Enrollment
349
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Thermal, CA
Westside Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Westside Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 20/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 060907000930
👥 S:T ratio 30
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Westside Elementary earns 20/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 82% of California schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most California schools.
- #2 of 4
- elementary schools in Thermal · Resource Index
- 20
- Resource Index · Lower
- 17.4:1
- small classes for California
- 82.8%
- free-lunch eligible
Westside Elementary has class sizes smaller than 82% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Westside Elementary ranks #2 of 4 elementary schools in Thermal, CA.
School address
District: Coachella Valley Unified · California
NCES ID 060907000930 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
20.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.4:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-19% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
82.8%
vs 55.5% California avg
+49% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Westside Elementary compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Westside Elementary
Westside Elementary is a high-poverty, mid-sized elementary school in Thermal, California, enrolling 349 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 17.4:1 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need is high: 82.8% of students qualify for free meals, 49% above the California average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
Enrollment of 349 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 9,998 scored California schools.
Among 1,450 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need California schools statewide, it ranks #1,095, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (97% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 5/100).
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 53.6% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 15.5% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Thermal's elementary schools, it stands alongside Las Palmitas Elementary (570 students): Westside Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (17.4:1 vs 21.9:1).
Coachella Valley Unified also operates Coachella Valley High (2,300 students) and Desert Mirage High (1,875 students) alongside Westside Elementary.
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 Westside Elementary compares
Westside 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 | 17.4:1 | ▼ 19% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 82.8% | ▲ 49% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 349 | top 68% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
17.4:1
Leaner classes than 28% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
349
Bigger than 40% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
82.8%
free-lunch eligible
- 49% 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
17.4:1
students per teacher
- 19% below state mean
Top 18% in California - lower ratio than 82% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
53.6%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$18,466
per pupil, district-wide
- above California avg of $16,509
Somewhat above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 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 97.4%
White 1.4%
African American 0.3%
Asian 0.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Two or More 0.3%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 97.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 5.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 5.1, Westside Elementary is less mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Coachella Valley Unified, which includes Westside Elementary.
$18,466
Per student
+12%
vs California
Avg $16,509
+11%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 22.5%
State 62.1%
Federal 15.5%
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.
How Westside Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coachella Valley High | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Desert Mirage High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Toro Canyon Middle | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Saul Martinez Elementary | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Coral Mountain Academy | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Westside Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,300
- Students per teacher
- 18.3:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 1,875
- Students per teacher
- 19.5:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
- Enrollment
- 989
- Students per teacher
- 22:1
- Resource Index
- 21/100
- Enrollment
- 961
- Students per teacher
- 23.4:1
- Resource Index
- 12/100
- Enrollment
- 815
- Students per teacher
- 20.4:1
- Resource Index
- 16/100
Similar elementary schools in Thermal
3 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
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 (~349 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~17.4:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Westside Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Westside Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Coachella Valley Unified'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 Westside Elementary
How many students attend Westside Elementary?
Westside Elementary has 349 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Thermal, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Westside Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Westside Elementary is 17.4:1, which is 19% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 11% 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 Westside Elementary?
82.8% of students at Westside Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Westside Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Westside Elementary is Hispanic or Latino at 97.4% of enrollment, in Thermal, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Westside Elementary?
Westside Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 20/100 (lower 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 Westside Elementary rank among elementary schools in Thermal?
By Resource Investment Index, Westside Elementary ranks #2 of 4 elementary schools in Thermal, 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 Thermal on the city page.
Is Westside Elementary a good school?
Westside Elementary earns 20/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 82% of California schools. 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 Coachella Valley Unified?
Besides Westside Elementary, Coachella Valley Unified also operates Coachella Valley High (2,300 students), Desert Mirage High (1,875 students), and Toro Canyon Middle (989 students). See the Coachella Valley Unified 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.