Enrollment
736
California · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 060270007642
West Valley Early College High — Cottonwood, CA
Federal NCES profile for West Valley Early College High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 33/100.
👥 Class size 11
📚 AP courses 15
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 51
📋 Attendance 16
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: Anderson Union High · 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)
33.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
22.2:1
vs 21.6:1 California avg
+3% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
38.2%
vs 55.5% California avg
-31% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How West Valley Early College High 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
West Valley Early College High reports 736 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 33.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 22.2:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 3% 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 40% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 38.2% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 31% below the California average and 26% below the national baseline. The school offers 3 Advanced Placement courses, a stronger academic pipeline indicator than enrollment alone. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 245 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 33.6% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Anderson Union High spends $16,046 per pupil district-wide, below the California average of $18,039 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 39.7% from local sources (property taxes), 47.7% from the state, and 12.6% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 33/100 (F), calculated from 5 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 West Valley Early College High 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 | 22.2:1 | ▲ 3% | 21.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 38.2% | ▼ 31% | 55.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 736 | top 79% | — | — |
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
38.2%
free-lunch eligible
— 31% 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
22.2:1
students per teacher
— 3% above state mean
Top 52% in California — lower ratio than 48% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Engagement
33.6%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$16,046
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
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 245 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
14
in-school suspensions + 41 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 7.5 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 1 expulsion.
Overview
Enrollment 736 Top 79% in California — larger than 21% of 10,006 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 33.0
Students per teacher 22.2:1 +3% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 38.2% -31% vs state
NCES ID 060270007642
Student demographics
White 68.1%
Hispanic or Latino 19.7%
Two or More 4.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native 3.5%
African American 1.8%
Asian 1.8%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.4%
Largest group: White at 68.1% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 3
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 3.0
Students per counselor 245:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 33.6%
In-school suspensions 14
Out-of-school suspensions 41
Expulsions 1
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Anderson Union High, which includes West Valley Early College High.
$16,046
Per student
-11%
vs California
Avg $18,039
-18%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 39.7%
State 47.7%
Federal 12.6%
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
- 562
- Students per teacher
- 21.8:1
- Enrollment
- 102
- Students per teacher
- 10.9:1
- Enrollment
- 92
- Students per teacher
- 44:1
- Enrollment
- 72
- Students per teacher
- 18:1
- Enrollment
- 16
- Students per teacher
- 11:1
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 West Valley Early College High
How many students attend West Valley Early College High?
West Valley Early College High has 736 students enrolled. It is a high school in Cottonwood, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at West Valley Early College High?
The student-teacher ratio at West Valley Early College High is 22.2:1, which is 3% higher than the California average of 21.6:1 and 40% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at West Valley Early College High?
38.2% of students at West Valley Early College High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of West Valley Early College High?
The largest demographic group at West Valley Early College High is White at 68.1%. The school serves a diverse student body in Cottonwood, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for West Valley Early College High?
West Valley Early College High has a Resource Investment Index of 33/100 (F) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.