Round Valley Elementary

Located at 300 North Round Valley Rd., in Bishop, California, Round Valley Elementary is an one-room-style elementary school that teaches 68 students (grades K through 5), operated by Round Valley Joint Elementary. By comparison, California's public schools average about 465 students each, so Round Valley Elementary sits 85% below that benchmark.

Round Valley Elementary is a school of Round Valley Joint Elementary, the district that handles curriculum, staffing, and budget for the campus.

In terms of who attends, Round Valley Elementary lists that the largest single group is White, at 72% of enrollment. Beyond that, the school reports 12% Hispanic, 9% multiracial, 4% Native American, 3% Asian. By comparison, Inyo County as a whole is about 62% White, so the school skews visibly more White than its surroundings.

Looking at school resources, The school currently runs with 6 full-time-equivalent teachers, for a student-teacher ratio near 11.3:1. That figure is tighter than the state norm's 22.3:1 average. Around 24% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment. That share is noticeably below Inyo County's rate of about 57%.

Adjusting for the school's free-and-reduced-lunch share, Round Valley Elementary tracks the demographic baseline. The model predicts 65.5% given the school's FRL share; actual proficiency is 67.5%.

In the area at large, ACS estimates for Inyo County put median household income runs about $73,991, roughly 32% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and the poverty rate sits near 8%. Across Inyo County's 23 public schools (combined enrollment of about 2,539 students), Round Valley Elementary is one campus in the mix.

The closest other public school is Jill Kinmont Boothe, roughly 9.3 miles away. On composite proficiency, Round Valley Elementary comes 1st of 4 in the immediate cluster, higher than the nearby-schools average of 36.8%.

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

Over the past 7-year window. Over the past 7-year window, the student count contracted 52%: 143 students in 2018 compared to 68 in 2025. White enrollment moved from 63% to 72% across the same window. Class-load math has pulled in: from 15.9:1 in 2018 to 11.3:1 in 2025.

On the community side, the feed for Round Valley Elementary typically covers science fair prep, picture-day reminders, and bus-route questions. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.