Enrollment
688
California · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 062088002507
Joshua Elementary — Lancaster, CA
Federal NCES profile for Joshua Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 25/100.
👥 Class size 0
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 31
📋 Attendance 0
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
District: Lancaster Elementary · California
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
20.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
27.1:1
vs 21.6:1 California avg
+25% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
86.9%
vs 55.5% California avg
+57% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Joshua Elementary compares with California and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
Joshua Elementary reports 688 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 20.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 27.1:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 25% above the California state mean of 21.6:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 70% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 86.9% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 57% above the California average and 68% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 348 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 61.8% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Lancaster Elementary spends $17,361 per pupil district-wide, below the California average of $18,039 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 16.4% from local sources (property taxes), 64.4% from the state, and 19.3% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 25/100 (F), calculated from 4 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Joshua Elementary compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against California state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs California | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 27.1:1 | ▲ 25% | 21.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 86.9% | ▲ 57% | 55.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 688 | top 75% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Economic need
86.9%
free-lunch eligible
— 57% above the California average of 55.5%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
27.1:1
students per teacher
— 25% above state mean
Top 94% in California — lower ratio than 6% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Engagement
61.8%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$17,361
per pupil, district-wide
— below California avg of $18,039
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 347 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 20 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.9 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 688 Top 75% in California — larger than 25% of 10,006 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 20.0
Students per teacher 27.1:1 +25% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 86.9% +57% vs state
NCES ID 062088002507
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 51.2%
African American 36.4%
Two or More 6.3%
White 3.4%
Asian 1.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.9%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 51.2% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 348:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 61.8%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 20
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Lancaster Elementary, which includes Joshua Elementary.
$17,361
Per student
-4%
vs California
Avg $18,039
-11%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 16.4%
State 64.4%
Federal 19.3%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 859
- Students per teacher
- 20.7:1
- Enrollment
- 835
- Students per teacher
- 21.5:1
- Enrollment
- 805
- Students per teacher
- 20.5:1
- Enrollment
- 788
- Students per teacher
- 27.3:1
- Enrollment
- 766
- Students per teacher
- 26:1
Similar elementary schools in Lancaster
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Sundown Elementary
Standard public school
941 students 26.5:1 students per teacher
Monte Vista Elementary
Standard public school
788 students 27.3:1 students per teacher
Ilead Lancaster Charter
Standard public school
771 students 25.6:1 students per teacher
El Dorado Elementary
Standard public school
766 students 26:1 students per teacher
Del Sur Senior Elementary
Standard public school
763 students 27.4:1 students per teacher
West Wind Elementary
Standard public school
757 students 29.4:1 students per teacher
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about Joshua Elementary
How many students attend Joshua Elementary?
Joshua Elementary has 688 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in Lancaster, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Joshua Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Joshua Elementary is 27.1:1, which is 25% higher than the California average of 21.6:1 and 70% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Joshua Elementary?
86.9% of students at Joshua Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Joshua Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Joshua Elementary is Hispanic or Latino at 51.2%. The school serves a diverse student body in Lancaster, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Joshua Elementary?
Joshua Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 25/100 (F) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.