Enrollment
427
California · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 064125006832
Walnut Heights Elementary — Walnut Creek, CA
Federal NCES profile for Walnut Heights Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 35/100.
👥 Class size 5
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 71
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 →
School address
District: Walnut Creek Elementary · 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)
17.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
23.7:1
vs 21.6:1 California avg
+10% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
12.9%
vs 55.5% California avg
-77% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Walnut Heights 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
Walnut Heights Elementary reports 427 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 17.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 23.7:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 10% above the California state mean of 21.6:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 49% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 12.9% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 77% below the California average and 75% below the national baseline. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 11.7% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Walnut Creek Elementary spends $17,179 per pupil district-wide, below the California average of $18,039 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 74.2% from local sources (property taxes), 17.4% from the state, and 8.3% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 35/100 (F), 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 Walnut Heights 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 | 23.7:1 | ▲ 10% | 21.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 12.9% | ▼ 77% | 55.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 427 | top 44% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 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
12.9%
free-lunch eligible
— 77% 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
23.7:1
students per teacher
— 10% above state mean
Top 69% in California — lower ratio than 31% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Engagement
11.7%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Between 10–20% — above the pre-pandemic baseline of ~15% nationally but within the current U.S. range.
Funding equity
$17,179
per pupil, district-wide
— below California avg of $18,039
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 4 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.2 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 427 Top 44% in California — larger than 56% of 10,006 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 17.0
Students per teacher 23.7:1 +10% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 12.9% -77% vs state
NCES ID 064125006832
Student demographics
White 55.3%
Hispanic or Latino 16.9%
Two or More 14.1%
Asian 11.9%
African American 1.9%
Largest group: White at 55.3% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 11.7%
In-school suspensions 1
Out-of-school suspensions 4
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Walnut Creek Elementary, which includes Walnut Heights Elementary.
$17,179
Per student
-5%
vs California
Avg $18,039
-12%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 74.2%
State 17.4%
Federal 8.3%
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
- 940
- Students per teacher
- 23.5:1
- Enrollment
- 495
- Students per teacher
- 23.3:1
- Enrollment
- 478
- Students per teacher
- 23.1:1
- Enrollment
- 451
- Students per teacher
- 22.2:1
- Enrollment
- 451
- Students per teacher
- 22.3:1
Similar elementary schools in Walnut Creek
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Walnut Acres Elementary
Standard public school
689 students 30.4:1 students per teacher
Bancroft Elementary
Standard public school
672 students 27:1 students per teacher
Buena Vista Elementary
Standard public school
495 students 23.3:1 students per teacher
Valle Verde Elementary
Standard public school
485 students 31.1:1 students per teacher
Parkmead Elementary
Standard public school
478 students 23.1:1 students per teacher
Murwood Elementary
Standard public school
451 students 22.2:1 students per teacher
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 Walnut Heights Elementary
How many students attend Walnut Heights Elementary?
Walnut Heights Elementary has 427 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in Walnut Creek, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Walnut Heights Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Walnut Heights Elementary is 23.7:1, which is 10% higher than the California average of 21.6:1 and 49% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Walnut Heights Elementary?
12.9% of students at Walnut Heights Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Walnut Heights Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Walnut Heights Elementary is White at 55.3%. The school serves a diverse student body in Walnut Creek, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Walnut Heights Elementary?
Walnut Heights Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 35/100 (F) 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.