Peter Pendleton Elementary

Peter Pendleton Elementary is a medium-sized elementary campus in Coachella, California, run under Coachella Valley Unified. The school works with 499 students in grades K through 6.

Coachella Valley Unified runs 21 schools in total, collectively educating 15,817 students. Peter Pendleton Elementary is one of those campuses.

Looking at the student body, Peter Pendleton Elementary reports that 98% of students identify as Hispanic, making the school strongly Hispanic-majority. That is considerably more Hispanic than the county at large, where the share is closer to 51%.

Looking at school resources, On paper, Peter Pendleton Elementary has 21 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 23.5:1. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 22.3:1, putting Peter Pendleton Elementary higher than the state norm the norm. Around 96% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment. Set against Riverside County (around 74%), the school's rate is somewhat above typical.

On a demographically-adjusted basis, Peter Pendleton Elementary sits in the top 10% of California schools after the BeatsExpectations adjustment. Predicted proficiency for the school's FRL share is roughly 22.2%; actual is 41.4%, +19.2 points clear of the demographic baseline.

Zooming out to the county, community-level numbers for Riverside County indicate the typical household earns roughly $93,074 per year, roughly 26% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and the poverty rate sits near 8%. Peter Pendleton Elementary is one of 543 public schools in Riverside County (combined enrollment of about 424,872 students).

Nearest neighbor: NOVA Academy - Coachella, around 0.1 miles off. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools. On composite proficiency, Peter Pendleton Elementary comes 1st of 7 in the immediate cluster, ahead of the nearby-schools average of 26.4%.

Geographically, the school is in an outer-ring area.

Looking at the recent track record. Over the past 7-year window, the student count contracted 12%: 564 students in 2018 compared to 499 in 2025.

In the discussion threads here, the page collects discussion, questions, and updates around science fair prep, picture-day reminders, and bus-route questions. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.