Enrollment
143
California · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Costa Mesa, CA
Back Bay High
Federal NCES profile for Back Bay High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 43/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 062724004122
👥 S:T ratio 59
📚 AP courses 10
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 71
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Back Bay High earns 43/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 95% of California schools.
- #1 of 3
- high schools in Costa Mesa · Resource Index
- 43
- Resource Index · Typical
- 10.2:1
- small classes for California
- 69.6%
- free-lunch eligible
Back Bay High has class sizes smaller than 95% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Back Bay High ranks #1 of 3 high schools in Costa Mesa, CA.
School address
District: Newport-Mesa Unified · California
NCES ID 062724004122 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
14.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
10.2:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-53% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
69.6%
vs 55.5% California avg
+25% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Back Bay High compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Back Bay High
Back Bay High is a higher-need, small high school in Costa Mesa, California, enrolling 143 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 10.2:1, Back Bay High is leaner than roughly 95% of California schools and 53% under the state's 21.5:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 69.6% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 143 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 95% of the 9,998 California schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Against 374 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #60.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (73%) and White (22%) (diversity index 43/100).
No Advanced Placement courses are reported for this campus in the federal data.
Counselor coverage is strong, about 143 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
The surrounding Newport-Mesa Unified spends $20,621 per pupil, 25% above the California average, a better-resourced district than most.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 2 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Among Costa Mesa's high schools, it stands alongside Estancia High (976 students): Back Bay High is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (10.2:1 vs 18.4:1).
Newport-Mesa Unified also operates Corona Del Mar High (2,106 students) and Newport Harbor High (2,084 students) alongside Back Bay 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 Back Bay High compares
Back Bay 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 | 10.2:1 | ▼ 53% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 69.6% | ▲ 25% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 143 | top 86% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
10.2:1
Leaner classes than 88% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
143
Bigger than 14% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
69.6%
free-lunch eligible
- 25% above the California average of 55.5%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
10.2:1
students per teacher
- 53% below state mean
Top 5% in California - lower ratio than 95% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Funding equity
$20,621
per pupil, district-wide
- above California avg of $16,509
Well above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting substantially higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 143 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
2
in-school suspensions + 21 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 16.1 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 2 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
Hispanic or Latino 72.5%
White 21.8%
African American 2.8%
Two or More 2.8%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 72.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 42.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 42.5, Back Bay High is less mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
AP program Not offered
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Newport-Mesa Unified, which includes Back Bay High.
$20,621
Per student
+25%
vs California
Avg $16,509
+24%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 74.9%
State 17.7%
Federal 7.4%
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 Back Bay High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Corona Del Mar High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Newport Harbor High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Costa Mesa High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Estancia High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Horace Ensign Intermediate | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Back Bay High's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,106
- Students per teacher
- 22.9:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
- Enrollment
- 2,084
- Students per teacher
- 21.9:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
- Enrollment
- 1,730
- Students per teacher
- 19.2:1
- Resource Index
- 26/100
- Enrollment
- 976
- Students per teacher
- 18.4:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 875
- Students per teacher
- 20.8:1
- Resource Index
- 21/100
Similar high schools in Costa Mesa
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 (~143 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Back Bay High's federal record.
- Compare Back Bay High against another school. Compare schools
- Newport-Mesa 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 Back Bay High
How many students attend Back Bay High?
Back Bay High has 143 students enrolled. It is a high school in Costa Mesa, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Back Bay High?
The student-teacher ratio at Back Bay High is 10.2:1, which is 53% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 35% lower 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 Back Bay High?
69.6% of students at Back Bay High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Back Bay High?
The largest demographic group at Back Bay High is Hispanic or Latino at 72.5% of enrollment, in Costa Mesa, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Back Bay High?
Back Bay High has a Resource Investment Index of 43/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Back Bay High rank among high schools in Costa Mesa?
By Resource Investment Index, Back Bay High ranks #1 of 3 high schools in Costa Mesa, 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 Costa Mesa on the city page.
Is Back Bay High a good school?
Back Bay High earns 43/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 95% 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 Newport-Mesa Unified?
Besides Back Bay High, Newport-Mesa Unified also operates Corona Del Mar High (2,106 students), Newport Harbor High (2,084 students), and Costa Mesa High (1,730 students). See the Newport-Mesa 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.