Enrollment
220
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Tulare, CA
Waukena Joint Union Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Waukena Joint Union Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 32/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 064182006870
👥 S:T ratio 12
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 55
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Waukena Joint Union Elementary earns 32/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most California schools.
- #4 of 20
- elementary schools in Tulare · Resource Index
- 32
- Resource Index · Typical
- 22:1
- students per teacher
- 74.3%
- free-lunch eligible
Waukena Joint Union Elementary has class sizes near the California median. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Waukena Joint Union Elementary ranks #4 of 20 elementary schools in Tulare, CA.
School address
District: Waukena Joint Union Elementary · California
NCES ID 064182006870 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
10.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
22:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
+2% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
74.3%
vs 55.5% California avg
+34% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Waukena Joint Union Elementary compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Waukena Joint Union Elementary
Waukena Joint Union Elementary is a higher-need, mid-sized elementary school in Tulare, California, enrolling 220 students.
At 22:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the California median, within a few percentage points of the 21.5:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 74.3% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 220 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 659 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #322.
Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (92% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 14/100).
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 18.2% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Its district draws 22.5% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Tulare's elementary schools, it stands alongside Liberty Elementary (861 students): Waukena Joint Union Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (22:1 vs 26.1:1).
Waukena Joint Union Elementary operates only this one school, so Waukena Joint Union Elementary has no district-mates to compare against locally.
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 Waukena Joint Union Elementary compares
Waukena Joint Union 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 | 22:1 | ▲ 2% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 74.3% | ▲ 34% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 220 | top 81% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
22:1
Leaner classes than 10% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
220
Bigger than 22% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
74.3%
free-lunch eligible
- 34% above the California average of 55.5%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
22:1
students per teacher
- 2% above state mean
Top 53% in California - lower ratio than 47% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
18.2%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$15,056
per pupil, district-wide
- below California avg of $16,509
Somewhat 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
0
in-school suspensions + 5 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.3 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 92.3%
White 7.7%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 92.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 14.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 14.2, Waukena Joint Union Elementary is less mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Waukena Joint Union Elementary, which includes Waukena Joint Union Elementary.
$15,056
Per student
-9%
vs California
Avg $16,509
-9%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 10.8%
State 66.7%
Federal 22.5%
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 elementary schools in Tulare
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Liberty Elementary
Standard public school
861 students 26.1:1 students per teacher
Sundale Elementary
Standard public school
840 students 26.3:1 students per teacher
Mulcahy Middle
Standard public school
745 students 22.6:1 students per teacher
Garden Elementary
Standard public school
689 students 23.8:1 students per teacher
Mission Valley Elementary
Standard public school
671 students 23.1:1 students per teacher
Pleasant Elementary
Standard public school
668 students 23.9:1 students per teacher
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 (~220 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Waukena Joint Union Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Waukena Joint Union Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Waukena Joint Union Elementary'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 Waukena Joint Union Elementary
How many students attend Waukena Joint Union Elementary?
Waukena Joint Union Elementary has 220 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Tulare, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Waukena Joint Union Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Waukena Joint Union Elementary is 22:1, which is 2% higher than the California average of 21.5:1 and 40% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Waukena Joint Union Elementary?
74.3% of students at Waukena Joint Union Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Waukena Joint Union Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Waukena Joint Union Elementary is Hispanic or Latino at 92.3% of enrollment, in Tulare, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Waukena Joint Union Elementary?
Waukena Joint Union Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 32/100 (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 Waukena Joint Union Elementary rank among elementary schools in Tulare?
By Resource Investment Index, Waukena Joint Union Elementary ranks #4 of 20 elementary schools in Tulare, 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 Tulare on the city page.
Is Waukena Joint Union Elementary a good school?
Waukena Joint Union Elementary earns 32/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most 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 Waukena Joint Union Elementary?
None reported; Waukena Joint Union Elementary operates only Waukena Joint Union Elementary as a public school district in NCES's records.
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.