CaliforniaSchoolsVista Colorado Elementary

Vista Colorado Elementary

PublicRegular
Needles, California · Needles Unified
Students327enrolled
FRL83%Free/Reduced Lunch
Ratio21.8:1students:teacher
LevelPrimary0–5
SCHOOL SNAPSHOT
Students327
Grade Span0–5
Student:Teacher21.8:1
Free/Reduced Lunch83%
Title INo
SectorPublic

Finance

School finance is reported at the district (LEA) level. The figures below cover the full Needles Unified.

Per-pupil spending (2022)
$25,323
Total district expenditure
$23,095,000
Total district revenue
$22,777,000
District enrollment
912

Revenue sources

Federal$5,145,000(22.6%)
State$12,426,000(54.6%)
Local$5,206,000(22.9%)

Spending breakdown

Instruction (teacher salaries, classroom materials)$11,674,000
Support services (admin, transport, building ops)$6,365,000

Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, FY 2022. Figures cover the entire district; individual school-level spending is not published.

US public school funding 101

  • Local revenue (property taxes) is typically the largest source in most states, though this varies widely.
  • State revenue equalization formulas aim to reduce disparities between wealthy and poor districts.
  • Federal revenue is usually 6-10% of budget — Title I (poverty), IDEA (special education), ESSER (COVID relief).
  • Per-pupil spending varies from under $10,000 to over $30,000 across states; California averages around $15,000, New York around $28,000.