Enrollment
631
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Wasco, CA
Palm Avenue Middle
Federal NCES profile for Palm Avenue Middle, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 19/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 064140006846
👥 S:T ratio 13
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 34
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Palm Avenue Middle earns 19/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most California schools.
- #6 of 10
- public schools in Wasco · Resource Index
- 19
- Resource Index · Lower
- 21.8:1
- students per teacher
- 81.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Palm Avenue Middle has class sizes near the California median. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Palm Avenue Middle ranks #6 of 10 public schools in Wasco, CA.
School address
District: Wasco Union Elementary · California
NCES ID 064140006846 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
29.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
21.8:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
+1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
81.0%
vs 55.5% California avg
+46% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Palm Avenue Middle compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Palm Avenue Middle
Palm Avenue Middle is a high-poverty, mid-sized middle school in Wasco, California, enrolling 631 students.
At 21.8:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the California median, within a few percentage points of the 21.5:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 81.0% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 631 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.
Against 1,966 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #1,361.
Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (97% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 6/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 631 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 26.3% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Among Wasco's middle schools, it stands alongside Thomas Jefferson Middle (591 students): Palm Avenue Middle is larger than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (21.8:1 vs 20.4:1).
Wasco Union Elementary also operates John L. Prueitt Elementary (621 students) and Thomas Jefferson Middle (591 students) alongside Palm Avenue Middle.
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 Palm Avenue Middle compares
Palm Avenue Middle on the metrics families compare, against California and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs California | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 21.8:1 | ▲ 1% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 81.0% | ▲ 46% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 631 | top 29% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
21.8:1
Leaner classes than 11% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
631
Bigger than 75% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
81.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 46% 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
21.8:1
students per teacher
- 1% above state mean
Top 51% in California - lower ratio than 49% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
26.3%
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
$17,487
per pupil, district-wide
- above California avg of $16,509
Somewhat above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 631 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 13 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.1 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 97.1%
White 1.3%
African American 1.1%
Asian 0.3%
Two or More 0.2%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 97.1% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 5.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 5.7, Palm Avenue Middle is less mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Wasco Union Elementary, which includes Palm Avenue Middle.
$17,487
Per student
+6%
vs California
Avg $16,509
+5%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 16.0%
State 69.9%
Federal 14.2%
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 Palm Avenue Middle Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| John L. Prueitt Elementary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Thomas Jefferson Middle | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| James a. Forrest Elementary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Karl F. Clemens Elementary | Similar size | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Teresa Burke Elementary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Palm Avenue Middle's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 621
- Students per teacher
- 22.2:1
- Resource Index
- 15/100
- Enrollment
- 591
- Students per teacher
- 20.4:1
- Resource Index
- 22/100
- Enrollment
- 576
- Students per teacher
- 21.3:1
- Resource Index
- 13/100
- Enrollment
- 551
- Students per teacher
- 21.2:1
- Resource Index
- 12/100
- Enrollment
- 503
- Students per teacher
- 21:1
- Resource Index
- 15/100
Similar middle schools in Wasco
1 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) serving the same city.
Similar middle 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 (~631 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~21.8:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Palm Avenue Middle's federal record.
- Compare Palm Avenue Middle against another school. Compare schools
- Wasco Union Elementary'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 Palm Avenue Middle
How many students attend Palm Avenue Middle?
Palm Avenue Middle has 631 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Wasco, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Palm Avenue Middle?
The student-teacher ratio at Palm Avenue Middle is 21.8:1, which is 1% higher than the California average of 21.5:1 and 39% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Palm Avenue Middle?
81.0% of students at Palm Avenue Middle are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Palm Avenue Middle?
The largest demographic group at Palm Avenue Middle is Hispanic or Latino at 97.1% of enrollment, in Wasco, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Palm Avenue Middle?
Palm Avenue Middle has a Resource Investment Index of 19/100 (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 Palm Avenue Middle rank among public schools in Wasco?
By Resource Investment Index, Palm Avenue Middle ranks #6 of 10 public schools in Wasco, 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 Wasco on the city page.
Is Palm Avenue Middle a good school?
Palm Avenue Middle earns 19/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most 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 Wasco Union Elementary?
Besides Palm Avenue Middle, Wasco Union Elementary also operates John L. Prueitt Elementary (621 students), Thomas Jefferson Middle (591 students), and James a. Forrest Elementary (576 students). See the Wasco Union Elementary 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.