Enrollment
1,978
California · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Chico, CA
Pleasant Valley High
Federal NCES profile for Pleasant Valley High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 44/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 060837000827
👥 S:T ratio 7
📚 AP courses 75
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 21
📋 Attendance 49
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Pleasant Valley High earns 44/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median. It is also one of the largest schools in California.
- #2 of 4
- high schools in Chico · Resource Index
- 44
- Resource Index · Typical
- 23.3:1
- students per teacher
- 33.5%
- free-lunch eligible
Pleasant Valley High has class sizes near the California median. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Pleasant Valley High ranks #2 of 4 high schools in Chico, CA.
School address
District: Chico Unified · California
NCES ID 060837000827 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
85.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
23.3:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
+8% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
33.5%
vs 55.5% California avg
-40% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Pleasant Valley High compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Pleasant Valley High
Pleasant Valley High is a large high school in Chico, California, enrolling 1,978 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 23.3:1 puts it in the larger third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 33.5% of students eligible for free meals.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in California, bigger than 97% of state schools at 1,978 students.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 9,998 scored California schools.
Against 292 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #87.
Its student body is led by White (59%) and Hispanic or Latino (21%) (diversity index 59/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 15 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 396 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 20.3% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 7 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Among Chico's high schools, it stands alongside Chico High (1,804 students): Pleasant Valley High is larger than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (23.3:1 vs 21:1).
Chico Unified also operates Chico High (1,804 students) and Bidwell Junior High (1,012 students) alongside Pleasant Valley High.
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 Pleasant Valley High compares
Pleasant Valley High 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 | 33.5% | ▼ 40% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 1,978 | top 3% | - | - |
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.
1,978
Bigger than 98% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
33.5%
free-lunch eligible
- 40% 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
23.3:1
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
20.3%
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
$15,280
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
Counselors5.0 FTE
Per 396 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
41
in-school suspensions + 69 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 5.6 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 7 expulsions.
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 59.0%
Hispanic or Latino 21.3%
Two or More 9.1%
Asian 6.7%
African American 2.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.4%
Largest group: White at 59.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 59.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 59.3, Pleasant Valley High is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
AP courses offered 15
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Chico Unified, which includes Pleasant Valley High.
$15,280
Per student
-7%
vs California
Avg $16,509
-8%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 35.8%
State 51.0%
Federal 13.3%
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 Pleasant Valley High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chico High | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Bidwell Junior High | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Chico Junior High | Smaller | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Marsh (Harry M.) Junior High | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Shasta Elementary | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Pleasant Valley High's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,804
- Students per teacher
- 21:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 1,012
- Students per teacher
- 24.7:1
- Resource Index
- 22/100
- Enrollment
- 861
- Students per teacher
- 22.7:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 716
- Students per teacher
- 19.4:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
- Enrollment
- 621
- Students per teacher
- 21.4:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
Similar high schools in Chico
3 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
Similar high 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 (~1,978 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~23.3:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Pleasant Valley High's federal record.
- Compare Pleasant Valley High against another school. Compare schools
- Chico 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 Pleasant Valley High
How many students attend Pleasant Valley High?
Pleasant Valley High has 1,978 students enrolled. It is a high school in Chico, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Pleasant Valley High?
The student-teacher ratio at Pleasant Valley High 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 Pleasant Valley High?
33.5% of students at Pleasant Valley High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Pleasant Valley High?
The largest demographic group at Pleasant Valley High is White at 59.0% of enrollment, in Chico, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 59.3/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Pleasant Valley High?
Pleasant Valley High has a Resource Investment Index of 44/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Pleasant Valley High rank among high schools in Chico?
By Resource Investment Index, Pleasant Valley High ranks #2 of 4 high schools in Chico, CA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all high schools in Chico on the city page.
Is Pleasant Valley High a good school?
Pleasant Valley High earns 44/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median. It is also one of the largest 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 Chico Unified?
Besides Pleasant Valley High, Chico Unified also operates Chico High (1,804 students), Bidwell Junior High (1,012 students), and Chico Junior High (861 students). See the Chico 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.