Grand Island Elementary

Grand Island Elementary is one of the very small elementary campuss in Grimes, California, run under Pierce Joint Unified, with 49 students on its rolls from grades K through 6. By comparison, California's public schools average about 465 students each, so Grand Island Elementary sits 89% below that benchmark.

Across the 5 schools in Pierce Joint Unified (1,447 students total), Grand Island Elementary accounts for its share of the district's footprint.

On demographics, Grand Island Elementary logs that 78% of the student body identifies as Hispanic. Other groups include 16% White, 2% Asian, 2% multiracial, 2% Pacific Islander. The wider county runs roughly 63% Hispanic, putting the school's mix meaningfully more Hispanic than the area baseline.

In terms of school funding signals, On paper, Grand Island Elementary has 3 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 15.4:1. The state averages around 22.3:1, so this campus is tighter than the state norm typical. An estimated 67% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, often used as a Title I proxy. Set against Colusa County (around 78%), the school's rate is meaningfully below typical.

In the broader community, community-level numbers for Colusa County indicate the typical household earns roughly $75,672 per year, about 16% of the adult population holds a bachelor's degree or above, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 10%. Grand Island Elementary is one of 23 public schools in Colusa County (combined enrollment of about 4,732 students).

The closest other public school is Feather River Charter, roughly 3.2 miles away. Within ten miles, there are 6 other public schools, a sparser pattern than typical urban areas.

Geographically, the school is in a countryside area.

Over the past 7-year window. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Grand Island Elementary has ticked down 11%, going from 55 students in 2018 to 49 in 2025. The Hispanic share of enrollment decreased from 87% to 78% over that span. Class-load math has grew: from 13.8:1 in 2018 to 15.4:1 in 2025.

In the discussion threads here, recent activity here tends to focus on science fair prep, picture-day reminders, and bus-route questions. Contributors range from current parents to recent graduates and teachers.