Enrollment
122
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Atwater, CA
Valley Atwater Community
Federal NCES profile for Valley Atwater Community, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 35/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 069102010961
👥 S:T ratio 0
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 51
📋 Attendance 57
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Valley Atwater Community earns 35/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 99% of California schools.
- #6 of 13
- public schools in Atwater · Resource Index
- 35
- Resource Index · Typical
- 40.7:1
- large classes for California
- 88.9%
- free-lunch eligible
Valley Atwater Community has class sizes larger than 99% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Valley Atwater Community ranks #6 of 13 public schools in Atwater, CA.
School address
District: Merced County Office of Education · California
NCES ID 069102010961 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
3.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
40.7:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
+89% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
88.9%
vs 55.5% California avg
+60% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Valley Atwater Community compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Valley Atwater Community
Valley Atwater Community is a high-poverty, small combined-grade school in Atwater, California, enrolling 122 students.
Class loads run heavy: 40.7:1 is larger than about 99% of California schools and 89% above the 21.5:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Economic need is high: 88.9% of students qualify for free meals, 60% above the California average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
Enrollment of 122 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 9,998 scored California schools.
Against 210 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #128.
Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (82% of enrollment) (diversity index 31/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 244 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
17.2% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
The surrounding Merced County Office of Education spends $61,111 per pupil, 270% above the California average, a better-resourced district than most.
Its district draws 30.8% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Merced County Office of Education also operates Merced County Special Education (942 students) and Merced Scholars Charter (334 students) alongside Valley Atwater Community.
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 Valley Atwater Community compares
Valley Atwater Community on the metrics families compare, against California and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs California | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 40.7:1 | ▲ 89% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 88.9% | ▲ 60% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 122 | top 88% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
40.7:1
Leaner classes than 1% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
122
Bigger than 12% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
88.9%
free-lunch eligible
- 60% above the California average of 55.5%
Well above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold, among the highest-need profiles in the state; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
40.7:1
students per teacher
- 89% above state mean
Top 99% in California - lower ratio than 1% of state schools
Well above 20:1, one of the more stretched staffing loads nationally relative to enrollment.
Engagement
17.2%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$61,111
per pupil, district-wide
- above California avg of $16,509
Well above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting substantially higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors0.5 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 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 82.0%
White 11.5%
Two or More 3.3%
African American 2.5%
Asian 0.8%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 82.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 31.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 31.3, Valley Atwater Community is less mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Merced County Office of Education, which includes Valley Atwater Community.
$61,111
Per student
+270%
vs California
Avg $16,509
+268%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 25.1%
State 44.1%
Federal 30.8%
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 Valley Atwater Community Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Merced County Special Education | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Merced Scholars Charter | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Valley Los Banos Community | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Come Back Charter | Similar size | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Valley Merced Community | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Valley Atwater Community's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 942
- Students per teacher
- 13.1:1
- Resource Index
- 26/100
- Enrollment
- 334
- Students per teacher
- 18.6:1
- Resource Index
- 24/100
- Enrollment
- 160
- Students per teacher
- 20:1
- Resource Index
- 29/100
- Enrollment
- 128
- Students per teacher
- 42.7:1
- Resource Index
- 7/100
- Enrollment
- 99
- Students per teacher
- 11:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
Similar other 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 (~122 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~40.7:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Valley Atwater Community's federal record.
- Compare Valley Atwater Community against another school. Compare schools
- Merced County Office of Education'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 Valley Atwater Community
How many students attend Valley Atwater Community?
Valley Atwater Community has 122 students enrolled. It is an alternative school in Atwater, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Valley Atwater Community?
The student-teacher ratio at Valley Atwater Community is 40.7:1, which is 89% higher than the California average of 21.5:1 and 159% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Valley Atwater Community?
88.9% of students at Valley Atwater Community are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Valley Atwater Community?
The largest demographic group at Valley Atwater Community is Hispanic or Latino at 82.0% of enrollment, in Atwater, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Valley Atwater Community?
Valley Atwater Community has a Resource Investment Index of 35/100 (typical 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 Valley Atwater Community rank among public schools in Atwater?
By Resource Investment Index, Valley Atwater Community ranks #6 of 13 public schools in Atwater, CA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Atwater on the city page.
Is Valley Atwater Community a good school?
Valley Atwater Community earns 35/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 99% 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 Merced County Office of Education?
Besides Valley Atwater Community, Merced County Office of Education also operates Merced County Special Education (942 students), Merced Scholars Charter (334 students), and Valley Los Banos Community (160 students). See the Merced County Office of Education 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.