Enrollment
1,902
California · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Lake Forest, CA
El Toro High
Federal NCES profile for El Toro High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 51/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 063386005296
👥 S:T ratio 14
📚 AP courses 100
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 24
📋 Attendance 48
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
El Toro High earns 51/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median. It is also one of the largest schools in California.
- #8 of 9
- public schools in Lake Forest · Resource Index
- 51
- Resource Index · Higher
- 21.6:1
- students per teacher
- 38.1%
- free-lunch eligible
El Toro High has class sizes near the California median. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, El Toro High ranks #8 of 9 public schools in Lake Forest, CA.
School address
District: Saddleback Valley Unified · California
NCES ID 063386005296 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
88.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
21.6:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
+0% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
38.1%
vs 55.5% California avg
-31% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How El Toro High compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at El Toro High
El Toro High is a large high school in Lake Forest, California, enrolling 1,902 students.
At 21.6:1, 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 below the state's typical profile, with 38.1% of students eligible for free meals.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in California, bigger than 96% of state schools at 1,902 students.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 9,998 scored California schools.
Against 309 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #57.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (45%) and White (32%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 67/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 23 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 380 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 20.7% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Saddleback Valley Unified also operates Trabuco Hills High (2,475 students) and Mission Viejo High (1,566 students) alongside El Toro 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 El Toro High compares
El Toro 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 | 21.6:1 | ▲ 0% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 38.1% | ▼ 31% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 1,902 | top 4% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
21.6:1
Leaner classes than 11% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
1,902
Bigger than 98% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
38.1%
free-lunch eligible
- 31% below the California average of 55.5%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
21.6:1
students per teacher
- 0% above state mean
Top 49% in California - lower ratio than 51% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
20.7%
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
$13,733
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
Counselors5.0 FTE
Per 380 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
2
in-school suspensions + 31 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.7 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 45.0%
White 32.2%
Asian 14.1%
Two or More 6.5%
African American 1.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 45.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 66.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 66.9, El Toro High is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
AP courses offered 23
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Saddleback Valley Unified, which includes El Toro High.
$13,733
Per student
-17%
vs California
Avg $16,509
-17%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 62.6%
State 29.5%
Federal 7.9%
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 El Toro High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trabuco Hills High | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Mission Viejo High | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Laguna Hills High | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Rancho Santa Margarita Intermediate | Smaller | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Foothill Ranch Elementary | Smaller | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to El Toro High's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,475
- Students per teacher
- 22.3:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 1,566
- Students per teacher
- 20.9:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
- Enrollment
- 1,317
- Students per teacher
- 20.3:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 1,153
- Students per teacher
- 25.6:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 990
- Students per teacher
- 24.8:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
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 (~1,902 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~21.6:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on El Toro High's federal record.
- Compare El Toro High against another school. Compare schools
- Saddleback Valley 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 El Toro High
How many students attend El Toro High?
El Toro High has 1,902 students enrolled. It is a high school in Lake Forest, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at El Toro High?
The student-teacher ratio at El Toro High is 21.6:1, which is 0% higher than the California average of 21.5:1 and 38% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at El Toro High?
38.1% of students at El Toro High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of El Toro High?
The largest demographic group at El Toro High is Hispanic or Latino at 45.0% of enrollment, in Lake Forest, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 66.9/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for El Toro High?
El Toro High has a Resource Investment Index of 51/100 (higher 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 El Toro High rank among public schools in Lake Forest?
By Resource Investment Index, El Toro High ranks #8 of 9 public schools in Lake Forest, 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 Lake Forest on the city page.
Is El Toro High a good school?
El Toro High earns 51/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median. It is also one of the largest schools in California. 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 Saddleback Valley Unified?
Besides El Toro High, Saddleback Valley Unified also operates Trabuco Hills High (2,475 students), Mission Viejo High (1,566 students), and Laguna Hills High (1,317 students). See the Saddleback Valley 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.