Enrollment
489
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Big Bear Lake, CA
Big Bear Middle
Federal NCES profile for Big Bear Middle, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 13/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 060423000382
👥 S:T ratio 11
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 2
📋 Attendance 9
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Big Bear Middle earns 13/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median.
- 13
- Resource Index · Lower
- 22.2:1
- students per teacher
- 60.8%
- free-lunch eligible
- 489
- students enrolled
Big Bear Middle has class sizes near the California median. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Bear Valley Unified · California
NCES ID 060423000382 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
22.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
22.2:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
+3% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
60.8%
vs 55.5% California avg
+10% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Big Bear Middle compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Big Bear Middle
Big Bear Middle is a higher-need, mid-sized middle school in Big Bear Lake, California, enrolling 489 students.
At 22.2:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the California median, within a few percentage points of the 21.5:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 60.8% lands close to the California typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
With 489 students, its enrollment sits close to the California median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 94% of the 9,998 California schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.
Among 1,870 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need California schools statewide, it ranks #1,612, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (50%) and Hispanic or Latino (44%) (diversity index 56/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 489 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 36.2% 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.
Bear Valley Unified also operates Big Bear High (630 students) and North Shore Elementary (517 students) alongside Big Bear 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 Big Bear Middle compares
Big Bear 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 | 22.2:1 | ▲ 3% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 60.8% | ▲ 10% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 489 | top 47% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
22.2:1
Leaner classes than 10% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
489
Bigger than 60% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
60.8%
free-lunch eligible
- 10% 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
22.2:1
students per teacher
- 3% above state mean
Top 55% in California - lower ratio than 45% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
36.2%
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 489 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
2
in-school suspensions + 33 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 7.2 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
White 49.5%
Hispanic or Latino 44.2%
Two or More 4.5%
Asian 1.0%
African American 0.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: White at 49.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 55.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 55.7, Big Bear Middle is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Bear Valley Unified, which includes Big Bear Middle.
$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 Middle Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Big Bear High | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| North Shore Elementary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Baldwin Lane Elementary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Fallsvale | Smaller | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Chautauqua High (Continuation) | Smaller | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Big Bear Middle's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 630
- Students per teacher
- 19.1:1
- Resource Index
- 23/100
- Enrollment
- 517
- Students per teacher
- 23.5:1
- Resource Index
- 12/100
- 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 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 (~489 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~22.2:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Big Bear Middle's federal record.
- Compare Big Bear Middle 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 Middle
How many students attend Big Bear Middle?
Big Bear Middle has 489 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Big Bear Lake, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Big Bear Middle?
The student-teacher ratio at Big Bear Middle is 22.2:1, which is 3% higher than the California average of 21.5:1 and 41% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Big Bear Middle?
60.8% of students at Big Bear Middle are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Big Bear Middle?
The largest demographic group at Big Bear Middle is White at 49.5% of enrollment, in Big Bear Lake, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 55.7/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Big Bear Middle?
Big Bear Middle has a Resource Investment Index of 13/100 (lower 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).
Is Big Bear Middle a good school?
Big Bear Middle earns 13/100 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 Bear Valley Unified?
Besides Big Bear Middle, Bear Valley Unified also operates Big Bear High (630 students), North Shore Elementary (517 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.