Enrollment
688
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Visalia, CA
Valley Life Charter
Federal NCES profile for Valley Life Charter, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 49/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 060150812862Charter school
👥 S:T ratio 31
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 31
📋 Attendance 64
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Valley Life Charter earns 49/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 83% of California schools.
- #3 of 9
- schools in Visalia · Resource Index
- 49
- Resource Index · Higher
- 17.2:1
- small classes for California
- 29.6%
- free-lunch eligible
Valley Life Charter has class sizes smaller than 83% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Valley Life Charter ranks #3 of 9 schools in Visalia, CA.
School address
District: Valley Life Charter District · California
NCES ID 060150812862 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
40.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.2:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-20% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
29.6%
vs 55.5% California avg
-47% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Valley Life Charter compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Valley Life Charter
Valley Life Charter is a mid-sized charter combined-grade school in Visalia, California, enrolling 688 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 17.2:1 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 29.6% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 688 puts it in the larger third of California schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 91% of the 9,998 California schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Among 1,347 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need California schools statewide, it ranks #56, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (48%) and White (42%) (diversity index 59/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 344 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
14.5% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
The surrounding Valley Life Charter District spends $12,364 per pupil, 25% below the California average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Among Visalia's public schools, it stands alongside Special Education (1,141 students): Valley Life Charter is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (17.2:1 vs 11.8:1).
Valley Life Charter District is a single-school charter district, so Valley Life Charter operates independently rather than alongside district-mates.
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 Life Charter compares
Valley Life Charter on the metrics families compare, against California and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs California | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 17.2:1 | ▼ 20% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 29.6% | ▼ 47% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 688 | top 25% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
17.2:1
Leaner classes than 29% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
688
Bigger than 79% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
29.6%
free-lunch eligible
- 47% 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
17.2:1
students per teacher
- 20% below state mean
Top 17% in California - lower ratio than 83% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
14.5%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 10-15% range, above the pre-pandemic national baseline but within the broader post-pandemic picture.
Funding equity
$12,364
per pupil, district-wide
- below California avg of $16,509
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 344 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
22
in-school suspensions + 6 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 3.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 4.1 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 48.0%
White 42.2%
Two or More 6.7%
Asian 1.5%
African American 1.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 48.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 58.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 58.7, Valley Life Charter is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Valley Life Charter District, which includes Valley Life Charter.
$12,364
Per student
-25%
vs California
Avg $16,509
-25%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 16.5%
State 74.8%
Federal 8.7%
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.
Similar other schools in Visalia
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Special Education
Special-education school
1,141 students 11.8:1 students per teacher
Crescent Valley Public Charter Ii
Standard public school
852 students 40.6:1 students per teacher
Visalia Charter Independent Study
Standard public school
515 students 10.5:1 students per teacher
Eleanor Roosevelt Community Learning Center
Standard public school
467 students 33.4:1 students per teacher
La Sierra High
Standard public school
191 students 13.6:1 students per teacher
Tulare County Court
Alternative education program
66 students 13.2:1 students per teacher
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 (~688 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~17.2:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Valley Life Charter's federal record.
- Compare Valley Life Charter against another school. Compare schools
- Valley Life Charter District'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 Life Charter
How many students attend Valley Life Charter?
Valley Life Charter has 688 students enrolled. It is a public school in Visalia, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Valley Life Charter?
The student-teacher ratio at Valley Life Charter is 17.2:1, which is 20% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 10% 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 Valley Life Charter?
29.6% of students at Valley Life Charter are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Valley Life Charter?
The largest demographic group at Valley Life Charter is Hispanic or Latino at 48.0% of enrollment, in Visalia, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 58.7/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Valley Life Charter?
Valley Life Charter has a Resource Investment Index of 49/100 (higher 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 Life Charter rank among schools in Visalia?
By Resource Investment Index, Valley Life Charter ranks #3 of 9 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 schools in Visalia on the city page.
Is Valley Life Charter a good school?
Valley Life Charter earns 49/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 83% 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 Valley Life Charter District?
None; Valley Life Charter District is a single-school charter district, and Valley Life Charter is its only campus.
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.