Enrollment
51
California · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 063852006469
Surprise Valley Elementary — Cedarville, CA
Federal NCES profile for Surprise Valley Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 56/100.
👥 Class size 48
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 90
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 →
The verdict
Surprise Valley Elementary earns a C Resource Investment Index (56/100), with class sizes smaller than 94% of California schools.
- C
- Resource Index · 56/100
- 13:1
- small classes for California
- 48.1%
- free-lunch eligible
- 51
- students enrolled
School address
District: Surprise Valley Joint 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)
4.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13:1
vs 21.6:1 California avg
-40% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
48.1%
vs 55.5% California avg
-13% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Surprise Valley 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
Surprise Valley Elementary reports 51 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 4.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 13:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 40% below the California state mean of 21.6:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.7:1, it is 17% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 48.1% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 13% below the California average and 7% below the national baseline. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 3.9% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Surprise Valley Joint Unified spends $16,652 per pupil district-wide, above the California average of $16,509 and above the national average of $16,593. Revenue comes 34.7% from local sources (property taxes), 55.0% from the state, and 10.3% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 56/100 (C), calculated from 3 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 Surprise Valley 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 | 13:1 | ▼ 40% | 21.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 48.1% | ▼ 13% | 55.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 51 | top 6% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
Class size vs. every US school
Students per teacher (lower means more individual attention)
13 Among the smallest classes smaller classes than 69% of 92,598 US schools
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US schools. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education — NCES Common Core of Data · 2024-25
School size vs. every US school
Total enrollment — where this school sits by size (neither large nor small is 'better')
51 larger than 6% of 95,891 US schools
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US schools. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education — NCES Common Core of Data · 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
48.1%
free-lunch eligible
— 13% below the California average of 55.5%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
13:1
students per teacher
— 40% below state mean
Top 6% in California — lower ratio than 94% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
3.9%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 10% — strong attendance relative to the post-pandemic national landscape.
Funding equity
$16,652
per pupil, district-wide
— above California avg of $16,509
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 1 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 51 Top 6% in California — larger than 94% of 10,006 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 4.0
Students per teacher 13:1 -40% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 48.1% -13% vs state
NCES ID 063852006469
Student demographics
White 52.9%
Hispanic or Latino 23.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 13.7%
Two or More 9.8%
Largest group: White at 52.9% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 3.9%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 1
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Surprise Valley Joint Unified, which includes Surprise Valley Elementary.
$16,652
Per student
+1%
vs California
Avg $16,509
+0%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 34.7%
State 55.0%
Federal 10.3%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 38
- Students per teacher
- 14.7:1
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 Surprise Valley Elementary
How many students attend Surprise Valley Elementary?
Surprise Valley Elementary has 51 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in Cedarville, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Surprise Valley Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Surprise Valley Elementary is 13:1, which is 40% lower than the California average of 21.6:1 and 17% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Surprise Valley Elementary?
48.1% of students at Surprise Valley Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Surprise Valley Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Surprise Valley Elementary is White at 52.9%. The school serves a diverse student body in Cedarville, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Surprise Valley Elementary?
Surprise Valley Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 56/100 (C) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.
Is Surprise Valley Elementary a good school?
Surprise Valley Elementary earns a C Resource Investment Index (56/100), with class sizes smaller than 94% of California schools. The Resource Investment Index reflects staffing, counselor access, gifted programs, and attendance reported to NCES, not test scores or academic outcomes, so treat it as a resource snapshot rather than an overall rating.