Enrollment
633
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Buena Park, CA
Buena Park Middle
Federal NCES profile for Buena Park Middle, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 26/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 060636000553
👥 S:T ratio 33
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 3
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Buena Park Middle earns 26/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 85% of California schools.
- #8 of 14
- public schools in Buena Park · Resource Index
- 26
- Resource Index · Lower
- 16.7:1
- small classes for California
- 74.9%
- free-lunch eligible
Buena Park Middle has class sizes smaller than 85% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Buena Park Middle ranks #8 of 14 public schools in Buena Park, CA.
School address
District: Buena Park Elementary · California
NCES ID 060636000553 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
38.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.7:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-22% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
74.9%
vs 55.5% California avg
+35% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Buena Park Middle compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Buena Park Middle
Buena Park Middle is a higher-need, mid-sized middle school in Buena Park, California, enrolling 633 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 16.7:1, Buena Park Middle is leaner than roughly 85% of California schools and 22% under the state's 21.5:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 74.9% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 633 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 2,077 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #870.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (79%) and Asian (10%) (diversity index 36/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 633 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 38.9% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Among Buena Park's middle schools, it stands alongside Gordon H. Beatty Middle (641 students): Buena Park Middle is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (16.7:1 vs 22.9:1).
Buena Park Elementary also operates Charles G. Emery Elementary (646 students) and Gordon H. Beatty Middle (641 students) alongside Buena Park 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 Buena Park Middle compares
Buena Park 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 | 16.7:1 | ▼ 22% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 74.9% | ▲ 35% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 633 | top 29% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16.7:1
Leaner classes than 33% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
633
Bigger than 75% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
74.9%
free-lunch eligible
- 35% 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
16.7:1
students per teacher
- 22% below state mean
Top 15% in California - lower ratio than 85% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
38.9%
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
$16,711
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 633 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
19
in-school suspensions + 56 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 3.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 11.8 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 79.1%
Asian 9.8%
African American 4.4%
White 4.3%
Two or More 2.1%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.3%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 79.1% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 36.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 36.0, Buena Park Middle is less mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Buena Park Elementary, which includes Buena Park Middle.
$16,711
Per student
+1%
vs California
Avg $16,509
+1%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 37.2%
State 51.5%
Federal 11.3%
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 Park Middle Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charles G. Emery Elementary | Similar size | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Gordon H. Beatty Middle | Similar size | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| James a. Whitaker Elementary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Carl E. Gilbert Elementary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Mabel L. Pendleton Elementary | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Buena Park Middle's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 646
- Students per teacher
- 24.8:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 641
- Students per teacher
- 22.9:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 559
- Students per teacher
- 20.7:1
- Resource Index
- 22/100
- Enrollment
- 490
- Students per teacher
- 23.3:1
- Resource Index
- 20/100
- Enrollment
- 365
- Students per teacher
- 19.2:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
Similar middle schools in Buena Park
1 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 (~633 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~16.7:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Buena Park Middle's federal record.
- Compare Buena Park Middle against another school. Compare schools
- Buena Park Elementary'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 Park Middle
How many students attend Buena Park Middle?
Buena Park Middle has 633 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Buena Park, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Buena Park Middle?
The student-teacher ratio at Buena Park Middle is 16.7:1, which is 22% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 6% 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 Park Middle?
74.9% of students at Buena Park Middle are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Buena Park Middle?
The largest demographic group at Buena Park Middle is Hispanic or Latino at 79.1% of enrollment, in Buena Park, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Buena Park Middle?
Buena Park Middle has a Resource Investment Index of 26/100 (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 Buena Park Middle rank among public schools in Buena Park?
By Resource Investment Index, Buena Park Middle ranks #8 of 14 public schools in Buena Park, 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 Buena Park on the city page.
Is Buena Park Middle a good school?
Buena Park Middle earns 26/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 85% 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 Buena Park Elementary?
Besides Buena Park Middle, Buena Park Elementary also operates Charles G. Emery Elementary (646 students), Gordon H. Beatty Middle (641 students), and James a. Whitaker Elementary (559 students). See the Buena Park Elementary 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.