Enrollment
857
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Visalia, CA
Riverway Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Riverway Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 16/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 064116006791
👥 S:T ratio 0
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 17
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Riverway Elementary earns 16/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 91% of California schools.
- #17 of 31
- elementary schools in Visalia · Resource Index
- 16
- Resource Index · Lower
- 27.6:1
- large classes for California
- 64.9%
- free-lunch eligible
Riverway Elementary has class sizes larger than 91% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Riverway Elementary ranks #17 of 31 elementary schools in Visalia, CA.
School address
District: Visalia Unified · California
NCES ID 064116006791 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
31.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
27.6:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
+28% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
64.9%
vs 55.5% California avg
+17% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Riverway Elementary compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Riverway Elementary
Riverway Elementary is a higher-need, large elementary school in Visalia, California, enrolling 857 students.
Class loads run heavy: 27.6:1 is larger than about 91% of California schools and 28% above the 21.5:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 64.9% lands close to the California typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 857 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.
Among 1,317 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need California schools statewide, it ranks #1,038, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (73%) and Asian (9%) (diversity index 45/100).
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 33.1% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Among Visalia's elementary schools, it stands alongside Annie R. Mitchell (789 students): Riverway Elementary is larger than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (27.6:1 vs 26.3:1).
Visalia Unified also operates Redwood High (2,490 students) and Golden West High (2,059 students) alongside Riverway 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 Riverway Elementary compares
Riverway 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 | 27.6:1 | ▲ 28% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 64.9% | ▲ 17% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 857 | top 15% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
27.6:1
Leaner classes than 3% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
857
Bigger than 88% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
64.9%
free-lunch eligible
- 17% 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
27.6:1
students per teacher
- 28% above state mean
Top 91% in California - lower ratio than 9% of state schools
Well above 20:1, one of the more stretched staffing loads nationally relative to enrollment.
Engagement
33.1%
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
$14,150
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
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
4
in-school suspensions + 9 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.5 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%
Asian 8.6%
Two or More 8.6%
White 6.5%
African American 1.9%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.5%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 73.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 44.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 44.8, Riverway Elementary is about as mixed as the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Visalia Unified, which includes Riverway Elementary.
$14,150
Per student
-14%
vs California
Avg $16,509
-15%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 18.1%
State 69.0%
Federal 12.9%
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 Riverway Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Redwood High | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Golden West High | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| El Diamante High | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Mt. Whitney High | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Ridgeview Middle | Similar size | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Riverway Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,490
- Students per teacher
- 24.2:1
- Resource Index
- 22/100
- Enrollment
- 2,059
- Students per teacher
- 22.4:1
- Resource Index
- 22/100
- Enrollment
- 1,890
- Students per teacher
- 21.2:1
- Resource Index
- 14/100
- Enrollment
- 1,637
- Students per teacher
- 21:1
- Resource Index
- 20/100
- Enrollment
- 975
- Students per teacher
- 28.7:1
- Resource Index
- 16/100
Similar elementary schools in Visalia
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Annie R. Mitchell
Standard public school
789 students 26.3:1 students per teacher
Oak Grove Elementary
Standard public school
756 students 24.4:1 students per teacher
Manuel F. Hernandez
Standard public school
707 students 24.4:1 students per teacher
Four Creeks Elementary
Standard public school
654 students 21.8:1 students per teacher
Denton Elementary
Standard public school
648 students 24.9:1 students per teacher
Golden Oak Elementary
Standard public school
631 students 20.4:1 students per teacher
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 (~857 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~27.6:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Riverway Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Riverway Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Visalia 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 Riverway Elementary
How many students attend Riverway Elementary?
Riverway Elementary has 857 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Visalia, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Riverway Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Riverway Elementary is 27.6:1, which is 28% higher than the California average of 21.5:1 and 76% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Riverway Elementary?
64.9% of students at Riverway Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Riverway Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Riverway Elementary is Hispanic or Latino at 73.0% of enrollment, in Visalia, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Riverway Elementary?
Riverway Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 16/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Riverway Elementary rank among elementary schools in Visalia?
By Resource Investment Index, Riverway Elementary ranks #17 of 31 elementary schools in Visalia, CA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all elementary schools in Visalia on the city page.
Is Riverway Elementary a good school?
Riverway Elementary earns 16/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 91% 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 Visalia Unified?
Besides Riverway Elementary, Visalia Unified also operates Redwood High (2,490 students), Golden West High (2,059 students), and El Diamante High (1,890 students). See the Visalia 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.