Enrollment
70
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Big River, CA
Monument Peak
Federal NCES profile for Monument Peak, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 30/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 062676014658
👥 S:T ratio 30
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Monument Peak earns 30/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 81% of California schools.
- 30
- Resource Index · Lower
- 17.5:1
- small classes for California
- 84.7%
- free-lunch eligible
- 70
- students enrolled
Monument Peak has class sizes smaller than 81% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Needles Unified · California
NCES ID 062676014658 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
4.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.5:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-19% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
84.7%
vs 55.5% California avg
+53% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Monument Peak compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Monument Peak
Monument Peak is a high-poverty, small elementary school in Big River, California, enrolling 70 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 17.5:1 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need is high: 84.7% of students qualify for free meals, 53% above the California average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
This is a small campus: fewer students than 92% of California schools, with 70 enrolled.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 9,998 scored California schools.
Against 203 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #139.
Its student body is led by White (54%) and Hispanic or Latino (27%) (diversity index 62/100).
The surrounding Needles Unified spends $20,418 per pupil, 24% above the California average, a better-resourced district than most.
Its district draws 22.6% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Needles Unified also operates Vista Colorado Elementary (319 students) and Needles High (269 students) alongside Monument Peak.
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 Monument Peak compares
Monument Peak on the metrics families compare, against California and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs California | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 17.5:1 | ▼ 19% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 84.7% | ▲ 53% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 70 | top 92% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
17.5:1
Leaner classes than 27% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
70
Bigger than 7% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
84.7%
free-lunch eligible
- 53% above the California average of 55.5%
Well above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold, among the highest-need profiles in the state; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
17.5:1
students per teacher
- 19% below state mean
Top 19% in California - lower ratio than 81% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Funding equity
$20,418
per pupil, district-wide
- above California avg of $16,509
Well above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting substantially higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
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 54.3%
Hispanic or Latino 27.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native 8.6%
African American 4.3%
Asian 2.9%
Two or More 2.9%
Largest group: White at 54.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 62.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 62.1, Monument Peak is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Needles Unified, which includes Monument Peak.
$20,418
Per student
+24%
vs California
Avg $16,509
+23%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 22.9%
State 54.6%
Federal 22.6%
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 Monument Peak Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vista Colorado Elementary | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Needles High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Needles Middle | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Chemehuevi Valley Elementary | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Needles Community Day | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Monument Peak's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 319
- Students per teacher
- 21.3:1
- Resource Index
- 15/100
- Enrollment
- 269
- Students per teacher
- 19.2:1
- Resource Index
- 25/100
- Enrollment
- 196
- Students per teacher
- 17.8:1
- Resource Index
- 25/100
- Enrollment
- 40
- Students per teacher
- 20:1
- Resource Index
- 17/100
- Enrollment
- 18
- Students per teacher
- 18:1
- Resource Index
- 29/100
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 (~70 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Monument Peak's federal record.
- Compare Monument Peak against another school. Compare schools
- Needles 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 Monument Peak
How many students attend Monument Peak?
Monument Peak has 70 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Big River, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Monument Peak?
The student-teacher ratio at Monument Peak is 17.5:1, which is 19% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 11% 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 Monument Peak?
84.7% of students at Monument Peak are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Monument Peak?
The largest demographic group at Monument Peak is White at 54.3% of enrollment, in Big River, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 62.1/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Monument Peak?
Monument Peak has a Resource Investment Index of 30/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 1 factor: student-teacher ratio. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology). Limited indicators were available, so the index reflects partial data.
Is Monument Peak a good school?
Monument Peak earns 30/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 81% 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 Needles Unified?
Besides Monument Peak, Needles Unified also operates Vista Colorado Elementary (319 students), Needles High (269 students), and Needles Middle (196 students). See the Needles 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.