Manzanita Elementary

Manzanita Elementary, a close-knit K-5 school in Gridley, California, one of the schools within Manzanita Elementary, serves 306 students, covering grades K through 8. Enrollment runs roughly 34% smaller than the state mean of about 465.

Manzanita Elementary sits inside Manzanita Elementary, the local public-school operator responsible for the campus.

Demographically, Manzanita Elementary logs that 46% of students identify as Hispanic, with the remaining enrollment distributed across several groups. Other groups include 43% White, 6% multiracial, 3% Asian. By comparison, Butte County as a whole is about 20% Hispanic, so the school skews noticeably more Hispanic than its surroundings.

In terms of school funding signals, Staff filings list 16 full-time-equivalent teachers, which works out to roughly 18.7:1 students per teacher. The state averages around 22.3:1, so this campus is tighter than the state norm typical. Roughly 43% of students at Manzanita Elementary qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which schools and policymakers use as a rough income-mix signal. Set against Butte County (around 63%), the school's rate is somewhat below typical.

With demographic context factored in, Manzanita Elementary sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 54.0%; this one delivers 44.8%.

Around the school, the surrounding county (Butte County) logs that median household earnings sit near $67,928, roughly 32% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and roughly 12% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Manzanita Elementary is one of 96 public schools in Butte County (combined enrollment of about 29,730 students).

Nearest neighbor: Wilson Elementary, around 2.6 miles off. 8 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius. On composite proficiency, Manzanita Elementary comes 3rd of 6 in the immediate cluster, beneath the nearby-schools average of 46.9%.

Geographically, the school is in a low-density area.

Five-year trend. Over the past 7-year window, the student count ticked up 5%: 291 students in 2018 compared to 306 in 2025. Hispanic enrollment moved from 38% to 46% across the same window. Class-load math has pulled in: from 23.4:1 in 2018 to 18.7:1 in 2025.

On this page, the feed for Manzanita Elementary typically covers pickup logistics, teacher feedback, and after-school programs. Parents, students, alumni, and staff are welcome to weigh in.