Enrollment
177
California · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Costa Mesa, CA
Early College High
Federal NCES profile for Early College High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 40/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 062724011702
👥 S:T ratio 36
📚 AP courses 10
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 41
📋 Attendance 85
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Early College High earns 40/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 86% of California schools.
- #2 of 3
- high schools in Costa Mesa · Resource Index
- 40
- Resource Index · Typical
- 16.1:1
- small classes for California
- 47.3%
- free-lunch eligible
Early College High has class sizes smaller than 86% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Early College High ranks #2 of 3 high schools in Costa Mesa, CA.
School address
District: Newport-Mesa Unified · California
NCES ID 062724011702 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
11.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.1:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-25% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
47.3%
vs 55.5% California avg
-15% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Early College High compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Early College High
Early College High is a mid-sized high school in Costa Mesa, California, enrolling 177 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 16.1:1, Early College High is leaner than roughly 86% of California schools and 25% under the state's 21.5:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 47.3% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 177 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 91% of the 9,998 California schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Against 381 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #47.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (60%) and White (27%) (diversity index 56/100).
No Advanced Placement courses are reported for this campus in the federal data.
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 295 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Attendance holds up well here: only 6.2% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
The surrounding Newport-Mesa Unified spends $20,621 per pupil, 25% above the California average, a better-resourced district than most.
Among Costa Mesa's high schools, it stands alongside Estancia High (976 students): Early College High is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (16.1:1 vs 18.4:1).
Newport-Mesa Unified also operates Corona Del Mar High (2,106 students) and Newport Harbor High (2,084 students) alongside Early College 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 Early College High compares
Early College 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 | 16.1:1 | ▼ 25% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 47.3% | ▼ 15% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 177 | top 84% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16.1:1
Leaner classes than 37% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
177
Bigger than 17% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
47.3%
free-lunch eligible
- 15% below the California average of 55.5%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
16.1:1
students per teacher
- 25% below state mean
Top 14% in California - lower ratio than 86% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
6.2%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 5-10% range, close to the pre-pandemic national baseline.
Funding equity
$20,621
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
Counselors0.6 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 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 60.0%
White 27.4%
Asian 8.0%
Two or More 4.0%
African American 0.6%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 60.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 55.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 55.7, Early College High is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
AP program Not offered
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Newport-Mesa Unified, which includes Early College High.
$20,621
Per student
+25%
vs California
Avg $16,509
+24%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 74.9%
State 17.7%
Federal 7.4%
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 Early College High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Corona Del Mar High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Newport Harbor High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Costa Mesa High | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Estancia High | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Horace Ensign Intermediate | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Early College High's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,106
- Students per teacher
- 22.9:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
- Enrollment
- 2,084
- Students per teacher
- 21.9:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
- Enrollment
- 1,730
- Students per teacher
- 19.2:1
- Resource Index
- 26/100
- Enrollment
- 976
- Students per teacher
- 18.4:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 875
- Students per teacher
- 20.8:1
- Resource Index
- 21/100
Similar high schools in Costa Mesa
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 (~177 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Early College High's federal record.
- Compare Early College High against another school. Compare schools
- Newport-Mesa 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 Early College High
How many students attend Early College High?
Early College High has 177 students enrolled. It is a high school in Costa Mesa, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Early College High?
The student-teacher ratio at Early College High is 16.1:1, which is 25% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 3% higher 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 Early College High?
47.3% of students at Early College High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Early College High?
The largest demographic group at Early College High is Hispanic or Latino at 60.0% of enrollment, in Costa Mesa, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 55.7/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Early College High?
Early College High has a Resource Investment Index of 40/100 (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 Early College High rank among high schools in Costa Mesa?
By Resource Investment Index, Early College High ranks #2 of 3 high schools in Costa Mesa, 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 Costa Mesa on the city page.
Is Early College High a good school?
Early College High earns 40/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 86% 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 Newport-Mesa Unified?
Besides Early College High, Newport-Mesa Unified also operates Corona Del Mar High (2,106 students), Newport Harbor High (2,084 students), and Costa Mesa High (1,730 students). See the Newport-Mesa 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.