Middle school (grades 6-8) · Palmdale, CA

Cactus Medical Health and Technology Magnet Academy

Federal NCES profile for Cactus Medical Health and Technology Magnet Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 29/100.

2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 062958008933
0/100100/10029/100
👥 S:T ratio
18
🌟 Gifted program
70
🎓 Counselors
0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

Cactus Medical Health and Technology Magnet Academy earns 29/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median.

#3 of 6
middle schools in Palmdale · Resource Index
29
Resource Index · Lower
20.6:1
students per teacher
80.6%
free-lunch eligible

Cactus Medical Health and Technology Magnet Academy has class sizes near the California median. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, Cactus Medical Health and Technology Magnet Academy ranks #3 of 6 middle schools in Palmdale, CA.

School address

CCD year-over-year · 2022-23 → 2023-24

-20 students YoY

Cactus Medical Health and Technology Magnet Academy held near 845 students from 2022-23 to 2023-24 (-20 headcount).

Teacher FTE lost 40.8 → 38.3 across the same CCD years.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data public-school universe (2022-23, 2023-24).

Steady CCD campus

-20 students YoY 062958008933 · Palmdale, CA Middle · MID · TRAD

822 enr · 20.6:1 · 80.6% lunch · RII 29

Nearest enrollment peer: Los Amigos - Dual Immersion (1,027 students)

Cactus Medical Health and Technology Magnet Academy held near 845 students from 2022-23 to 2023-24 (-20 headcount). Teacher FTE lost 40.8 → 38.3 across the same CCD years. Read with this school → · District book → · California schools → · Find another →

Cactus Medical Health and Technology Magnet Academy in the enrollment neighbourhood

Fall enrollment among this campus and nearest district peers

students

What this shows Cactus Medical Health and Technology Magnet Academy reports 822 students on the CCD universe file.

Source U.S. Department of Education, NCES Common Core of Data (Public School Universe) As of 2024-25

How Cactus Medical Health and Technology Magnet Academy compares

Cactus Medical Health and Technology Magnet Academy held steady on CCD headcount: ratios and free-lunch share vs California and U.S. means.

Metric This school vs California California avg U.S. avg
Students per teacher 20.6:1 ▼ 4% 21.5:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 80.6% ▲ 45% 55.5% 51.7%
Enrollment 822 top 17% - -

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25

20.6:1
Leaner classes than 14% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
822
Bigger than 86% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.

Equity indicators methodology

Economic need
80.6%
free-lunch eligible - 45% 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
20.6:1
students per teacher - 4% below state mean
Top 40% in California - lower ratio than 60% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Funding equity
$17,861
per pupil, district-wide - below California avg of $18,665
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 822 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 113 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 13.7 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 7 expulsions.

Student demographics

Hispanic or Latino 78.2%
African American 14.5%
White 4.0%
Two or More 1.6%
Asian 1.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.6%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%

Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 78.2% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 36.5/100

Simpson diversity index - at 36.5, Cactus Medical Health and Technology Magnet Academy is less mixed than the California school average of 46.0.

Programs

Gifted & talented Yes

District finance for Palmdale Elementary reports $17,861 per pupil (NCES F-33) - open the district page for the full revenue mix.

How Cactus Medical Health and Technology Magnet Academy Compares to District-Mates

School Enrollment Economic Profile Student-Teacher Ratio
Los Amigos - Dual Immersion Similar size Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
Palmdale Academy Charter Similar size Similar economic need Higher S:T ratio
David G. Millen Law and Government Magnet Academy Similar size Similar economic need Higher S:T ratio
Desert Willow Fine Arts Sci and Tech Magnet Acad Similar size Similar economic need Similar S:T ratio
Dos Caminos Dual Immersion Similar size Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio

Comparisons are relative to Cactus Medical Health and Technology Magnet Academy's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.

Other Schools in This District

Palmdale Elementary · 5 sibling schools

View district profile

Similar middle schools in Palmdale

5 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) serving the same city.

Nationwide middle schools with similar size or staffing

Out-of-state peers matched by enrollment and by student-teacher ratio, not the same-city or same-district lists above.

Frequently asked questions about Cactus Medical Health and Technology Magnet Academy

How many students attend Cactus Medical Health and Technology Magnet Academy?

Cactus Medical Health and Technology Magnet Academy has 822 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Palmdale, CA. CCD year-over-year: 865 (2022-23) → 845 (2023-24), nearly flat (-20).

What is the student-teacher ratio at Cactus Medical Health and Technology Magnet Academy?

The student-teacher ratio at Cactus Medical Health and Technology Magnet Academy is 20.6:1, which is 4% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 31% 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 Cactus Medical Health and Technology Magnet Academy?

80.6% of students at Cactus Medical Health and Technology Magnet Academy are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Cactus Medical Health and Technology Magnet Academy?

The largest demographic group at Cactus Medical Health and Technology Magnet Academy is Hispanic or Latino at 78.2% of enrollment, in Palmdale, CA.

What is the Resource Investment Index for Cactus Medical Health and Technology Magnet Academy?

Cactus Medical Health and Technology Magnet Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 29/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, gifted-program reporting, counselor availability. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).

How does Cactus Medical Health and Technology Magnet Academy rank among middle schools in Palmdale?

By Resource Investment Index, Cactus Medical Health and Technology Magnet Academy ranks #3 of 6 middle schools in Palmdale, 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 Palmdale on the city page.

What other schools are in Palmdale Elementary?

Besides Cactus Medical Health and Technology Magnet Academy, Palmdale Elementary also operates Los Amigos - Dual Immersion (1,027 students), Palmdale Academy Charter (989 students), and David G. Millen Law and Government Magnet Academy (952 students). See the Palmdale Elementary district page for the complete list.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) CCD + Public School Universe (2024-25), CRDC (2021-22), F-33 District Finance Survey (FY 2022-23) · 2024-25 Data as of the 2024-25 school year. Coverage from U.S. Department of Education NCES Common Core of Data. Varies by entity type; administrative districts and certain charter networks may report only a subset of fields.

All federal data sources used on this page

Full source list and how we compute each figure: methodology page.

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