School district · San Bernardino County

Needles Unified schools

Needles Unified has one public elementary school we score. Vista Colorado Elementary has a Scope Score of 70. Its middle school has a Scope Score of 66. Its high school has a Scope Score of 69.

75 is the typical California school. 100 is the best result in the state.

Needles High · campus drawing © OpenStreetMap contributors

Schools

4

listed public schools. We score one elementary, one middle and one high.

Students

921

in the October 2024–25 enrollment count.

Spending

$21,374

per student in 2024–25. The typical California district spent $20,491.

The path

What is the path through the district?

Needles Unified has one elementary school, one middle school and one high school that we score.

Elementary · grades k–5

Vista Colorado Elementary

Scope Score 70

Needs Support · 18th percentile

Middle · grades 6–8

Needles Middle

Scope Score 66

Needs Support · 3rd percentile

High · grades 9–12

Needles High

Scope Score 69

Needs Support · 17th percentile

Each score compares a school with California schools at its own level. The levels are not one ranking. Confirm the school for your address, grade and program with the district.

Elementary schools

Where does the elementary school we score in Needles Unified stand?

Vista Colorado Elementary has a Scope Score of 70. That is higher than 18 in 100 California elementary schools we score. It is the only public elementary school we score in Needles Unified.

AdvancedProficientBelow the standardEnglish and math tests combined

  1. Rank 1

    Vista Colorado Elementary

    Grades K–5 · 319 students

    82% below the standard

    Scope Score 70Needs Support · 18th percentile

Each score compares a school with the 5,726 California elementary schools we score. Source: California Department of Education, state tests (CAASPP), spring 2026.

Middle schools

Where does the middle school we score in Needles Unified stand?

Needles Middle has a Scope Score of 66. That is higher than 3 in 100 California middle schools we score. It is the only public middle school we score in Needles Unified.

AdvancedProficientBelow the standardEnglish and math tests combined

  1. Rank 1

    Needles Middle

    Grades 6–8 · 196 students

    79% below the standard

    Scope Score 66Needs Support · 3rd percentile

Each score compares a school with the 2,529 California middle schools we score. Source: California Department of Education, state tests (CAASPP), spring 2026.

High schools

Where does the high school we score in Needles Unified stand?

Needles High has a Scope Score of 69. That is higher than 17 in 100 California high schools we score. It is the only public high school we score in Needles Unified.

AdvancedProficientBelow the standardEnglish and math tests combined

  1. Rank 1

    Needles High

    Grades 9–12 · 269 students

    71% below the standard

    Scope Score 69Needs Support · 17th percentile

1 high school not ranked statewide

Students are placed here by probation, district or voluntary referral, including after an expulsion, so we don’t rank it.

Each score compares a school with the 1,498 California high schools we score. Source: California Department of Education, state tests (CAASPP), spring 2025. The state called the top two levels Exceeded and Met in spring 2025.

Against California

How does the district compare with California?

Students from low-income families: 82% here. California: 63%.

Students from low-income families

Qualify for free or reduced-price meals

Needles Unified82%
California63%

Spending per student

Day-to-day spending, 2024–25

Needles Unified$21,374
Typical district$20,491

Meals: 757 of 921 students, 2024–25, summed from the state’s meal counts for every school listed under the district, charters included. Spending: day-to-day spending per student in average daily attendance, 2024–25. The typical district is the middle one when California districts are put in order. Source: California Department of Education, English learner progress files.

The district

Where does Needles Unified’s money go?

About 59 cents of every Needles Unified dollar went to classroom instruction.

$21,374

spent per student in the 2024–25 school year. The typical California district spent $20,491.

Every dollar, by what it paid for

  • Instruction59%
  • Buildings & maintenance14%
  • Administration11%
  • Instruction support10%
  • Student services6%

The district’s 2026–27 spending plan puts $4.5 million into 21 funded actions in 4 goals. That is 22% of its $20.4 million general fund budget. These are planned amounts. The district reports what it spent in a later plan.

