Enrollment
100
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Patterson, CA
Open Valley Independent Study
Federal NCES profile for Open Valley Independent Study, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 41/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 063003013962
👥 S:T ratio 33
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 20
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Open Valley Independent Study earns 41/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 85% of California schools.
- #2 of 8
- public schools in Patterson · Resource Index
- 41
- Resource Index · Typical
- 16.7:1
- small classes for California
- 65.6%
- free-lunch eligible
Open Valley Independent Study has class sizes smaller than 85% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Open Valley Independent Study ranks #2 of 8 public schools in Patterson, CA.
School address
District: Patterson Joint Unified · California
NCES ID 063003013962 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
6.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.7:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-22% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
65.6%
vs 55.5% California avg
+18% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Open Valley Independent Study compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Open Valley Independent Study
Open Valley Independent Study is a higher-need, small combined-grade school in Patterson, California, enrolling 100 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 16.7:1, Open Valley Independent Study is leaner than roughly 85% of California schools and 22% under the state's 21.5:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 65.6% lands close to the California typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 100 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 9,998 scored California schools.
Against 278 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #118.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (73%) and White (15%) (diversity index 44/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 400 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Patterson Joint Unified also operates Patterson High (1,830 students) and Creekside Middle (907 students) alongside Open Valley Independent Study.
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 Open Valley Independent Study compares
Open Valley Independent Study on the metrics families compare, against California and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs California | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 16.7:1 | ▼ 22% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 65.6% | ▲ 18% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 100 | top 90% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16.7:1
Leaner classes than 33% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
100
Bigger than 10% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
65.6%
free-lunch eligible
- 18% 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
16.7:1
students per teacher
- 22% below state mean
Top 15% in California - lower ratio than 85% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Funding equity
$14,988
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
Counselors0.3 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.0 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
Hispanic or Latino 73.0%
White 15.0%
African American 8.0%
Two or More 3.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.0%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 73.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 43.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 43.7, Open Valley Independent Study is less mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Patterson Joint Unified, which includes Open Valley Independent Study.
$14,988
Per student
-9%
vs California
Avg $16,509
-10%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 27.2%
State 63.9%
Federal 8.9%
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 Open Valley Independent Study Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Patterson High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Creekside Middle | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Apricot Valley Elementary | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Walnut Grove Elementary | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Las Palmas Elementary | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Open Valley Independent Study's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,830
- Students per teacher
- 21.8:1
- Resource Index
- 23/100
- Enrollment
- 907
- Students per teacher
- 19.7:1
- Resource Index
- 26/100
- Enrollment
- 788
- Students per teacher
- 23.2:1
- Resource Index
- 16/100
- Enrollment
- 744
- Students per teacher
- 23.3:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 642
- Students per teacher
- 22.1:1
- Resource Index
- 27/100
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 (~100 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Open Valley Independent Study's federal record.
- Compare Open Valley Independent Study against another school. Compare schools
- Patterson 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 Open Valley Independent Study
How many students attend Open Valley Independent Study?
Open Valley Independent Study has 100 students enrolled. It is an alternative school in Patterson, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Open Valley Independent Study?
The student-teacher ratio at Open Valley Independent Study is 16.7:1, which is 22% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 6% 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 Open Valley Independent Study?
65.6% of students at Open Valley Independent Study are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Open Valley Independent Study?
The largest demographic group at Open Valley Independent Study is Hispanic or Latino at 73.0% of enrollment, in Patterson, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Open Valley Independent Study?
Open Valley Independent Study has a Resource Investment Index of 41/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Open Valley Independent Study rank among public schools in Patterson?
By Resource Investment Index, Open Valley Independent Study ranks #2 of 8 public schools in Patterson, 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 Patterson on the city page.
Is Open Valley Independent Study a good school?
Open Valley Independent Study earns 41/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller 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 Patterson Joint Unified?
Besides Open Valley Independent Study, Patterson Joint Unified also operates Patterson High (1,830 students), Creekside Middle (907 students), and Apricot Valley Elementary (788 students). See the Patterson 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.