Enrollment
250
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Joshua Tree, CA
Joshua Tree Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Joshua Tree Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 29/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 062586003885
👥 S:T ratio 17
🌟 Gifted program 70
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Joshua Tree Elementary earns 29/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median.
- 29
- Resource Index · Lower
- 20.8:1
- students per teacher
- 71.4%
- free-lunch eligible
- 250
- students enrolled
Joshua Tree Elementary has class sizes near the California median. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Morongo Unified · California
NCES ID 062586003885 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
12.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
20.8:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-3% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
71.4%
vs 55.5% California avg
+29% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Joshua Tree Elementary compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Joshua Tree Elementary
Joshua Tree Elementary is a higher-need, mid-sized elementary school in Joshua Tree, California, enrolling 250 students.
At 20.8:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the California median, within a few percentage points of the 21.5:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 71.4% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 250 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 865 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #464.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (48%) and White (38%) (diversity index 61/100).
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 60.4% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 15.6% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Joshua Tree's elementary schools, it stands alongside Friendly Hills Elementary (266 students): Joshua Tree Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (20.8:1 vs 24.2:1).
Morongo Unified also operates Yucca Valley High (1,168 students) and Twentynine Palms High (719 students) alongside Joshua Tree 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 Joshua Tree Elementary compares
Joshua Tree 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 | 20.8:1 | ▼ 3% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 71.4% | ▲ 29% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 250 | top 79% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
20.8:1
Leaner classes than 13% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
250
Bigger than 25% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
71.4%
free-lunch eligible
- 29% 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
20.8:1
students per teacher
- 3% below state mean
Top 42% in California - lower ratio than 58% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
60.4%
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
$15,753
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
3
in-school suspensions + 4 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.8 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 48.4%
White 38.0%
Two or More 6.8%
African American 5.2%
Asian 0.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.8%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 48.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 61.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 61.4, Joshua Tree Elementary is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Morongo Unified, which includes Joshua Tree Elementary.
$15,753
Per student
-5%
vs California
Avg $16,509
-5%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 11.7%
State 72.7%
Federal 15.6%
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 Joshua Tree Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yucca Valley High | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Twentynine Palms High | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| La Contenta Middle | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Onaga Elementary | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Twentynine Palms Elementary | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Joshua Tree Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,168
- Students per teacher
- 19.1:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 719
- Students per teacher
- 19.4:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 647
- Students per teacher
- 21.6:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 586
- Students per teacher
- 25.5:1
- Resource Index
- 17/100
- Enrollment
- 579
- Students per teacher
- 25.2:1
- Resource Index
- 24/100
Similar elementary schools in Joshua Tree
1 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.
Similar enrollment (~250 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Joshua Tree Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Joshua Tree Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Morongo Unified'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 Joshua Tree Elementary
How many students attend Joshua Tree Elementary?
Joshua Tree Elementary has 250 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Joshua Tree, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Joshua Tree Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Joshua Tree Elementary is 20.8:1, which is 3% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 32% 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 Joshua Tree Elementary?
71.4% of students at Joshua Tree Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Joshua Tree Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Joshua Tree Elementary is Hispanic or Latino at 48.4% of enrollment, in Joshua Tree, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 61.4/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Joshua Tree Elementary?
Joshua Tree Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 29/100 (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).
Is Joshua Tree Elementary a good school?
Joshua Tree Elementary earns 29/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median. 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 Morongo Unified?
Besides Joshua Tree Elementary, Morongo Unified also operates Yucca Valley High (1,168 students), Twentynine Palms High (719 students), and La Contenta Middle (647 students). See the Morongo Unified 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.