Enrollment
145
California · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Ferndale, CA
Ferndale High
Federal NCES profile for Ferndale High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 48/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 060003701551
👥 S:T ratio 52
📚 AP courses 20
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 52
📋 Attendance 48
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Ferndale High earns 48/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 93% of California schools.
- 48
- Resource Index · Typical
- 12.1:1
- small classes for California
- 44.8%
- free-lunch eligible
- 145
- students enrolled
Ferndale High has class sizes smaller than 93% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Ferndale Unified · California
NCES ID 060003701551 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
12.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.1:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-44% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
44.8%
vs 55.5% California avg
-19% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Ferndale High compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Ferndale High
Ferndale High is a small high school in Ferndale, California, enrolling 145 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 12.1:1, Ferndale High is leaner than roughly 93% of California schools and 44% 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 44.8% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 145 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 95% of the 9,998 California schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Among 304 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need California schools statewide, it ranks #28, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (71%) and Hispanic or Latino (22%) (diversity index 45/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 4 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage is strong, about 242 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 20.7% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Its district, Ferndale Unified, also runs Ferndale Elementary (338 students).
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 Ferndale High compares
Ferndale 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 | 12.1:1 | ▼ 44% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 44.8% | ▼ 19% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 145 | top 86% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.1:1
Leaner classes than 75% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
145
Bigger than 14% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
44.8%
free-lunch eligible
- 19% 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
12.1:1
students per teacher
- 44% below state mean
Top 7% in California - lower ratio than 93% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
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
$14,689
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
Counselors0.6 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
2
in-school suspensions + 3 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.4 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
White 71.0%
Hispanic or Latino 22.1%
Two or More 4.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native 2.1%
African American 0.7%
Largest group: White at 71.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 44.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 44.5, Ferndale High is about as mixed as the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
AP courses offered 4
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Ferndale Unified, which includes Ferndale High.
$14,689
Per student
-11%
vs California
Avg $16,509
-11%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 31.0%
State 56.5%
Federal 12.5%
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 Ferndale High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ferndale Elementary | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Ferndale High's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 338
- Students per teacher
- 18.8:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
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 (~145 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Ferndale High's federal record.
- Compare Ferndale High against another school. Compare schools
- Ferndale 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 Ferndale High
How many students attend Ferndale High?
Ferndale High has 145 students enrolled. It is a high school in Ferndale, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Ferndale High?
The student-teacher ratio at Ferndale High is 12.1:1, which is 44% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 23% 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 Ferndale High?
44.8% of students at Ferndale High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Ferndale High?
The largest demographic group at Ferndale High is White at 71.0% of enrollment, in Ferndale, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Ferndale High?
Ferndale High has a Resource Investment Index of 48/100 (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).
Is Ferndale High a good school?
Ferndale High earns 48/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 93% 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 Ferndale Unified?
Besides Ferndale High, Ferndale Unified also operates Ferndale Elementary (338 students). See the Ferndale 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.