Enrollment
630
California · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Big Bear City, CA
Big Bear High
Federal NCES profile for Big Bear High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 26/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 060423000381
👥 S:T ratio 24
📚 AP courses 40
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 37
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Big Bear High earns 26/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 72% of California schools.
- #2 of 3
- public schools in Big Bear City · Resource Index
- 26
- Resource Index · Lower
- 19.1:1
- small classes for California
- 62.2%
- free-lunch eligible
Big Bear High has class sizes smaller than 72% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Big Bear High ranks #2 of 3 public schools in Big Bear City, CA.
School address
District: Bear Valley Unified · California
NCES ID 060423000381 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
33.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
19.1:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-11% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
62.2%
vs 55.5% California avg
+12% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Big Bear High compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Big Bear High
Big Bear High is a higher-need, mid-sized high school in Big Bear City, California, enrolling 630 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 19.1:1 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 62.2% lands close to the California typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 630 puts it in the larger third of California schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 9,998 scored California schools.
Against 1,876 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #1,030.
Its student body is led by White (47%) and Hispanic or Latino (46%) (diversity index 57/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 8 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 315 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 41.9% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The federal civil-rights collection also records 10 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Bear Valley Unified also operates North Shore Elementary (517 students) and Big Bear Middle (489 students) alongside Big Bear 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 Big Bear High compares
Big Bear 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 | 19.1:1 | ▼ 11% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 62.2% | ▲ 12% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 630 | top 29% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
19.1:1
Leaner classes than 19% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
630
Bigger than 75% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
62.2%
free-lunch eligible
- 12% 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
19.1:1
students per teacher
- 11% below state mean
Top 28% in California - lower ratio than 72% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
41.9%
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
$14,484
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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 315 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
15
in-school suspensions + 47 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 9.8 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 10 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 46.7%
Hispanic or Latino 46.3%
Two or More 4.6%
Asian 1.1%
African American 0.8%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: White at 46.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 56.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 56.5, Big Bear High is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
AP courses offered 8
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Bear Valley Unified, which includes Big Bear High.
$14,484
Per student
-12%
vs California
Avg $16,509
-13%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 42.6%
State 45.8%
Federal 11.6%
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 Big Bear High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Shore Elementary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Big Bear Middle | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Baldwin Lane Elementary | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Fallsvale | Smaller | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Chautauqua High (Continuation) | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Big Bear High's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 517
- Students per teacher
- 23.5:1
- Resource Index
- 12/100
- Enrollment
- 489
- Students per teacher
- 22.2:1
- Resource Index
- 13/100
- Enrollment
- 445
- Students per teacher
- 27.8:1
- Resource Index
- 16/100
- Enrollment
- 62
- Students per teacher
- 20.7:1
- Resource Index
- 29/100
- Enrollment
- 33
- Students per teacher
- 33:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
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 (~630 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~19.1:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Big Bear High's federal record.
- Compare Big Bear High against another school. Compare schools
- Bear Valley 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 Big Bear High
How many students attend Big Bear High?
Big Bear High has 630 students enrolled. It is a high school in Big Bear City, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Big Bear High?
The student-teacher ratio at Big Bear High is 19.1:1, which is 11% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 22% 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 Big Bear High?
62.2% of students at Big Bear High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Big Bear High?
The largest demographic group at Big Bear High is White at 46.7% of enrollment, in Big Bear City, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 56.5/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Big Bear High?
Big Bear High has a Resource Investment Index of 26/100 (lower 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 Big Bear High rank among public schools in Big Bear City?
By Resource Investment Index, Big Bear High ranks #2 of 3 public schools in Big Bear City, 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 Big Bear City on the city page.
Is Big Bear High a good school?
Big Bear High earns 26/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 72% 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 Bear Valley Unified?
Besides Big Bear High, Bear Valley Unified also operates North Shore Elementary (517 students), Big Bear Middle (489 students), and Baldwin Lane Elementary (445 students). See the Bear Valley 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.