Enrollment
845
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Ventura, CA
Balboa Middle
Federal NCES profile for Balboa Middle, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 40/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 064098006746
👥 S:T ratio 18
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 48
📋 Attendance 26
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Balboa Middle earns 40/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median.
- #2 of 4
- middle schools in Ventura · Resource Index
- 40
- Resource Index · Typical
- 20.6:1
- students per teacher
- 31.3%
- free-lunch eligible
Balboa Middle has class sizes near the California median. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Balboa Middle ranks #2 of 4 middle schools in Ventura, CA.
School address
District: Ventura Unified · California
NCES ID 064098006746 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
41.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
20.6:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
31.3%
vs 55.5% California avg
-44% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Balboa Middle compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Balboa Middle
Balboa Middle is a mid-sized middle school in Ventura, California, enrolling 845 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 20.6:1 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 31.3% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 845 puts it in the larger third of California schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 9,998 scored California schools.
Against 1,114 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #243.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (58%) and White (32%) (diversity index 56/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 260 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 29.7% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The federal civil-rights collection also records 1 expulsion at this campus for 2021-22.
Among Ventura's middle schools, it stands alongside Cabrillo Middle (936 students): Balboa Middle is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (20.6:1 vs 33.4:1).
Ventura Unified also operates Ventura High (1,939 students) and Buena High (1,585 students) alongside Balboa Middle.
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 Balboa Middle compares
Balboa Middle on the metrics families compare, against California and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs California | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 20.6:1 | ▼ 4% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 31.3% | ▼ 44% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 845 | top 16% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
20.6:1
Leaner classes than 14% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
845
Bigger than 87% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
31.3%
free-lunch eligible
- 44% 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
20.6:1
students per teacher
- 4% below state mean
Top 40% in California - lower ratio than 60% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
29.7%
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
$14,481
per pupil, district-wide
- below California avg of $16,509
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors3.3 FTE
Per 260 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
24
in-school suspensions + 51 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 8.9 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 1 expulsion.
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 58.3%
White 31.9%
Asian 4.5%
Two or More 3.2%
African American 1.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.4%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 58.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 55.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 55.5, Balboa Middle is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Ventura Unified, which includes Balboa Middle.
$14,481
Per student
-12%
vs California
Avg $16,509
-13%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 40.6%
State 48.9%
Federal 10.4%
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 Balboa Middle Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ventura High | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Buena High | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Foothill Technology High | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Cabrillo Middle | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Anacapa Middle | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Balboa Middle's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,939
- Students per teacher
- 21.8:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
- Enrollment
- 1,585
- Students per teacher
- 21.1:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
- Enrollment
- 951
- Students per teacher
- 25.7:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
- Enrollment
- 936
- Students per teacher
- 33.4:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 592
- Students per teacher
- 19.1:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
Similar middle schools in Ventura
3 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) serving the same city.
Similar middle 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 (~845 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~20.6:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Balboa Middle's federal record.
- Compare Balboa Middle against another school. Compare schools
- Ventura 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 Balboa Middle
How many students attend Balboa Middle?
Balboa Middle has 845 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Ventura, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Balboa Middle?
The student-teacher ratio at Balboa Middle is 20.6:1, which is 4% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 31% 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 Balboa Middle?
31.3% of students at Balboa Middle are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Balboa Middle?
The largest demographic group at Balboa Middle is Hispanic or Latino at 58.3% of enrollment, in Ventura, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 55.5/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Balboa Middle?
Balboa Middle has a Resource Investment Index of 40/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Balboa Middle rank among middle schools in Ventura?
By Resource Investment Index, Balboa Middle ranks #2 of 4 middle schools in Ventura, CA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all middle schools in Ventura on the city page.
Is Balboa Middle a good school?
Balboa Middle earns 40/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median. 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 Ventura Unified?
Besides Balboa Middle, Ventura Unified also operates Ventura High (1,939 students), Buena High (1,585 students), and Foothill Technology High (951 students). See the Ventura 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.