Enrollment
466
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Pinedale, CA
Nelson Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Nelson Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 31/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 060903000915
👥 S:T ratio 7
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 69
📋 Attendance 18
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Nelson Elementary earns 31/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median.
- 31
- Resource Index · Lower
- 23.3:1
- students per teacher
- 49.9%
- free-lunch eligible
- 466
- students enrolled
Nelson Elementary has class sizes near the California median. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Clovis Unified · California
NCES ID 060903000915 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
20.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
23.3:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
+8% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
49.9%
vs 55.5% California avg
-10% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Nelson Elementary compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Nelson Elementary
Nelson Elementary is a mid-sized elementary school in Pinedale, California, enrolling 466 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 23.3:1 puts it in the larger third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 49.9% lands close to the California typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
With 466 students, its enrollment sits close to the California median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 9,998 scored California schools.
Against 1,474 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #535.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (57%) and White (25%) (diversity index 60/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 155 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 32.6% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The federal civil-rights collection also records 1 expulsion at this campus for 2021-22.
Among Pinedale's elementary schools, it stands alongside Pinedale Elementary (433 students): Nelson Elementary is larger than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (23.3:1 vs 18:1).
Clovis Unified also operates Clovis East High (3,113 students) and Clovis High (2,779 students) alongside Nelson 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 Nelson Elementary compares
Nelson 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 | 23.3:1 | ▲ 8% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 49.9% | ▼ 10% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 466 | top 50% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
23.3:1
Leaner classes than 8% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
466
Bigger than 57% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
49.9%
free-lunch eligible
- 10% below the California average of 55.5%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
23.3:1
students per teacher
- 8% above state mean
Top 65% in California - lower ratio than 35% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
32.6%
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
$13,739
per pupil, district-wide
- below California avg of $16,509
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 155 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
2
in-school suspensions + 28 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 6.4 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 57.1%
White 25.1%
African American 7.1%
Two or More 4.7%
Asian 4.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 57.1% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 60.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 60.2, Nelson Elementary is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Clovis Unified, which includes Nelson Elementary.
$13,739
Per student
-17%
vs California
Avg $16,509
-17%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 28.8%
State 61.7%
Federal 9.5%
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 Nelson Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clovis East High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Clovis High | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Buchanan High | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Clovis North High | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Clovis West High | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Nelson Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 3,113
- Students per teacher
- 26.2:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
- Enrollment
- 2,779
- Students per teacher
- 21.1:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
- Enrollment
- 2,551
- Students per teacher
- 22.6:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 2,360
- Students per teacher
- 21.7:1
- Resource Index
- 50/100
- Enrollment
- 2,184
- Students per teacher
- 22.3:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
Similar elementary schools in Pinedale
1 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.
Similar enrollment (~466 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~23.3:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Nelson Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Nelson Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Clovis 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 Nelson Elementary
How many students attend Nelson Elementary?
Nelson Elementary has 466 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Pinedale, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Nelson Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Nelson Elementary is 23.3:1, which is 8% higher than the California average of 21.5:1 and 48% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Nelson Elementary?
49.9% of students at Nelson Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Nelson Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Nelson Elementary is Hispanic or Latino at 57.1% of enrollment, in Pinedale, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 60.2/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Nelson Elementary?
Nelson Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 31/100 (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).
Is Nelson Elementary a good school?
Nelson Elementary earns 31/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median. 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 Clovis Unified?
Besides Nelson Elementary, Clovis Unified also operates Clovis East High (3,113 students), Clovis High (2,779 students), and Buchanan High (2,551 students). See the Clovis 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.