Enrollment
2,261
California · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 064248006950
California High — Whittier, CA
Federal NCES profile for California High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 40/100.
👥 Class size 7
📚 AP courses 95
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 43
📋 Attendance 26
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
District: Whittier Union High · California
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
108.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
23.2:1
vs 21.6:1 California avg
+7% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
62.7%
vs 55.5% California avg
+13% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How California High compares with California and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
California High reports 2,261 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 108.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 23.2:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 7% above the California state mean of 21.6:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 46% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 62.7% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 13% above the California average and 21% above the national baseline. The school offers 19 Advanced Placement courses, a stronger academic pipeline indicator than enrollment alone. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 283 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 29.7% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Whittier Union High spends $22,431 per pupil district-wide, above the California average of $18,039 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 27.5% from local sources (property taxes), 61.9% from the state, and 10.5% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 40/100 (D), calculated from 5 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How California High compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against California state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs California | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 23.2:1 | ▲ 7% | 21.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 62.7% | ▲ 13% | 55.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 2,261 | top 98% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Economic need
62.7%
free-lunch eligible
— 13% 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
23.2:1
students per teacher
— 7% above state mean
Top 63% in California — lower ratio than 37% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Engagement
29.7%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$22,431
per pupil, district-wide
— above California avg of $18,039
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors8.0 FTE
Per 283 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 135 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 6.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 4 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 2,261 Top 98% in California — larger than 2% of 10,006 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 108.0
Students per teacher 23.2:1 +7% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 62.7% +13% vs state
NCES ID 064248006950
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 92.6%
White 4.3%
Asian 1.9%
African American 0.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Two or More 0.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 92.6% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 19
Counselors (FTE) 8.0
Students per counselor 283:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 29.7%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 135
Expulsions 4
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Whittier Union High, which includes California High.
$22,431
Per student
+24%
vs California
Avg $18,039
+15%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 27.5%
State 61.9%
Federal 10.5%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,372
- Students per teacher
- 25.9:1
- Enrollment
- 1,865
- Students per teacher
- 24.2:1
- Enrollment
- 1,652
- Students per teacher
- 21.8:1
- Enrollment
- 1,000
- Students per teacher
- 19.5:1
- Enrollment
- 364
- Students per teacher
- 17.6:1
Similar high schools in Whittier
5 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
La Serna High
Standard public school
2,372 students 25.9:1 students per teacher
Whittier High
Standard public school
1,652 students 21.8:1 students per teacher
Pioneer High
Standard public school
1,000 students 19.5:1 students per teacher
Frontier High (Continuation)
Alternative education program
364 students 17.6:1 students per teacher
Sierra Vista High (Alternative)
Alternative education program
284 students 24.9:1 students per teacher
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about California High
How many students attend California High?
California High has 2,261 students enrolled. It is a high school in Whittier, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at California High?
The student-teacher ratio at California High is 23.2:1, which is 7% higher than the California average of 21.6:1 and 46% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at California High?
62.7% of students at California High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of California High?
The largest demographic group at California High is Hispanic or Latino at 92.6%. The school serves a diverse student body in Whittier, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for California High?
California High has a Resource Investment Index of 40/100 (D) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.