Enrollment
601
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Hawthorne, CA
Bud Carson Middle
Federal NCES profile for Bud Carson Middle, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 20/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 061668002100
👥 S:T ratio 11
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Bud Carson Middle earns 20/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median.
- #3 of 4
- middle schools in Hawthorne · Resource Index
- 20
- Resource Index · Lower
- 22.3:1
- students per teacher
- 60.5%
- free-lunch eligible
Bud Carson Middle has class sizes near the California median. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Bud Carson Middle ranks #3 of 4 middle schools in Hawthorne, CA.
School address
District: Hawthorne · California
NCES ID 061668002100 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
27.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
22.3:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
+4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
60.5%
vs 55.5% California avg
+9% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Bud Carson Middle compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Bud Carson Middle
Bud Carson Middle is a higher-need, mid-sized middle school in Hawthorne, California, enrolling 601 students.
At 22.3:1, 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 60.5% lands close to the California typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 601 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 1,839 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #1,224.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (64%) and African American (31%) (diversity index 50/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 601 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 46.1% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Among Hawthorne's middle schools, it stands alongside Richard Henry Dana Middle (953 students): Bud Carson Middle is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (22.3:1 vs 26.5:1).
Hawthorne also operates Zela Davis (843 students) and Ramona (767 students) alongside Bud Carson 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 Bud Carson Middle compares
Bud Carson 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 | 22.3:1 | ▲ 4% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 60.5% | ▲ 9% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 601 | top 32% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
22.3:1
Leaner classes than 10% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
601
Bigger than 73% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
60.5%
free-lunch eligible
- 9% 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
22.3:1
students per teacher
- 4% above state mean
Top 56% in California - lower ratio than 44% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
46.1%
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
$17,073
per pupil, district-wide
- above California avg of $16,509
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 601 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
3
in-school suspensions + 108 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 18.5 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
Hispanic or Latino 63.6%
African American 30.6%
Two or More 2.3%
Asian 1.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 1.2%
White 1.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 63.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 50.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 50.1, Bud Carson Middle is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Hawthorne, which includes Bud Carson Middle.
$17,073
Per student
+3%
vs California
Avg $16,509
+3%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 14.4%
State 71.7%
Federal 13.9%
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 Bud Carson Middle Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zela Davis | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Ramona | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Hawthorne Middle | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Eucalyptus | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Prairie Vista Middle | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Bud Carson Middle's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 843
- Students per teacher
- 24.8:1
- Resource Index
- 8/100
- Enrollment
- 767
- Students per teacher
- 25.6:1
- Resource Index
- 8/100
- Enrollment
- 761
- Students per teacher
- 25.4:1
- Resource Index
- 29/100
- Enrollment
- 709
- Students per teacher
- 27.3:1
- Resource Index
- 7/100
- Enrollment
- 674
- Students per teacher
- 22.5:1
- Resource Index
- 20/100
Similar middle schools in Hawthorne
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 (~601 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Bud Carson Middle's federal record.
- Compare Bud Carson Middle against another school. Compare schools
- Hawthorne'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 Bud Carson Middle
How many students attend Bud Carson Middle?
Bud Carson Middle has 601 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Hawthorne, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Bud Carson Middle?
The student-teacher ratio at Bud Carson Middle is 22.3:1, which is 4% higher than the California average of 21.5:1 and 42% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Bud Carson Middle?
60.5% of students at Bud Carson Middle are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Bud Carson Middle?
The largest demographic group at Bud Carson Middle is Hispanic or Latino at 63.6% of enrollment, in Hawthorne, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 50.1/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Bud Carson Middle?
Bud Carson Middle has a Resource Investment Index of 20/100 (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).
How does Bud Carson Middle rank among middle schools in Hawthorne?
By Resource Investment Index, Bud Carson Middle ranks #3 of 4 middle schools in Hawthorne, 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 Hawthorne on the city page.
Is Bud Carson Middle a good school?
Bud Carson Middle earns 20/100 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 Hawthorne?
Besides Bud Carson Middle, Hawthorne also operates Zela Davis (843 students), Ramona (767 students), and Hawthorne Middle (761 students). See the Hawthorne 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.