Enrollment
16
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Whitethorn, CA
Whitethorn Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Whitethorn Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 49/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 063759006370
👥 S:T ratio 68
🌟 Gifted program 30
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Whitethorn Elementary earns 49/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 97% of California schools. It is also one of the smallest schools in California.
- #1 of 3
- public schools in Whitethorn · Resource Index
- 49
- Resource Index · Higher
- 8:1
- small classes for California
- 77.8%
- free-lunch eligible
Whitethorn Elementary has class sizes smaller than 97% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Whitethorn Elementary ranks #1 of 3 public schools in Whitethorn, CA.
School address
District: Southern Humboldt Joint Unified · California
NCES ID 063759006370 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
2.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
8:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-63% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
77.8%
vs 55.5% California avg
+40% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Whitethorn Elementary compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Whitethorn Elementary
Whitethorn Elementary is a high-poverty, small elementary school in Whitethorn, California, enrolling 16 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 8:1, Whitethorn Elementary is leaner than roughly 97% of California schools and 63% under the state's 21.5:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 77.8% of students eligible for free meals.
This is a small campus: fewer students than 97% of California schools, with 16 enrolled.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 91% of the 9,998 California schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Against 105 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #52.
Its student body is led by White (63%) and Hispanic or Latino (25%) (diversity index 53/100).
Among Whitethorn's elementary schools, it stands alongside Whale Gulch Elementary (36 students): Whitethorn Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (8:1 vs 18:1).
Southern Humboldt Joint Unified also operates Redway Elementary (272 students) and South Fork High (211 students) alongside Whitethorn 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 Whitethorn Elementary compares
Whitethorn 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 | 8:1 | ▼ 63% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 77.8% | ▲ 40% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 16 | top 97% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
8:1
Leaner classes than 95% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
16
Bigger than 2% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
77.8%
free-lunch eligible
- 40% 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
8:1
students per teacher
- 63% below state mean
Top 3% in California - lower ratio than 97% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Funding equity
$16,608
per pupil, district-wide
- above California avg of $16,509
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
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
White 62.5%
Hispanic or Latino 25.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native 12.5%
Largest group: White at 62.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 53.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 53.1, Whitethorn Elementary is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Southern Humboldt Joint Unified, which includes Whitethorn Elementary.
$16,608
Per student
+1%
vs California
Avg $16,509
+0%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 44.3%
State 43.7%
Federal 12.0%
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 Whitethorn Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Redway Elementary | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| South Fork High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Miranda Junior High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Casterlin Elementary | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Osprey Learning Center | Smaller | No free-lunch data | No ratio data |
Comparisons are relative to Whitethorn Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 272
- Students per teacher
- 22.7:1
- Resource Index
- 13/100
- Enrollment
- 211
- Students per teacher
- 14.1:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
- Enrollment
- 88
- Students per teacher
- 17.6:1
- Resource Index
- 15/100
- Enrollment
- 39
- Students per teacher
- 19.5:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 9
- Students per teacher
- -
- Resource Index
- 57/100
Similar elementary schools in Whitethorn
1 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 (~16 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~8:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Whitethorn Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Whitethorn Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Southern Humboldt Joint 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 Whitethorn Elementary
How many students attend Whitethorn Elementary?
Whitethorn Elementary has 16 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Whitethorn, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Whitethorn Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Whitethorn Elementary is 8:1, which is 63% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 49% lower 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 Whitethorn Elementary?
77.8% of students at Whitethorn Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Whitethorn Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Whitethorn Elementary is White at 62.5% of enrollment, in Whitethorn, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 53.1/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Whitethorn Elementary?
Whitethorn Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 49/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 2 factors: student-teacher ratio. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology). Limited indicators were available, so the index reflects partial data.
How does Whitethorn Elementary rank among public schools in Whitethorn?
By Resource Investment Index, Whitethorn Elementary ranks #1 of 3 public schools in Whitethorn, CA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Whitethorn on the city page.
Is Whitethorn Elementary a good school?
Whitethorn Elementary earns 49/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 97% of California schools. It is also one of the smallest schools in California. 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 Southern Humboldt Joint Unified?
Besides Whitethorn Elementary, Southern Humboldt Joint Unified also operates Redway Elementary (272 students), South Fork High (211 students), and Miranda Junior High (88 students). See the Southern Humboldt Joint 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.