Enrollment
1,157
California · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Atascadero, CA
Atascadero High
Federal NCES profile for Atascadero High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 49/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 060330000247
👥 S:T ratio 23
📚 AP courses 65
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 42
📋 Attendance 44
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Atascadero High earns 49/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 71% of California schools.
- #2 of 3
- high schools in Atascadero · Resource Index
- 49
- Resource Index · Higher
- 19.3:1
- small classes for California
- 31.4%
- free-lunch eligible
Atascadero High has class sizes smaller than 71% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Atascadero High ranks #2 of 3 high schools in Atascadero, CA.
School address
District: Atascadero Unified · California
NCES ID 060330000247 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
60.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
19.3:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-10% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
31.4%
vs 55.5% California avg
-43% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Atascadero High compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Atascadero High
Atascadero High is a large high school in Atascadero, California, enrolling 1,157 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 19.3:1 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 31.4% of students eligible for free meals.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in California, bigger than 91% of state schools at 1,157 students.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 9,998 scored California schools.
Among 669 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need California schools statewide, it ranks #43, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (60%) and Hispanic or Latino (32%) (diversity index 53/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 13 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 289 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 22.4% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
The surrounding Atascadero Unified spends $13,091 per pupil, 21% below the California average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 5 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Among Atascadero's high schools, it stands alongside Atascadero Choices in Education Academy (Ace) (159 students): Atascadero High is larger than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (19.3:1 vs 26.5:1).
Atascadero Unified also operates Atascadero Middle (845 students) and San Benito Elementary (403 students) alongside Atascadero High.
Sourced from NCES CCD, CRDC, and F-33 (federal records, not a quality verdict). How we source and compute this.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Atascadero High compares
Atascadero High on the metrics families compare, against California and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs California | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 19.3:1 | ▼ 10% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 31.4% | ▼ 43% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 1,157 | top 9% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
19.3:1
Leaner classes than 19% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
1,157
Bigger than 93% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
31.4%
free-lunch eligible
- 43% below the California average of 55.5%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
19.3:1
students per teacher
- 10% below state mean
Top 29% in California - lower ratio than 71% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
22.4%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$13,091
per pupil, district-wide
- below California avg of $16,509
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors4.0 FTE
Per 289 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
12
in-school suspensions + 120 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 11.4 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 5 expulsions.
Overview
- Common Core of Data (June 2026): enrollment, staffing, and the student-teacher ratio above.
- Civil Rights Data Collection: discipline counts and program access (AP, gifted, special education).
- F-33 School District Finance Survey: the district-wide per-pupil spending figures below.
Three separate federal collections, each on its own reporting cadence - which is why this school's numbers line up on a consistent basis against every other school and state on this site, rather than mixing figures pulled from different survey years.
Student demographics
White 60.4%
Hispanic or Latino 31.7%
Two or More 3.7%
Asian 1.8%
African American 1.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.6%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.3%
Largest group: White at 60.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 53.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 53.3, Atascadero High is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
AP courses offered 13
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Atascadero Unified, which includes Atascadero High.
$13,091
Per student
-21%
vs California
Avg $16,509
-21%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 63.5%
State 30.2%
Federal 6.3%
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2021-22 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.
How Atascadero High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Atascadero Middle | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| San Benito Elementary | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Monterey Road Elementary | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Santa Rosa Road Academic Academy | Smaller | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| San Gabriel Elementary | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Atascadero High's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 845
- Students per teacher
- 20.6:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
- Enrollment
- 403
- Students per teacher
- 26.9:1
- Resource Index
- 18/100
- Enrollment
- 382
- Students per teacher
- 27.3:1
- Resource Index
- 18/100
- Enrollment
- 377
- Students per teacher
- 25.1:1
- Resource Index
- 7/100
- Enrollment
- 360
- Students per teacher
- 27.7:1
- Resource Index
- 9/100
Similar high schools in Atascadero
2 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
Similar high schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of California, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~1,157 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~19.3:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Atascadero High's federal record.
- Compare Atascadero High against another school. Compare schools
- Atascadero Unified's spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
Federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) - PlainSchools assigns no subjective rating; the composite quality score is a transparent, reproducible index computed from this cited federal data.
Frequently asked questions about Atascadero High
How many students attend Atascadero High?
Atascadero High has 1,157 students enrolled. It is a high school in Atascadero, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Atascadero High?
The student-teacher ratio at Atascadero High is 19.3:1, which is 10% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 23% higher than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Atascadero High?
31.4% of students at Atascadero High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Atascadero High?
The largest demographic group at Atascadero High is White at 60.4% of enrollment, in Atascadero, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 53.3/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Atascadero High?
Atascadero High has a Resource Investment Index of 49/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Atascadero High rank among high schools in Atascadero?
By Resource Investment Index, Atascadero High ranks #2 of 3 high schools in Atascadero, CA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all high schools in Atascadero on the city page.
Is Atascadero High a good school?
Atascadero High earns 49/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 71% of California schools. This is a resource snapshot, not an academic rating; see the Resource Investment Index question above for what the number does and doesn't measure.
What other schools are in Atascadero Unified?
Besides Atascadero High, Atascadero Unified also operates Atascadero Middle (845 students), San Benito Elementary (403 students), and Monterey Road Elementary (382 students). See the Atascadero Unified district page for the complete list.
Related tools
Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.