Enrollment
262
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Terra Bella, CA
Carl Smith Middle
Federal NCES profile for Carl Smith Middle, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 27/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 063906004200
👥 S:T ratio 13
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 65
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Carl Smith Middle earns 27/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most California schools.
- #3 of 3
- public schools in Terra Bella · Resource Index
- 27
- Resource Index · Lower
- 21.8:1
- students per teacher
- 93.6%
- free-lunch eligible
Carl Smith Middle has class sizes near the California median. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Carl Smith Middle ranks #3 of 3 public schools in Terra Bella, CA.
School address
District: Terra Bella Union Elementary · California
NCES ID 063906004200 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
12.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
21.8:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
+1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
93.6%
vs 55.5% California avg
+69% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Carl Smith Middle compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Carl Smith Middle
Carl Smith Middle is a high-poverty, mid-sized middle school in Terra Bella, California, enrolling 262 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.
Economic need is high: 93.6% of students qualify for free meals, 69% above the California average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
Enrollment of 262 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 9,998 scored California schools.
Against 479 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #321.
Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (98% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 5/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 873 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
14.1% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Its district draws 18.1% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Its district, Terra Bella Union Elementary, also runs Terra Bella Elementary (455 students).
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 Carl Smith Middle compares
Carl Smith 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 | 93.6% | ▲ 69% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 262 | top 78% | - | - |
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.
262
Bigger than 27% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
93.6%
free-lunch eligible
- 69% above the California average of 55.5%
Well above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold, among the highest-need profiles in the state; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
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
14.1%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 10-15% range, above the pre-pandemic national baseline but within the broader post-pandemic picture.
Funding equity
$16,853
per pupil, district-wide
- above California avg of $16,509
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors0.3 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 3 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.1 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 97.7%
White 1.5%
Asian 0.4%
Two or More 0.4%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 97.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 4.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 4.5, Carl Smith Middle is less mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Terra Bella Union Elementary, which includes Carl Smith Middle.
$16,853
Per student
+2%
vs California
Avg $16,509
+2%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 12.2%
State 69.7%
Federal 18.1%
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 Carl Smith Middle Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Terra Bella Elementary | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Carl Smith Middle's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 455
- Students per teacher
- 17.5:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
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 (~262 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~21.8:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Carl Smith Middle's federal record.
- Compare Carl Smith Middle against another school. Compare schools
- Terra Bella Union 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 Carl Smith Middle
How many students attend Carl Smith Middle?
Carl Smith Middle has 262 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Terra Bella, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Carl Smith Middle?
The student-teacher ratio at Carl Smith 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 Carl Smith Middle?
93.6% of students at Carl Smith Middle are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Carl Smith Middle?
The largest demographic group at Carl Smith Middle is Hispanic or Latino at 97.7% of enrollment, in Terra Bella, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Carl Smith Middle?
Carl Smith Middle has a Resource Investment Index of 27/100 (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 Carl Smith Middle rank among public schools in Terra Bella?
By Resource Investment Index, Carl Smith Middle ranks #3 of 3 public schools in Terra Bella, 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 Terra Bella on the city page.
Is Carl Smith Middle a good school?
Carl Smith Middle earns 27/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most 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 Terra Bella Union Elementary?
Besides Carl Smith Middle, Terra Bella Union Elementary also operates Terra Bella Elementary (455 students). See the Terra Bella Union 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.