Enrollment
1,585
California · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Ventura, CA
Buena High
Federal NCES profile for Buena High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 53/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 064098006748
👥 S:T ratio 16
📚 AP courses 90
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 65
📋 Attendance 26
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Buena High earns 53/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median.
- #5 of 5
- high schools in Ventura · Resource Index
- 53
- Resource Index · Higher
- 21.1:1
- students per teacher
- 34.6%
- free-lunch eligible
Buena High has class sizes near the California median. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Buena High ranks #5 of 5 high schools in Ventura, CA.
School address
District: Ventura Unified · California
NCES ID 064098006748 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
75.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
21.1:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-2% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
34.6%
vs 55.5% California avg
-38% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Buena High compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Buena High
Buena High is a large high school in Ventura, California, enrolling 1,585 students.
At 21.1:1, 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.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 34.6% of students eligible for free meals.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in California, bigger than 94% of state schools at 1,585 students.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 9,998 scored California schools.
Among 378 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need California schools statewide, it ranks #23, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (61%) and White (30%) (diversity index 53/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 18 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage is strong, about 176 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 29.5% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The federal civil-rights collection also records 2 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Among Ventura's high schools, it stands alongside Ventura High (1,939 students): Buena High is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (21.1:1 vs 21.8:1).
Ventura Unified also operates Ventura High (1,939 students) and Foothill Technology High (951 students) alongside Buena 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 Buena High compares
Buena 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 | 21.1:1 | ▼ 2% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 34.6% | ▼ 38% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 1,585 | top 6% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
21.1:1
Leaner classes than 13% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
1,585
Bigger than 97% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
34.6%
free-lunch eligible
- 38% 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
21.1:1
students per teacher
- 2% below state mean
Top 44% in California - lower ratio than 56% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
29.5%
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
Counselors9.0 FTE
Per 176 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
7
in-school suspensions + 56 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 4.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 2 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
Hispanic or Latino 61.3%
White 30.3%
Two or More 3.5%
Asian 3.0%
African American 1.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 61.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 53.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 53.0, Buena High is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
AP courses offered 18
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Ventura Unified, which includes Buena High.
$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 Buena High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ventura High | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Foothill Technology High | Smaller | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Cabrillo Middle | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Balboa Middle | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Anacapa Middle | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Buena High'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
- 951
- Students per teacher
- 25.7:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
- Enrollment
- 936
- Students per teacher
- 33.4:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 845
- Students per teacher
- 20.6:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 592
- Students per teacher
- 19.1:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
Similar high schools in Ventura
4 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
Ventura High
Standard public school
1,939 students 21.8:1 students per teacher
Foothill Technology High
Standard public school
951 students 25.7:1 students per teacher
El Camino High
Alternative education program
221 students 31.6:1 students per teacher
Pacific High
Alternative education program
213 students 14.2:1 students per teacher
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 (~1,585 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~21.1:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Buena High's federal record.
- Compare Buena High 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 Buena High
How many students attend Buena High?
Buena High has 1,585 students enrolled. It is a high school in Ventura, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Buena High?
The student-teacher ratio at Buena High is 21.1:1, which is 2% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 34% 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 Buena High?
34.6% of students at Buena High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Buena High?
The largest demographic group at Buena High is Hispanic or Latino at 61.3% of enrollment, in Ventura, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 53.0/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Buena High?
Buena High has a Resource Investment Index of 53/100 (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 Buena High rank among high schools in Ventura?
By Resource Investment Index, Buena High ranks #5 of 5 high 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 high schools in Ventura on the city page.
Is Buena High a good school?
Buena High earns 53/100 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 Buena High, Ventura Unified also operates Ventura High (1,939 students), Foothill Technology High (951 students), and Cabrillo Middle (936 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.