Enrollment
416
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Palo Cedro, CA
Junction Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Junction Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 34/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 061920002308
👥 S:T ratio 24
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 49
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Junction Elementary earns 34/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 74% of California schools.
- #3 of 3
- elementary schools in Palo Cedro · Resource Index
- 34
- Resource Index · Typical
- 18.9:1
- small classes for California
- 28.9%
- free-lunch eligible
Junction Elementary has class sizes smaller than 74% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Junction Elementary ranks #3 of 3 elementary schools in Palo Cedro, CA.
School address
District: Junction Elementary · California
NCES ID 061920002308 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
22.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18.9:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-12% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
28.9%
vs 55.5% California avg
-48% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Junction Elementary compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Junction Elementary
Junction Elementary is a mid-sized elementary school in Palo Cedro, California, enrolling 416 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 18.9:1 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 28.9% of students eligible for free meals.
With 416 students, its enrollment sits close to the California median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 9,998 scored California schools.
Against 1,132 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #484.
Its student body is predominantly White (80% of enrollment) (diversity index 34/100).
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 20.4% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Among Palo Cedro's elementary schools, it stands alongside North Cow Creek Elementary (270 students): Junction Elementary is larger than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (18.9:1 vs 22.5:1).
Junction Elementary operates only this one school, so Junction Elementary has no district-mates to compare against locally.
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 Junction Elementary compares
Junction 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 | 18.9:1 | ▼ 12% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 28.9% | ▼ 48% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 416 | top 58% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
18.9:1
Leaner classes than 20% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
416
Bigger than 50% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
28.9%
free-lunch eligible
- 48% below the California average of 55.5%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
18.9:1
students per teacher
- 12% below state mean
Top 26% in California - lower ratio than 74% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
20.4%
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
$13,894
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
5
in-school suspensions + 3 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.9 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
White 80.3%
Hispanic or Latino 9.6%
Two or More 3.4%
Asian 3.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.9%
African American 1.7%
Largest group: White at 80.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 34.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 34.3, Junction Elementary is less mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Junction Elementary, which includes Junction Elementary.
$13,894
Per student
-16%
vs California
Avg $16,509
-16%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 46.3%
State 39.5%
Federal 14.2%
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.
Similar elementary schools in Palo Cedro
2 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 (~416 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Junction Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Junction Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Junction Elementary'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 Junction Elementary
How many students attend Junction Elementary?
Junction Elementary has 416 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Palo Cedro, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Junction Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Junction Elementary is 18.9:1, which is 12% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 20% 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 Junction Elementary?
28.9% of students at Junction Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Junction Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Junction Elementary is White at 80.3% of enrollment, in Palo Cedro, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Junction Elementary?
Junction Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 34/100 (typical 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 Junction Elementary rank among elementary schools in Palo Cedro?
By Resource Investment Index, Junction Elementary ranks #3 of 3 elementary schools in Palo Cedro, 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 Palo Cedro on the city page.
Is Junction Elementary a good school?
Junction Elementary earns 34/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 74% 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 Junction Elementary?
None reported; Junction Elementary operates only Junction Elementary as a public school district in NCES's records.
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.