Middle school (grades 6-8) · Palmdale, CA

David G. Millen Law and Government Magnet Academy

Federal NCES profile for David G. Millen Law and Government Magnet Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 31/100.

2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 062958013052
0/100100/10031/100
👥 S:T ratio
12
🌟 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

David G. Millen Law and Government Magnet Academy earns 31/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median.

#2 of 6
middle schools in Palmdale · Resource Index
31
Resource Index · Lower
22.1:1
students per teacher
74.0%
free-lunch eligible

David G. Millen Law and Government Magnet Academy has class sizes near the California median. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, David G. Millen Law and Government Magnet Academy ranks #2 of 6 middle schools in Palmdale, CA.

School address

Enrollment

952

California · 2024-25 NCES data

Teachers (FTE)

43.0

Federal CCD staff survey

Students per teacher

22.1:1

vs 21.5:1 California avg

+3% vs state

Free-lunch eligible

74.0%

vs 55.5% California avg

+33% vs state

Student-teacher ratio in context

How David G. Millen Law and Government Magnet Academy compares with California and U.S. medians

Slightly above state median

Source: NCES Common Core of Data As of 2024-25 federal staff survey Total enrollment ÷ full-time-equivalent classroom teachers

What stands out at David G. Millen Law and Government Magnet Academy

David G. Millen Law and Government Magnet Academy is a higher-need, large middle school in Palmdale, California, enrolling 952 students.

At 22.1:1, 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 runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 74.0% of students eligible for free meals.

Enrollment of 952 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 1,098 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #273.

Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (69%) and African American (20%) (diversity index 48/100).

Counselor access is stretched at roughly 952 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.

Its district draws 18.4% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.

The federal civil-rights collection also records 2 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.

Among Palmdale's middle schools, it stands alongside Hillview Middle (1,100 students): David G. Millen Law and Government Magnet Academy is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (22.1:1 vs 27.5:1).

Palmdale Elementary also operates Los Amigos - Dual Immersion (1,027 students) and Palmdale Academy Charter (989 students) alongside David G. Millen Law and Government Magnet Academy.

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 David G. Millen Law and Government Magnet Academy compares

David G. Millen Law and Government Magnet Academy on the metrics families compare, against California and U.S. means.

Metric This school vs California California avg U.S. avg
Students per teacher 22.1:1 ▲ 3% 21.5:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 74.0% ▲ 33% 55.5% 51.7%
Enrollment 952 top 12% - -

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25

22.1:1
Leaner classes than 10% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
952
Bigger than 90% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.

Equity indicators (what these measure)

Economic need
74.0%
free-lunch eligible - 33% 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
22.1:1
students per teacher - 3% above state mean
Top 54% in California - lower ratio than 46% 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
$16,847
per pupil, district-wide - above California avg of $16,509
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 952 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 88 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 9.2 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 2 expulsions.

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 69.2%
African American 19.6%
White 4.8%
Two or More 2.7%
Asian 2.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.5%

Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 69.2% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 47.9/100

Simpson diversity index - at 47.9, David G. Millen Law and Government Magnet Academy is about as mixed as the California school average of 46.0.

Programs

Gifted & talented Yes

Funding & spending

District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Palmdale Elementary, which includes David G. Millen Law and Government Magnet Academy.

$16,847
Per student
+2%
vs California
Avg $16,509
+2%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 11.4%
State 70.2%
Federal 18.4%

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 David G. Millen Law and Government Magnet Academy Compares to District-Mates

School Enrollment Economic Profile Student-Teacher Ratio
Los Amigos - Dual Immersion Similar size Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
Palmdale Academy Charter Similar size Similar economic need Higher S:T ratio
Desert Willow Fine Arts Sci and Tech Magnet Acad Similar size Similar economic need Similar S:T ratio
Dos Caminos Dual Immersion Similar size Similar economic need Higher S:T ratio
Cactus Medical Health and Technology Magnet Academy Similar size Similar economic need Lower S:T ratio

Comparisons are relative to David G. Millen Law and Government Magnet Academy's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.

Other Schools in This District

Palmdale Elementary · 5 sibling schools

View district profile

Similar middle schools in Palmdale

5 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.

Next steps

Verify locally before acting on David G. Millen Law and Government Magnet Academy's federal record.

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 David G. Millen Law and Government Magnet Academy

How many students attend David G. Millen Law and Government Magnet Academy?

David G. Millen Law and Government Magnet Academy has 952 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Palmdale, CA.

What is the student-teacher ratio at David G. Millen Law and Government Magnet Academy?

The student-teacher ratio at David G. Millen Law and Government Magnet Academy is 22.1:1, which is 3% higher than the California average of 21.5:1 and 41% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.

What percentage of students receive free lunch at David G. Millen Law and Government Magnet Academy?

74.0% of students at David G. Millen Law and Government Magnet Academy are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of David G. Millen Law and Government Magnet Academy?

The largest demographic group at David G. Millen Law and Government Magnet Academy is Hispanic or Latino at 69.2% of enrollment, in Palmdale, CA.

What is the Resource Investment Index for David G. Millen Law and Government Magnet Academy?

David G. Millen Law and Government Magnet Academy 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 David G. Millen Law and Government Magnet Academy rank among middle schools in Palmdale?

By Resource Investment Index, David G. Millen Law and Government Magnet Academy ranks #2 of 6 middle schools in Palmdale, 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 Palmdale on the city page.

Is David G. Millen Law and Government Magnet Academy a good school?

David G. Millen Law and Government Magnet Academy 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 Palmdale Elementary?

Besides David G. Millen Law and Government Magnet Academy, Palmdale Elementary also operates Los Amigos - Dual Immersion (1,027 students), Palmdale Academy Charter (989 students), and Desert Willow Fine Arts Sci and Tech Magnet Acad (948 students). See the Palmdale Elementary district page for the complete list.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) CCD + Public School Universe (2024-25), CRDC (2021-22), F-33 District Finance Survey (FY 2021-22) · 2024-25 Data as of the 2024-25 school year. Coverage from U.S. Department of Education NCES Common Core of Data. Varies by entity type; administrative districts and certain charter networks may report only a subset of fields.

All federal data sources used on this page

Full source list and how we compute each figure: methodology page.

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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.