Enrollment
761
California · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 060001409075
Juniper Elementary — Hesperia, CA
Federal NCES profile for Juniper Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 18/100.
👥 Class size 0
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 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: Hesperia Unified · 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)
29.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
25:1
vs 21.6:1 California avg
+16% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
66.6%
vs 55.5% California avg
+20% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Juniper 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
Juniper Elementary reports 761 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 29.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 25:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 16% 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 57% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 66.6% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 20% above the California average and 29% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 761 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 49.9% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Hesperia Unified spends $15,283 per pupil district-wide, below the California average of $18,039 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 11.0% from local sources (property taxes), 73.1% from the state, and 15.9% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 18/100 (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 Juniper 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 | 25:1 | ▲ 16% | 21.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 66.6% | ▲ 20% | 55.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 761 | top 81% | — | — |
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
66.6%
free-lunch eligible
— 20% 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
25:1
students per teacher
— 16% above state mean
Top 82% in California — lower ratio than 18% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Engagement
49.9%
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
$15,283
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 761 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 19 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.5 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 761 Top 81% in California — larger than 19% of 10,006 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 29.0
Students per teacher 25:1 +16% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 66.6% +20% vs state
NCES ID 060001409075
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 83.0%
White 10.0%
Two or More 3.0%
African American 2.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.4%
Asian 0.1%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 83.0% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 761:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 49.9%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 19
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Hesperia Unified, which includes Juniper Elementary.
$15,283
Per student
-15%
vs California
Avg $18,039
-22%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 11.0%
State 73.1%
Federal 15.9%
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
- 2,405
- Students per teacher
- 23:1
- Enrollment
- 2,370
- Students per teacher
- 23.7:1
- Enrollment
- 2,098
- Students per teacher
- 24.4:1
- Enrollment
- 1,228
- Students per teacher
- 23.8:1
- Enrollment
- 1,140
- Students per teacher
- 22.7:1
Similar elementary schools in Hesperia
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Mission Crest Elementary
Standard public school
989 students 26.5:1 students per teacher
Maple Elementary
Standard public school
988 students 25.1:1 students per teacher
Krystal School of Science Math & Technology
Standard public school
912 students 24.1:1 students per teacher
Lime Street Elementary
Standard public school
887 students 24.6:1 students per teacher
Mesquite Trails Elementary
Standard public school
882 students 26.5:1 students per teacher
Cottonwood Elementary
Standard public school
868 students 24.1:1 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 Juniper Elementary
How many students attend Juniper Elementary?
Juniper Elementary has 761 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in Hesperia, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Juniper Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Juniper Elementary is 25:1, which is 16% higher than the California average of 21.6:1 and 57% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Juniper Elementary?
66.6% of students at Juniper Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Juniper Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Juniper Elementary is Hispanic or Latino at 83.0%. The school serves a diverse student body in Hesperia, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Juniper Elementary?
Juniper Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 18/100 (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.