Enrollment
655
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Carlsbad, CA
Calavera Hills Middle
Federal NCES profile for Calavera Hills Middle, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 31/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 060750011402
👥 S:T ratio 13
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 43
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Calavera Hills Middle earns 31/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median.
- #3 of 3
- middle schools in Carlsbad · Resource Index
- 31
- Resource Index · Lower
- 21.8:1
- students per teacher
- 22.1%
- free-lunch eligible
Calavera Hills Middle has class sizes near the California median. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Calavera Hills Middle ranks #3 of 3 middle schools in Carlsbad, CA.
School address
District: Carlsbad Unified · California
NCES ID 060750011402 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
30.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
21.8:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
+1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
22.1%
vs 55.5% California avg
-60% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Calavera Hills Middle compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Calavera Hills Middle
Calavera Hills Middle is a mid-sized middle school in Carlsbad, California, enrolling 655 students.
At 21.8:1, 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.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 22.1% free-meal eligibility runs 60% below the California average.
Enrollment of 655 puts it in the larger third of California schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 9,998 scored California schools.
Against 1,333 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #816.
Its student body is led by White (53%) and Hispanic or Latino (28%) (diversity index 62/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 655 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 22.9% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Among Carlsbad's middle schools, it stands alongside Aviara Oaks Middle (991 students): Calavera Hills Middle is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (21.8:1 vs 22:1).
Carlsbad Unified also operates Carlsbad High (2,336 students) and Sage Creek High (1,289 students) alongside Calavera Hills 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 Calavera Hills Middle compares
Calavera Hills 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 | 21.8:1 | ▲ 1% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 22.1% | ▼ 60% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 655 | top 27% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
21.8:1
Leaner classes than 11% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
655
Bigger than 77% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
22.1%
free-lunch eligible
- 60% below the California average of 55.5%
Below the 40% Title I threshold, among the lower-need profiles in the state; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
21.8:1
students per teacher
- 1% above state mean
Top 51% in California - lower ratio than 49% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
22.9%
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
$13,634
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 655 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 44 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 6.7 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
White 53.4%
Hispanic or Latino 27.5%
Two or More 12.1%
Asian 5.0%
African American 1.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.5%
Largest group: White at 53.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 62.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 62.2, Calavera Hills Middle is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Carlsbad Unified, which includes Calavera Hills Middle.
$13,634
Per student
-17%
vs California
Avg $16,509
-18%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 80.1%
State 14.0%
Federal 5.8%
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 Calavera Hills Middle Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carlsbad High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Sage Creek High | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Aviara Oaks Middle | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Valley Middle | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Hope Elementary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Calavera Hills Middle's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,336
- Students per teacher
- 24.1:1
- Resource Index
- 28/100
- Enrollment
- 1,289
- Students per teacher
- 22.6:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 991
- Students per teacher
- 22:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 807
- Students per teacher
- 20.2:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 659
- Students per teacher
- 24.4:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
Similar middle schools in Carlsbad
2 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 (~655 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~21.8:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Calavera Hills Middle's federal record.
- Compare Calavera Hills Middle against another school. Compare schools
- Carlsbad 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 Calavera Hills Middle
How many students attend Calavera Hills Middle?
Calavera Hills Middle has 655 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Carlsbad, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Calavera Hills Middle?
The student-teacher ratio at Calavera Hills Middle is 21.8:1, which is 1% higher than the California average of 21.5:1 and 39% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Calavera Hills Middle?
22.1% of students at Calavera Hills Middle are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Calavera Hills Middle?
The largest demographic group at Calavera Hills Middle is White at 53.4% of enrollment, in Carlsbad, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 62.2/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Calavera Hills Middle?
Calavera Hills Middle has a Resource Investment Index of 31/100 (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 Calavera Hills Middle rank among middle schools in Carlsbad?
By Resource Investment Index, Calavera Hills Middle ranks #3 of 3 middle schools in Carlsbad, 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 Carlsbad on the city page.
Is Calavera Hills Middle a good school?
Calavera Hills Middle earns 31/100 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 Carlsbad Unified?
Besides Calavera Hills Middle, Carlsbad Unified also operates Carlsbad High (2,336 students), Sage Creek High (1,289 students), and Aviara Oaks Middle (991 students). See the Carlsbad 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.