Enrollment
609
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Blythe, CA
Ruth Brown Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Ruth Brown Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 11/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 062964004601
👥 S:T ratio 13
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Ruth Brown Elementary earns 11/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median.
- #1 of 3
- elementary schools in Blythe · Resource Index
- 11
- Resource Index · Lower
- 21.8:1
- students per teacher
- 79.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Ruth Brown Elementary has class sizes near the California median. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Ruth Brown Elementary ranks #1 of 3 elementary schools in Blythe, CA.
School address
District: Palo Verde Unified · California
NCES ID 062964004601 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
28.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
21.8:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
+1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
79.0%
vs 55.5% California avg
+42% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Ruth Brown Elementary compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Ruth Brown Elementary
Ruth Brown Elementary is a high-poverty, mid-sized elementary school in Blythe, California, enrolling 609 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 79.0% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 609 puts it in the larger third of California schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 96% of the 9,998 California schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.
Among 2,097 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need California schools statewide, it ranks #1,888, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (71%) and White (13%) (diversity index 47/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 1846 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 53.9% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 21.6% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Blythe's elementary schools, it stands alongside Felix J. Appleby Elementary (617 students): Ruth Brown Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (21.8:1 vs 22:1).
Palo Verde Unified also operates Palo Verde High (740 students) and Felix J. Appleby Elementary (617 students) alongside Ruth Brown 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 Ruth Brown Elementary compares
Ruth Brown 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 | 21.8:1 | ▲ 1% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 79.0% | ▲ 42% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 609 | top 31% | - | - |
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.
609
Bigger than 73% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
79.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 42% 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
53.9%
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
$16,555
per pupil, district-wide
- above California avg of $16,509
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors0.3 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 30 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 4.9 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 70.6%
White 13.3%
African American 9.4%
Two or More 4.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.8%
Asian 0.7%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.5%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 70.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 47.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 47.3, Ruth Brown Elementary is about as mixed as the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Palo Verde Unified, which includes Ruth Brown Elementary.
$16,555
Per student
+0%
vs California
Avg $16,509
0%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 19.8%
State 58.6%
Federal 21.6%
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 Ruth Brown Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Palo Verde High | Similar size | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Felix J. Appleby Elementary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Margaret White Elementary | Similar size | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Twin Palms Continuation | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Ruth Brown Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 740
- Students per teacher
- 19.5:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
- Enrollment
- 617
- Students per teacher
- 22:1
- Resource Index
- 11/100
- Enrollment
- 559
- Students per teacher
- 21.5:1
- Resource Index
- 11/100
- Enrollment
- 85
- Students per teacher
- 17:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
Similar elementary schools in Blythe
2 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
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 (~609 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~21.8:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Ruth Brown Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Ruth Brown Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Palo Verde 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 Ruth Brown Elementary
How many students attend Ruth Brown Elementary?
Ruth Brown Elementary has 609 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Blythe, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Ruth Brown Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Ruth Brown Elementary 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 Ruth Brown Elementary?
79.0% of students at Ruth Brown Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Ruth Brown Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Ruth Brown Elementary is Hispanic or Latino at 70.6% of enrollment, in Blythe, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Ruth Brown Elementary?
Ruth Brown Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 11/100 (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 Ruth Brown Elementary rank among elementary schools in Blythe?
By Resource Investment Index, Ruth Brown Elementary ranks #1 of 3 elementary schools in Blythe, 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 Blythe on the city page.
Is Ruth Brown Elementary a good school?
Ruth Brown Elementary earns 11/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median. 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 Palo Verde Unified?
Besides Ruth Brown Elementary, Palo Verde Unified also operates Palo Verde High (740 students), Felix J. Appleby Elementary (617 students), and Margaret White Elementary (559 students). See the Palo Verde 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.