Enrollment
976
California · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Costa Mesa, CA
Estancia High
Federal NCES profile for Estancia High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 41/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 062724004114
👥 S:T ratio 26
📚 AP courses 70
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 51
📋 Attendance 25
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Estancia High earns 41/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 77% of California schools.
- #3 of 3
- high schools in Costa Mesa · Resource Index
- 41
- Resource Index · Typical
- 18.4:1
- small classes for California
- 70.4%
- free-lunch eligible
Estancia High has class sizes smaller than 77% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Estancia High ranks #3 of 3 high schools in Costa Mesa, CA.
School address
District: Newport-Mesa Unified · California
NCES ID 062724004114 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
53.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18.4:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-14% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
70.4%
vs 55.5% California avg
+27% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Estancia High compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Estancia High
Estancia High is a higher-need, large high school in Costa Mesa, California, enrolling 976 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 18.4:1 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 70.4% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 976 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 1,053 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #187.
Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (84% of enrollment) (diversity index 28/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 14 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage is strong, about 244 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 29.9% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
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 Early College High (177 students): Estancia High is larger than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (18.4:1 vs 16.1:1).
Newport-Mesa Unified also operates Corona Del Mar High (2,106 students) and Newport Harbor High (2,084 students) alongside Estancia 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 Estancia High compares
Estancia 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 | 18.4:1 | ▼ 14% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 70.4% | ▲ 27% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 976 | top 12% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
18.4:1
Leaner classes than 22% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
976
Bigger than 91% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
70.4%
free-lunch eligible
- 27% 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
18.4:1
students per teacher
- 14% below state mean
Top 23% in California - lower ratio than 77% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
29.9%
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
$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
Counselors4.0 FTE
Per 244 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 58 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 5.9 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 84.2%
White 10.8%
Two or More 2.5%
Asian 1.4%
African American 0.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 84.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 27.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 27.8, Estancia High is less mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
AP courses offered 14
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Newport-Mesa Unified, which includes Estancia 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 Estancia 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 | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Horace Ensign Intermediate | Similar size | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Mariners Elementary | Smaller | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Estancia 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
- 875
- Students per teacher
- 20.8:1
- Resource Index
- 21/100
- Enrollment
- 573
- Students per teacher
- 21.2:1
- Resource Index
- 50/100
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 (~976 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~18.4:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Estancia High's federal record.
- Compare Estancia 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 Estancia High
How many students attend Estancia High?
Estancia High has 976 students enrolled. It is a high school in Costa Mesa, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Estancia High?
The student-teacher ratio at Estancia High is 18.4:1, which is 14% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 17% 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 Estancia High?
70.4% of students at Estancia High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Estancia High?
The largest demographic group at Estancia High is Hispanic or Latino at 84.2% of enrollment, in Costa Mesa, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Estancia High?
Estancia High has a Resource Investment Index of 41/100 (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 Estancia High rank among high schools in Costa Mesa?
By Resource Investment Index, Estancia High ranks #3 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 Estancia High a good school?
Estancia High earns 41/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 77% 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 Estancia 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.