Enrollment
199
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Loyalton, CA
Loyalton Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Loyalton Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 27/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 063678006228
👥 S:T ratio 0
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 51
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Loyalton Elementary earns 27/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 79% of California schools.
- #3 of 3
- public schools in Loyalton · Resource Index
- 27
- Resource Index · Lower
- 24.9:1
- large classes for California
- 34.6%
- free-lunch eligible
Loyalton Elementary has class sizes larger than 79% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Loyalton Elementary ranks #3 of 3 public schools in Loyalton, CA.
School address
District: Sierra-Plumas Joint Unified · California
NCES ID 063678006228 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
8.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
24.9:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
+16% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
34.6%
vs 55.5% California avg
-38% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Loyalton Elementary compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Loyalton Elementary
Loyalton Elementary is a mid-sized elementary school in Loyalton, California, enrolling 199 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 24.9:1 puts it in the larger third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 34.6% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 199 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.
Among 331 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need California schools statewide, it ranks #239, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (72%) and Hispanic or Latino (17%) (diversity index 44/100).
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 19.6% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Sierra-Plumas Joint Unified also operates Loyalton High (165 students) and Downieville Elementary (26 students) alongside Loyalton 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 Loyalton Elementary compares
Loyalton 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 | 24.9:1 | ▲ 16% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 34.6% | ▼ 38% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 199 | top 83% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
24.9:1
Leaner classes than 5% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
199
Bigger than 19% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
34.6%
free-lunch eligible
- 38% 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
24.9:1
students per teacher
- 16% above state mean
Top 79% in California - lower ratio than 21% of state schools
Well above 20:1, one of the more stretched staffing loads nationally relative to enrollment.
Engagement
19.6%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$16,701
per pupil, district-wide
- above California avg of $16,509
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.5 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 72.4%
Hispanic or Latino 16.6%
Two or More 8.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 1.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.0%
Largest group: White at 72.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 44.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 44.1, Loyalton Elementary is about as mixed as the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Sierra-Plumas Joint Unified, which includes Loyalton Elementary.
$16,701
Per student
+1%
vs California
Avg $16,509
+1%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 38.5%
State 52.2%
Federal 9.3%
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.
How Loyalton Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Loyalton High | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Downieville Elementary | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Downieville Junior-Senior High | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Sierra Pass (Continuation) | Smaller | No free-lunch data | No ratio data |
Comparisons are relative to Loyalton Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 165
- Students per teacher
- 15:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 26
- Students per teacher
- 13:1
- Resource Index
- 50/100
- Enrollment
- 19
- Students per teacher
- 9.5:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
- Enrollment
- 5
- Students per teacher
- -
- Resource Index
- 30/100
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 (~199 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~24.9:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Loyalton Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Loyalton Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Sierra-Plumas Joint 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 Loyalton Elementary
How many students attend Loyalton Elementary?
Loyalton Elementary has 199 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Loyalton, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Loyalton Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Loyalton Elementary is 24.9:1, which is 16% higher than the California average of 21.5:1 and 59% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Loyalton Elementary?
34.6% of students at Loyalton Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Loyalton Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Loyalton Elementary is White at 72.4% of enrollment, in Loyalton, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Loyalton Elementary?
Loyalton Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 27/100 (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 Loyalton Elementary rank among public schools in Loyalton?
By Resource Investment Index, Loyalton Elementary ranks #3 of 3 public schools in Loyalton, CA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Loyalton on the city page.
Is Loyalton Elementary a good school?
Loyalton Elementary earns 27/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 79% 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 Sierra-Plumas Joint Unified?
Besides Loyalton Elementary, Sierra-Plumas Joint Unified also operates Loyalton High (165 students), Downieville Elementary (26 students), and Downieville Junior-Senior High (19 students). See the Sierra-Plumas Joint 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.