Piute Mountain Elementary

Set in Caliente, California, Piute Mountain Elementary is an one-room-style K-5 school, run under Caliente Union Elementary. It educates 44 students across grades K through 8. Enrollment runs roughly 91% below the state mean of about 465.

Caliente Union Elementary is the operating authority for Piute Mountain Elementary, handling staffing, calendars, and reporting to the state department of education.

In terms of who attends, Piute Mountain Elementary shows that White students make up the majority at 59%. The remainder consists of 32% Hispanic, 7% Native American, 2% multiracial. The wider county runs roughly 44% White, putting the school's mix considerably more White than the area baseline.

On the resource side, Piute Mountain Elementary lists 4 full-time-equivalent teachers, putting the student-to-teacher ratio at about 11.0:1. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 22.3:1, putting Piute Mountain Elementary tighter than the state norm the norm. Around 84% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, a number frequently used as a low-income enrollment indicator. Set against Kern County (around 76%), the school's rate is somewhat above typical.

On a residual basis (actual vs predicted given the student mix), Piute Mountain Elementary sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 29.4%; this one delivers 26.0%.

Zooming out to the county, Kern County reports that median household income runs about $70,210, 19% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and roughly 15% of residents live below the federal poverty line. In all, Kern County runs 279 public schools (combined enrollment of about 197,431 students), of which Piute Mountain Elementary is one.

EPIC de Cesar Chavez is the nearest neighboring public school, about 15.3 miles from this campus. Among the 6 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), Piute Mountain Elementary ranks 4th on composite proficiency, beneath the local average of 32.9%.

The campus sits in an outlying setting.

Trend over the last 7 years. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Piute Mountain Elementary has shrank 12%, going from 50 students in 2018 to 44 in 2025. Over the same period, the White share decreased from 72% to 59%. The student-to-teacher ratio tightened from 16.7:1 in 2018 to 11.0:1 today.

On the community side, recent activity here tends to focus on fundraisers, lost-and-found posts, and report-card season. Posting is open to anyone connected to the school.