Enrollment
18
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Needles, CA
Needles Community Day
Federal NCES profile for Needles Community Day, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 29/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 062676013912
👥 S:T ratio 28
🌟 Gifted program 30
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Needles Community Day earns 29/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 79% of California schools. It is also one of the smallest schools in California.
- #2 of 5
- public schools in Needles · Resource Index
- 29
- Resource Index · Lower
- 18:1
- small classes for California
- 78.9%
- free-lunch eligible
Needles Community Day has class sizes smaller than 79% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Needles Community Day ranks #2 of 5 public schools in Needles, CA.
School address
District: Needles Unified · California
NCES ID 062676013912 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
1.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-16% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
78.9%
vs 55.5% California avg
+42% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Needles Community Day compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Needles Community Day
Needles Community Day is a high-poverty, small combined-grade school in Needles, California, enrolling 18 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 18:1 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 78.9% of students eligible for free meals.
This is a small campus: fewer students than 97% of California schools, with 18 enrolled.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 9,998 scored California schools.
Among 118 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need California schools statewide, it ranks #91, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (44%) and Hispanic or Latino (17%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 72/100).
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 Needles Community Day.
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 Needles Community Day compares
Needles Community Day on the metrics families compare, against California and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs California | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 18:1 | ▼ 16% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 78.9% | ▲ 42% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 18 | top 97% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
18:1
Leaner classes than 24% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
18
Bigger than 2% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
78.9%
free-lunch eligible
- 42% 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
18:1
students per teacher
- 16% below state mean
Top 21% in California - lower ratio than 79% 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.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 1 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 5.6 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 44.4%
Hispanic or Latino 16.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 16.7%
African American 11.1%
Two or More 11.1%
Largest group: White at 44.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 72.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 72.2, Needles Community Day is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Needles Unified, which includes Needles Community Day.
$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 Needles Community Day 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 | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Needles Middle | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Monument Peak | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Chemehuevi Valley Elementary | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Needles Community Day'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
- 70
- Students per teacher
- 17.5:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
- Enrollment
- 40
- Students per teacher
- 20:1
- Resource Index
- 17/100
Similar other 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 (~18 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Needles Community Day's federal record.
- Compare Needles Community Day 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 Needles Community Day
How many students attend Needles Community Day?
Needles Community Day has 18 students enrolled. It is an alternative school in Needles, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Needles Community Day?
The student-teacher ratio at Needles Community Day is 18:1, which is 16% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 15% 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 Needles Community Day?
78.9% of students at Needles Community Day are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Needles Community Day?
The largest demographic group at Needles Community Day is White at 44.4% of enrollment, in Needles, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 72.2/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Needles Community Day?
Needles Community Day has a Resource Investment Index of 29/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 2 factors: 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.
How does Needles Community Day rank among public schools in Needles?
By Resource Investment Index, Needles Community Day ranks #2 of 5 public schools in Needles, 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 Needles on the city page.
Is Needles Community Day a good school?
Needles Community Day earns 29/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 79% of California schools. It is also one of the smallest schools in California. 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 Needles Community Day, 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.