Spending is day-to-day spending per student in average daily attendance, from the district’s annual financial report (SACS) to the California Department of Education, 2024–25. It covers the whole district, including central administration. Shares are rounded so they add up to 100. Planned amounts are from the yearly spending plan (LCAP) as posted to the California School Dashboard.

State records

Who attends, and is the state giving extra help?

921 students were enrolled in the October 2024–25 count. Needles Unified isn’t getting extra state help in 2026, only the standard support every district gets.

Who goes to the district’s schools

  • White 42%
  • Hispanic or Latino 35%
  • American Indian or Alaska Native 12%
  • Two or more races 6%
  • Black or African American 4%
  • Other or not reported 1%
October 2024–25 enrollment count, including the district’s charter schools. Source: California Department of Education.

Is the state giving the district extra help?

Needles Unified isn’t getting extra state help in 2026, only the standard support every district gets.

State results from the 2026 California School Dashboard. Source: District help (CDE).

1 school getting state support, 2025–26

This list covers the district’s own schools; each charter school’s page shows its record. Federal designation under the Every Student Succeeds Act, 2025–26. Source: School support (CDE).

Common questions

What do parents ask about this district?

  • Are the public schools in Needles Unified good?

    Needles Unified has one public elementary school we score. Vista Colorado Elementary has a Scope Score of 70. It is Needs Support, at the 18th percentile. Needles Unified has one public middle school we score. Needles Middle has a Scope Score of 66. It is Needs Support, at the 3rd percentile. Needles Unified has one public high school we score. Needles High has a Scope Score of 69. It is Needs Support, at the 17th percentile. 75 is the typical California school. 100 is the best result in the state. How we score schools.

  • Which public schools in Needles Unified rank highest?

    Vista Colorado Elementary is the only elementary school we score here. It has a Scope Score of 70. It is Needs Support, at the 18th percentile. Needles Middle is the only middle school we score here. It has a Scope Score of 66. It is Needs Support, at the 3rd percentile. Needles High is the only high school we score here. It has a Scope Score of 69. It is Needs Support, at the 17th percentile. Each score compares a school with the California schools at the same level we score. A rank doesn’t decide fit or whether a child can enroll.

  • How much does Needles Unified spend per student?

    Needles Unified spent $21,374 per student in the 2024–25 school year. That’s close to the typical California district, which spent $20,491. About 59 cents of every Needles Unified dollar went to classroom instruction. Day-to-day spending per student in average daily attendance, from its annual financial report to the California Department of Education. The district’s spending, by function.

  • What is in Needles Unified’s 2026–27 spending plan?

    The district’s 2026–27 spending plan puts $4.5 million into 21 funded actions in 4 goals. That is 22% of its $20.4 million general fund budget. Its largest goal holds $2.4 million, 53% of the action budgets. The 2026–27 plan, goal by goal.

  • Does living in the Needles Unified district decide which school my child attends?

    Not by itself. Attendance boundaries, programs, transfers and space all matter. Confirm the school for your address, grade and program with the district.

  • Where do these results come from?

    The test results are from California’s state tests (CAASPP). They are from spring 2026 for elementary and middle schools. The results are from spring 2025 for high schools. Chronic-absence rates are for 2025–26. The California Department of Education publishes both. Percentiles, bands and Scope Scores are SchoolScope’s calculations. How we score schools.

Next

Which places nearby can you look at next?

Schools in Needles

Every public school with a Needles address.

Compare schools

See the same numbers for each school.

Open the map

See these schools on the map.

Sources and methodology

This page lists the public schools governed and funded by Needles Unified, with the district’s spending and state records.

Data source: California Department of Education · CAASPP 2025–26 elementary and middle school; 2024–25 high school

Percentiles, bands and Scope Scores are SchoolScope’s own calculations from these state files.

View CDE data ↗ (opens in a new tab)How Scope Scores work →

State tests are the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP), springs 2025 and 2026.

Download these schools (CSV) Free to use under CC BY 4.0 with attribution.