Mahadev Maitri Foundation
US Initiatives
Elementary Schools

Best Elementary Schools
in Chico Unified

This page covers 12 elementary schools in Chico Unified. Rankings use a composite of neighborhood opportunity, class sizes, and per-student investment — signals available consistently from federal data across all US public schools. Schools in this district score near the national median on neighborhood opportunity. Use these rankings as a starting point; pair them with school visits and conversations with local parents before making any enrollment decision.

12
Schools Ranked
California
State
None
Charter Schools
RankingsHow We RankFAQAbout Data

Elementary Schools Rankings

Showing 10 of 12
1
rank
Hooker Oak Elementary
Grades KG–05291 students
Ranked for: above-average investment ($17,486/student)
50
/100
Student:Teacher
18.2:1
Near nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
47/100
Near nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$17,486
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
49%
Near nat'l 52.2%
2
rank
Sierra View Elementary
Grades KG–05456 students
Ranked for: above-average investment ($17,486/student)
49
/100
Student:Teacher
20.9:1
Near nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
47/100
Near nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$17,486
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
34%
Low economic need
3
rank
Neal Dow Elementary
Grades KG–05335 students
Ranked for: above-average investment ($17,486/student)
48
/100
Student:Teacher
17.6:1
Near nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
47/100
Near nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$17,486
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
69%
High economic need
4
rank
Emma Wilson Elementary
Grades KG–05565 students
Ranked for: above-average investment ($17,486/student)
47
/100
Student:Teacher
19.9:1
Near nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
47/100
Near nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$17,486
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
63%
Near nat'l 52.2%
5
rank
Shasta Elementary
Grades KG–05646 students
Ranked for: above-average investment ($17,486/student)
46
/100
Student:Teacher
22.3:1
Near nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
47/100
Near nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$17,486
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
45%
Near nat'l 52.2%
6
rank
Parkview Elementary
Grades KG–05406 students
Ranked for: above-average investment ($17,486/student)
45
/100
Student:Teacher
21.7:1
Near nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
44/100
Near nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$17,486
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
50%
Near nat'l 52.2%
7
rank
Little Chico Creek Elementary
Grades KG–05431 students
Ranked for: above-average investment ($17,486/student)
45
/100
Student:Teacher
19.5:1
Near nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
44/100
Near nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$17,486
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
74%
High economic need
8
rank
Rosedale Elementary
Grades KG–05543 students
Ranked for: above-average investment ($17,486/student)
44
/100
Student:Teacher
22.5:1
Near nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
44/100
Near nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$17,486
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
53%
Near nat'l 52.2%
9
rank
McManus (John A.) Elementary
Grades KG–05415 students
Ranked for: above-average investment ($17,486/student)
43
/100
Student:Teacher
21.4:1
Near nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
47/100
Near nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$17,486
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
81%
High economic need
10
rank
Citrus Avenue Elementary
Grades KG–05341 students
Ranked for: above-average investment ($17,486/student)
43
/100
Student:Teacher
21.3:1
Near nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
47/100
Near nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$17,486
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
86%
High economic need
2 more elementary schools in Chico Unified not shown here.
View all schools in Chico Unified
How We Rank Elementary Schools

Each school receives a composite score (0–100) built from 4 federal data signals, weighted to reflect what matters most at the elementary school level. All signals are normalised against national benchmarks so a school's score reflects its standing across the entire US, not just within this district.

Neighborhood Opportunity
40%
Harvard Opportunity Atlas score for the school's neighbourhood. Higher means children from this area historically achieve stronger economic outcomes.
Student-Teacher Ratio
30%
Lower ratio = smaller classes = more individual attention per child. Normalised against national range.
Per-Pupil Expenditure
20%
Annual district spending per enrolled student from the NCES F-33 Finance Survey. Compared against national average.
Free Lunch Rate
10%
Percentage of students qualifying for free/reduced-price lunch. Used as a neighbourhood economic-context signal.
Test scores are excluded: they are not published as consistent open federal data across all states, making reliable cross-district comparison impossible with this signal alone.
District at a Glance
12
Elementary Schools
22
Total Schools
50
#1 Score
45
Avg Score
District profileChico Unified
Top Ranked Elementary School
1
Compare Chico Unified with neighbouring districts
⇄ Compare districts
Frequently Asked Questions
About This Data

All figures on this page come directly from US federal open datasets: NCES Common Core of Data (enrollment, school characteristics, student-teacher ratios), NCES F-33 Finance Survey (per-pupil expenditure), Harvard Opportunity Atlas (neighbourhood opportunity scores). Federal data is published on an annual cycle and may not reflect the very latest school-year changes. Rankings reflect available data and should be used as a starting point — not a substitute for visiting schools or consulting district resources directly. What this ranking does not measure: teacher quality, classroom culture, extracurricular programmes, school safety, or parent and student satisfaction.