, 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 Vallejo on the city page.

Is Joseph H. Wardlaw Elementary a good school?

Joseph H. Wardlaw Elementary earns 10/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 85% of California schools. It is also more 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 Vallejo City Unified?

Besides Joseph H. Wardlaw Elementary, Vallejo City Unified also operates Jesse M. Bethel High (1,418 students), Vallejo High (1,146 students), and Hogan Middle (785 students). See the Vallejo City 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.