Enrollment
487
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Aptos, CA
Valencia Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Valencia Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 35/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 062949004553
👥 S:T ratio 19
🌟 Gifted program 70
📋 Attendance 16
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Valencia Elementary earns 35/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median.
- #2 of 3
- elementary schools in Aptos · Resource Index
- 35
- Resource Index · Typical
- 20.3:1
- students per teacher
- 30.7%
- free-lunch eligible
Valencia Elementary has class sizes near the California median. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Valencia Elementary ranks #2 of 3 elementary schools in Aptos, CA.
School address
District: Pajaro Valley Unified · California
NCES ID 062949004553 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
24.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
20.3:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-6% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
30.7%
vs 55.5% California avg
-45% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Valencia Elementary compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Valencia Elementary
Valencia Elementary is a mid-sized elementary school in Aptos, California, enrolling 487 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 20.3:1 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 30.7% of students eligible for free meals.
With 487 students, its enrollment sits close to the California median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 9,998 scored California schools.
Against 1,295 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #478.
Its student body is led by White (62%) and Hispanic or Latino (30%) (diversity index 52/100).
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 33.7% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Among Aptos's elementary schools, it stands alongside Rio Del Mar Elementary (393 students): Valencia Elementary is larger than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (20.3:1 vs 23.1:1).
Pajaro Valley Unified also operates Watsonville High (2,215 students) and Pajaro Valley High (1,293 students) alongside Valencia 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 Valencia Elementary compares
Valencia 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 | 20.3:1 | ▼ 6% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 30.7% | ▼ 45% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 487 | top 47% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
20.3:1
Leaner classes than 15% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
487
Bigger than 60% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
30.7%
free-lunch eligible
- 45% 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
20.3:1
students per teacher
- 6% below state mean
Top 37% in California - lower ratio than 63% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
33.7%
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
$17,011
per pupil, district-wide
- above California avg of $16,509
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
6
in-school suspensions + 2 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.6 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
White 62.2%
Hispanic or Latino 30.4%
Two or More 6.6%
Asian 0.6%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: White at 62.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 51.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 51.6, Valencia Elementary is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Pajaro Valley Unified, which includes Valencia Elementary.
$17,011
Per student
+3%
vs California
Avg $16,509
+3%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 30.6%
State 56.5%
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 Valencia Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Watsonville High | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Pajaro Valley High | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Aptos High | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Alianza Charter | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Rolling Hills Middle | Similar size | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Valencia Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,215
- Students per teacher
- 21.7:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 1,293
- Students per teacher
- 19.9:1
- Resource Index
- 26/100
- Enrollment
- 1,274
- Students per teacher
- 19.6:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
- Enrollment
- 626
- Students per teacher
- 22.4:1
- Resource Index
- 18/100
- Enrollment
- 588
- Students per teacher
- 21:1
- Resource Index
- 22/100
Similar elementary schools in Aptos
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 (~487 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Valencia Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Valencia Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Pajaro Valley 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 Valencia Elementary
How many students attend Valencia Elementary?
Valencia Elementary has 487 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Aptos, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Valencia Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Valencia Elementary is 20.3:1, which is 6% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 29% higher 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 Valencia Elementary?
30.7% of students at Valencia Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Valencia Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Valencia Elementary is White at 62.2% of enrollment, in Aptos, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 51.6/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Valencia Elementary?
Valencia Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 35/100 (typical 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 Valencia Elementary rank among elementary schools in Aptos?
By Resource Investment Index, Valencia Elementary ranks #2 of 3 elementary schools in Aptos, 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 Aptos on the city page.
Is Valencia Elementary a good school?
Valencia Elementary earns 35/100 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 Pajaro Valley Unified?
Besides Valencia Elementary, Pajaro Valley Unified also operates Watsonville High (2,215 students), Pajaro Valley High (1,293 students), and Aptos High (1,274 students). See the Pajaro Valley 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.