Enrollment
103
California · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · San Juan Capistrano, CA
Capistrano Union High
Federal NCES profile for Capistrano Union High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 37/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 060744000703
👥 S:T ratio 66
📚 AP courses 10
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 79
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Capistrano Union High earns 37/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 97% of California schools.
- #1 of 3
- high schools in San Juan Capistrano · Resource Index
- 37
- Resource Index · Typical
- 8.6:1
- small classes for California
- 72.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Capistrano Union High has class sizes smaller than 97% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Capistrano Union High ranks #1 of 3 high schools in San Juan Capistrano, CA.
School address
District: Capistrano Unified · California
NCES ID 060744000703 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
12.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
8.6:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-60% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
72.0%
vs 55.5% California avg
+30% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Capistrano Union High compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Capistrano Union High
Capistrano Union High is a higher-need, small high school in San Juan Capistrano, California, enrolling 103 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 8.6:1, Capistrano Union High is leaner than roughly 97% of California schools and 60% 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 72.0% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 103 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 9,998 scored California schools.
Against 281 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #103.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (73%) and White (21%) (diversity index 42/100).
No Advanced Placement courses are reported for this campus in the federal data.
Counselor coverage is strong, about 103 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 97.1% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Discipline events run high: 23 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 103 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
Among San Juan Capistrano's high schools, it stands alongside San Juan Hills High (2,641 students): Capistrano Union High is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (8.6:1 vs 21.5:1).
Capistrano Unified also operates San Clemente High (2,740 students) and San Juan Hills High (2,641 students) alongside Capistrano Union 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 Capistrano Union High compares
Capistrano Union 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 | 8.6:1 | ▼ 60% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 72.0% | ▲ 30% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 103 | top 89% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
8.6:1
Leaner classes than 94% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
103
Bigger than 10% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
72.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 30% 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
8.6:1
students per teacher
- 60% below state mean
Top 3% in California - lower ratio than 97% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
97.1%
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
$14,421
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 103 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
17
in-school suspensions + 6 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 16.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 22.3 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 72.8%
White 21.4%
African American 2.9%
Two or More 1.9%
Asian 1.0%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 72.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 42.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 42.3, Capistrano Union High is less mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
AP program Not offered
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Capistrano Unified, which includes Capistrano Union High.
$14,421
Per student
-13%
vs California
Avg $16,509
-13%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 61.2%
State 31.0%
Federal 7.7%
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 Capistrano Union High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Clemente High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| San Juan Hills High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Aliso Niguel High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Tesoro High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Capistrano Valley High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Capistrano Union High's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,740
- Students per teacher
- 21.9:1
- Resource Index
- 28/100
- Enrollment
- 2,641
- Students per teacher
- 21.5:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 2,563
- Students per teacher
- 22.5:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 2,030
- Students per teacher
- 22.1:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
- Enrollment
- 1,991
- Students per teacher
- 21.9:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
Similar high schools in San Juan Capistrano
2 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
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 (~103 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~8.6:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Capistrano Union High's federal record.
- Compare Capistrano Union High against another school. Compare schools
- Capistrano 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 Capistrano Union High
How many students attend Capistrano Union High?
Capistrano Union High has 103 students enrolled. It is a high school in San Juan Capistrano, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Capistrano Union High?
The student-teacher ratio at Capistrano Union High is 8.6:1, which is 60% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 45% lower 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 Capistrano Union High?
72.0% of students at Capistrano Union High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Capistrano Union High?
The largest demographic group at Capistrano Union High is Hispanic or Latino at 72.8% of enrollment, in San Juan Capistrano, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Capistrano Union High?
Capistrano Union High has a Resource Investment Index of 37/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Capistrano Union High rank among high schools in San Juan Capistrano?
By Resource Investment Index, Capistrano Union High ranks #1 of 3 high schools in San Juan Capistrano, 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 San Juan Capistrano on the city page.
Is Capistrano Union High a good school?
Capistrano Union High earns 37/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 97% 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 Capistrano Unified?
Besides Capistrano Union High, Capistrano Unified also operates San Clemente High (2,740 students), San Juan Hills High (2,641 students), and Aliso Niguel High (2,563 students). See the Capistrano 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.