Enrollment
642
California · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 062013009386
Palm Crest Elementary — La Canada, CA
Federal NCES profile for Palm Crest Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 40/100.
👥 Class size 8
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 83
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
District: La Canada Unified · California
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
26.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
23:1
vs 21.6:1 California avg
+6% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
4.2%
vs 55.5% California avg
-92% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Palm Crest Elementary compares with California and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
Palm Crest Elementary reports 642 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 26.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 23:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 6% above the California state mean of 21.6:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 45% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 4.2% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 92% below the California average and 92% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 535 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 7.0% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding La Canada Unified spends $21,365 per pupil district-wide, above the California average of $18,039 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 58.5% from local sources (property taxes), 36.0% from the state, and 5.5% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 40/100 (D), calculated from 4 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Palm Crest Elementary compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against California state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs California | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 23:1 | ▲ 6% | 21.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 4.2% | ▼ 92% | 55.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 642 | top 72% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Economic need
4.2%
free-lunch eligible
— 92% below the California average of 55.5%
Below the 40% Title I threshold — federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
23:1
students per teacher
— 6% above state mean
Top 61% in California — lower ratio than 39% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Engagement
7.0%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 10% — strong attendance relative to the post-pandemic national landscape.
Funding equity
$21,365
per pupil, district-wide
— above California avg of $18,039
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors1.2 FTE
Per 535 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 2 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.5 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 642 Top 72% in California — larger than 28% of 10,006 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 26.0
Students per teacher 23:1 +6% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 4.2% -92% vs state
NCES ID 062013009386
Student demographics
White 37.9%
Asian 34.7%
Hispanic or Latino 13.9%
Two or More 13.4%
African American 0.2%
Largest group: White at 37.9% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.2
Students per counselor 535:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 7.0%
In-school suspensions 1
Out-of-school suspensions 2
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for La Canada Unified, which includes Palm Crest Elementary.
$21,365
Per student
+18%
vs California
Avg $18,039
+10%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 58.5%
State 36.0%
Federal 5.5%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,989
- Students per teacher
- 24.3:1
- Enrollment
- 715
- Students per teacher
- 24.3:1
- Enrollment
- 633
- Students per teacher
- 24.9:1
Similar elementary schools in La Canada
2 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about Palm Crest Elementary
How many students attend Palm Crest Elementary?
Palm Crest Elementary has 642 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in La Canada, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Palm Crest Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Palm Crest Elementary is 23:1, which is 6% higher than the California average of 21.6:1 and 45% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Palm Crest Elementary?
4.2% of students at Palm Crest Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Palm Crest Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Palm Crest Elementary is White at 37.9%. The school serves a diverse student body in La Canada, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Palm Crest Elementary?
Palm Crest Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 40/100 (D) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.