Enrollment
159
California · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Cambria, CA
Coast Union High
Federal NCES profile for Coast Union High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 36/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 060004907414
👥 S:T ratio 60
📚 AP courses 60
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 31
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Coast Union High earns 36/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 96% of California schools.
- #3 of 4
- public schools in Cambria · Resource Index
- 36
- Resource Index · Typical
- 9.9:1
- small classes for California
- 63.1%
- free-lunch eligible
Coast Union High has class sizes smaller than 96% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Coast Union High ranks #3 of 4 public schools in Cambria, CA.
School address
District: Coast Unified · California
NCES ID 060004907414 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
16.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
9.9:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-54% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
63.1%
vs 55.5% California avg
+14% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Coast Union High compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Coast Union High
Coast Union High is a higher-need, small high school in Cambria, California, enrolling 159 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 9.9:1, Coast Union High is leaner than roughly 96% of California schools and 54% under the state's 21.5:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 63.1% lands close to the California typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 159 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 415 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #270.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (79%) and White (17%) (diversity index 34/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 12 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 530 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 27.7% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding Coast Unified spends $27,502 per pupil, 67% above the California average, a better-resourced district than most.
Among Cambria's high schools, it stands alongside Leffingwell High (Continuation) (5 students): Coast Union High is larger than that campus by headcount.
Coast Unified also operates Cambria Grammar (202 students) and Santa Lucia Middle (112 students) alongside Coast 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 Coast Union High compares
Coast 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 | 9.9:1 | ▼ 54% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 63.1% | ▲ 14% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 159 | top 86% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
9.9:1
Leaner classes than 89% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
159
Bigger than 15% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
63.1%
free-lunch eligible
- 14% 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
9.9:1
students per teacher
- 54% below state mean
Top 4% in California - lower ratio than 96% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
27.7%
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
$27,502
per pupil, district-wide
- above California avg of $16,509
Well above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting substantially higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors0.3 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 4 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.5 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 79.2%
White 17.0%
Two or More 3.1%
Asian 0.6%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 79.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 34.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 34.3, Coast Union High is less mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
AP courses offered 12
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Coast Unified, which includes Coast Union High.
$27,502
Per student
+67%
vs California
Avg $16,509
+66%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 78.9%
State 15.9%
Federal 5.2%
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 Coast Union High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cambria Grammar | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Santa Lucia Middle | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Leffingwell High (Continuation) | Smaller | Similar economic need | No ratio data |
Comparisons are relative to Coast Union High's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 202
- Students per teacher
- 15.5:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
- Enrollment
- 112
- Students per teacher
- 12.4:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 5
- Students per teacher
- -
- Resource Index
- 30/100
Similar high schools in Cambria
1 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 (~159 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Coast Union High's federal record.
- Compare Coast Union High against another school. Compare schools
- Coast 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 Coast Union High
How many students attend Coast Union High?
Coast Union High has 159 students enrolled. It is a high school in Cambria, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Coast Union High?
The student-teacher ratio at Coast Union High is 9.9:1, which is 54% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 37% 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 Coast Union High?
63.1% of students at Coast Union High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Coast Union High?
The largest demographic group at Coast Union High is Hispanic or Latino at 79.2% of enrollment, in Cambria, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Coast Union High?
Coast Union High has a Resource Investment Index of 36/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Coast Union High rank among public schools in Cambria?
By Resource Investment Index, Coast Union High ranks #3 of 4 public schools in Cambria, 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 Cambria on the city page.
Is Coast Union High a good school?
Coast Union High earns 36/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 96% 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 Coast Unified?
Besides Coast Union High, Coast Unified also operates Cambria Grammar (202 students), Santa Lucia Middle (112 students), and Leffingwell High (Continuation) (5 students). See the Coast 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.