Shaffer Elementary

Shaffer Elementary operates as a compact elementary school in Litchfield, California, operated by Shaffer Union Elementary. Current enrollment sits at 246 students spanning grades K through 8. Enrollment runs roughly 47% below the state mean of about 465.

Operationally, Shaffer Elementary answers to Shaffer Union Elementary, which sets policy, hires staff, and reports enrollment to the state.

On the student-mix side, Shaffer Elementary records that White students make up the majority at 68%; the rest is composed of 21% Hispanic, 6% multiracial, 2% Native American. That mix tracks the wider county fairly closely.

On the income-and-resources front, On paper, Shaffer Elementary has 11 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 23.4:1. The state averages around 22.3:1, so this campus is higher than the state norm typical. Roughly 61% of students at Shaffer Elementary qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment.

With demographic context factored in, Shaffer Elementary sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 43.2%; this one delivers 33.1%.

Across the wider county, the surrounding county (Lassen County) shows that median household income runs about $67,403, about 13% of the adult population holds a bachelor's degree or above, and roughly 10% of residents live below the federal poverty line. In all, Lassen County runs 25 public schools (combined enrollment of about 3,757 students), of which Shaffer Elementary is one.

Janesville Elementary is the nearest neighboring public school, about 9.6 miles from this campus. Among the 5 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), Shaffer Elementary ranks 3rd on composite proficiency, behind the local average of 34.8%.

Geographically, the school is in a rural area.

Trend over the last 7 years. Shaffer Elementary's enrollment has edged up 48% since 2018, when it stood at 166 (now 246). The White share of enrollment ticked up from 57% to 68% over that span. Class-load math has grew: from 17.3:1 in 2018 to 23.4:1 in 2025.

On the community side, posts here usually surface around open house dates, ride-share offers, and field-trip permission slips. Posting is open to anyone connected to the school.