Enrollment
3,218
California · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Berkeley, CA
Berkeley High
Federal NCES profile for Berkeley High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 57/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 060474000432
👥 S:T ratio 28
📚 AP courses 100
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 54
📋 Attendance 71
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Berkeley High earns 57/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 79% of California schools. It is also one of the largest schools in California.
- #7 of 17
- public schools in Berkeley · Resource Index
- 57
- Resource Index · Higher
- 18:1
- small classes for California
- 21.5%
- free-lunch eligible
Berkeley High has class sizes smaller than 79% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Berkeley High ranks #7 of 17 public schools in Berkeley, CA.
School address
District: Berkeley Unified · California
NCES ID 060474000432 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
179.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-16% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
21.5%
vs 55.5% California avg
-61% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Berkeley High compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Berkeley High
Berkeley High is a large high school in Berkeley, California, enrolling 3,218 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 18:1 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 21.5% free-meal eligibility runs 61% below the California average.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in California, bigger than 99% of state schools at 3,218 students.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 9,998 scored California schools.
Among 145 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need California schools statewide, it ranks #7, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (42%) and Hispanic or Latino (23%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 73/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 35 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage is strong, about 230 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
11.6% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
The surrounding Berkeley Unified spends $21,454 per pupil, 30% above the California average, a better-resourced district than most.
Among Berkeley's high schools, it stands alongside Berkeley Technology Academy (54 students): Berkeley High is larger than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (18:1 vs 13.5:1).
Berkeley Unified also operates Martin Luther King Middle (851 students) and Willard Middle (596 students) alongside Berkeley 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 Berkeley High compares
Berkeley 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 | 18:1 | ▼ 16% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 21.5% | ▼ 61% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 3,218 | top 1% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
18:1
Leaner classes than 24% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
3,218
Bigger than 99% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
21.5%
free-lunch eligible
- 61% below the California average of 55.5%
Below the 40% Title I threshold, among the lower-need profiles in the state; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
18:1
students per teacher
- 16% below state mean
Top 21% in California - lower ratio than 79% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
11.6%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 10-15% range, above the pre-pandemic national baseline but within the broader post-pandemic picture.
Funding equity
$21,454
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
Counselors14.0 FTE
Per 230 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
2
in-school suspensions + 94 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
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 41.7%
Hispanic or Latino 22.9%
Two or More 15.0%
African American 11.3%
Asian 8.7%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: White at 41.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 73.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 73.1, Berkeley High is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
AP courses offered 35
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Berkeley Unified, which includes Berkeley High.
$21,454
Per student
+30%
vs California
Avg $16,509
+29%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 64.6%
State 29.0%
Federal 6.4%
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 Berkeley High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Martin Luther King Middle | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Willard Middle | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Malcolm X Elementary | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Longfellow Arts and Technology Middle | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Ruth Acty Elementary | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Berkeley High's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 851
- Students per teacher
- 17.4:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
- Enrollment
- 596
- Students per teacher
- 16.1:1
- Resource Index
- 51/100
- Enrollment
- 469
- Students per teacher
- 17.4:1
- Resource Index
- 51/100
- Enrollment
- 462
- Students per teacher
- 12.8:1
- Resource Index
- 55/100
- Enrollment
- 410
- Students per teacher
- 19.5:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
Similar high schools in Berkeley
1 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 (~3,218 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~18:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Berkeley High's federal record.
- Compare Berkeley High against another school. Compare schools
- Berkeley 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 Berkeley High
How many students attend Berkeley High?
Berkeley High has 3,218 students enrolled. It is a high school in Berkeley, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Berkeley High?
The student-teacher ratio at Berkeley High is 18:1, which is 16% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 15% 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 Berkeley High?
21.5% of students at Berkeley High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Berkeley High?
The largest demographic group at Berkeley High is White at 41.7% of enrollment, in Berkeley, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 73.1/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Berkeley High?
Berkeley High has a Resource Investment Index of 57/100 (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 Berkeley High rank among public schools in Berkeley?
By Resource Investment Index, Berkeley High ranks #7 of 17 public schools in Berkeley, CA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Berkeley on the city page.
Is Berkeley High a good school?
Berkeley High earns 57/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 79% of California schools. It is also one of the largest schools in California. 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 Berkeley Unified?
Besides Berkeley High, Berkeley Unified also operates Martin Luther King Middle (851 students), Willard Middle (596 students), and Malcolm X Elementary (469 students). See the Berkeley 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.