Elementary school (grades K-5) · Apple Valley, CA

Mariana Academy

Federal NCES profile for Mariana Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 18/100.

2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 060001709100
0/100100/10018/100
👥 S:T ratio
0
🌟 Gifted program
70
🎓 Counselors
0
📋 Attendance
0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

Mariana Academy earns 18/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 85% of California schools.

#5 of 11
elementary schools in Apple Valley · Resource Index
18
Resource Index · Lower
26:1
large classes for California
75.8%
free-lunch eligible

Mariana Academy has class sizes larger than 85% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, Mariana Academy ranks #5 of 11 elementary schools in Apple Valley, CA.

Enrollment

781

California · 2024-25 NCES data

Teachers (FTE)

30.0

Federal CCD staff survey

Students per teacher

26:1

vs 21.5:1 California avg

+21% vs state

Free-lunch eligible

75.8%

vs 55.5% California avg

+37% vs state

Student-teacher ratio in context

How Mariana Academy compares with California and U.S. medians

Larger classes than state median

Source: NCES Common Core of Data As of 2024-25 federal staff survey Total enrollment ÷ full-time-equivalent classroom teachers

What stands out at Mariana Academy

Mariana Academy is a high-poverty, mid-sized elementary school in Apple Valley, California, enrolling 781 students.

Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 26:1 puts it in the larger third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.

Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 75.8% of students eligible for free meals.

Enrollment of 781 puts it in the larger third of California schools by headcount.

Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 9,998 scored California schools.

Among 1,650 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need California schools statewide, it ranks #1,209, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.

Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (63%) and White (27%) (diversity index 53/100).

Counselor access is stretched at roughly 781 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.

Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 54.4% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).

The surrounding Apple Valley Unified spends $11,440 per pupil, 31% below the California average, a leaner-resourced district than most.

The federal civil-rights collection also records 1 expulsion at this campus for 2021-22.

Among Apple Valley's elementary schools, it stands alongside Sitting Bull Academy (1,695 students): Mariana Academy is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (26:1 vs 25.3:1).

Apple Valley Unified also operates Apple Valley High (2,211 students) and Granite Hills High (1,791 students) alongside Mariana Academy.

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 Mariana Academy compares

Mariana Academy on the metrics families compare, against California and U.S. means.

Metric This school vs California California avg U.S. avg
Students per teacher 26:1 ▲ 21% 21.5:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 75.8% ▲ 37% 55.5% 51.7%
Enrollment 781 top 18% - -

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25

26:1
Leaner classes than 4% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
781
Bigger than 85% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.

Equity indicators (what these measure)

Economic need
75.8%
free-lunch eligible - 37% 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
26:1
students per teacher - 21% above state mean
Top 85% in California - lower ratio than 15% of state schools
Well above 20:1, one of the more stretched staffing loads nationally relative to enrollment.
Engagement
54.4%
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
$11,440
per pupil, district-wide - below California avg of $16,509
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 781 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
55
in-school suspensions + 44 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 7.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 12.7 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 1 expulsion.

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 62.6%
White 27.4%
African American 5.5%
Two or More 2.9%
Asian 0.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%

Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 62.6% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 52.9/100

Simpson diversity index - at 52.9, Mariana Academy is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.

Programs

Gifted & talented Yes

Funding & spending

District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Apple Valley Unified, which includes Mariana Academy.

$11,440
Per student
-31%
vs California
Avg $16,509
-31%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 13.5%
State 72.2%
Federal 14.3%

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 Mariana Academy Compares to District-Mates

School Enrollment Economic Profile Student-Teacher Ratio
Apple Valley High Larger Lower economic need Lower S:T ratio
Granite Hills High Larger Lower economic need Lower S:T ratio
Sitting Bull Academy Larger Lower economic need Similar S:T ratio
Phoenix Academy Larger Similar economic need Lower S:T ratio
Vanguard Preparatory Larger Lower economic need Lower S:T ratio

Comparisons are relative to Mariana Academy's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.

Other Schools in This District

Apple Valley Unified · 5 sibling schools

View district profile

Similar elementary schools in Apple Valley

6 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.

Next steps

Verify locally before acting on Mariana Academy's federal record.

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 Mariana Academy

How many students attend Mariana Academy?

Mariana Academy has 781 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Apple Valley, CA.

What is the student-teacher ratio at Mariana Academy?

The student-teacher ratio at Mariana Academy is 26:1, which is 21% higher than the California average of 21.5:1 and 66% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.

What percentage of students receive free lunch at Mariana Academy?

75.8% of students at Mariana Academy are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Mariana Academy?

The largest demographic group at Mariana Academy is Hispanic or Latino at 62.6% of enrollment, in Apple Valley, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 52.9/100.

What is the Resource Investment Index for Mariana Academy?

Mariana Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 18/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).

How does Mariana Academy rank among elementary schools in Apple Valley?

By Resource Investment Index, Mariana Academy ranks #5 of 11 elementary schools in Apple Valley, 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 Apple Valley on the city page.

Is Mariana Academy a good school?

Mariana Academy earns 18/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 85% 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 Apple Valley Unified?

Besides Mariana Academy, Apple Valley Unified also operates Apple Valley High (2,211 students), Granite Hills High (1,791 students), and Sitting Bull Academy (1,695 students). See the Apple Valley Unified district page for the complete list.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) CCD + Public School Universe (2024-25), CRDC (2021-22), F-33 District Finance Survey (FY 2021-22) · 2024-25 Data as of the 2024-25 school year. Coverage from U.S. Department of Education NCES Common Core of Data. Varies by entity type; administrative districts and certain charter networks may report only a subset of fields.

All federal data sources used on this page

Full source list and how we compute each figure: methodology page.

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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.