Enrollment
3,171
California · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 061806002228
Fountain Valley High — Fountain Valley, CA
Federal NCES profile for Fountain Valley High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 22/100.
👥 Class size 0
📚 AP courses 10
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 9
📋 Attendance 63
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
The verdict
Fountain Valley High earns an F Resource Investment Index (22/100), with class sizes larger than 91% of California schools.
- F
- Resource Index · 22/100
- 26.3:1
- large classes for California
- 33.7%
- free-lunch eligible
- 3,171
- students enrolled
School address
District: Huntington Beach Union High · California
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
121.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
26.3:1
vs 21.6:1 California avg
+22% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
33.7%
vs 55.5% California avg
-39% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Fountain Valley High compares with California and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
Fountain Valley High reports 3,171 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 121.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 26.3:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 22% above the California state mean of 21.6:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 65% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 33.7% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 39% below the California average and 35% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 453 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 14.9% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Huntington Beach Union High spends $18,171 per pupil district-wide, above the California average of $18,039 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 55.0% from local sources (property taxes), 35.9% from the state, and 9.1% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 22/100 (F), calculated from 5 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Fountain Valley High compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against California state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs California | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 26.3:1 | ▲ 22% | 21.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 33.7% | ▼ 39% | 55.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 3,171 | top 100% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
Class size vs. every US school
Students per teacher (lower means more individual attention)
26 smaller classes than 3% of 92,598 US schools
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US schools. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education — NCES Common Core of Data · 2024-25
School size vs. every US school
Total enrollment — where this school sits by size (neither large nor small is 'better')
3,171 larger than 99% of 95,891 US schools
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US schools. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education — NCES Common Core of Data · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Economic need
33.7%
free-lunch eligible
— 39% 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
26.3:1
students per teacher
— 22% above state mean
Top 91% in California — lower ratio than 9% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Engagement
14.9%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Between 10–20% — above the pre-pandemic baseline of ~15% nationally but within the current U.S. range.
Funding equity
$18,171
per pupil, district-wide
— above California avg of $18,039
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors7.0 FTE
Per 453 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
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
Enrollment 3,171 Top 100% in California — larger than 0% of 10,006 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 121.0
Students per teacher 26.3:1 +22% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 33.7% -39% vs state
NCES ID 061806002228
Student demographics
Asian 56.3%
White 20.1%
Hispanic or Latino 17.4%
Two or More 4.8%
African American 0.7%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Largest group: Asian at 56.3% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP program Not offered
Counselors (FTE) 7.0
Students per counselor 453:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 14.9%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Huntington Beach Union High, which includes Fountain Valley High.
$18,171
Per student
+1%
vs California
Avg $18,039
-7%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 55.0%
State 35.9%
Federal 9.1%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,645
- Students per teacher
- 26.2:1
- Enrollment
- 2,529
- Students per teacher
- 24.2:1
- Enrollment
- 2,049
- Students per teacher
- 21.2:1
- Enrollment
- 1,997
- Students per teacher
- 22:1
- Enrollment
- 1,154
- Students per teacher
- 19.4:1
Similar high schools in Fountain Valley
2 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about Fountain Valley High
How many students attend Fountain Valley High?
Fountain Valley High has 3,171 students enrolled. It is a high school in Fountain Valley, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Fountain Valley High?
The student-teacher ratio at Fountain Valley High is 26.3:1, which is 22% higher than the California average of 21.6:1 and 65% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Fountain Valley High?
33.7% of students at Fountain Valley High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Fountain Valley High?
The largest demographic group at Fountain Valley High is Asian at 56.3%. The school serves a diverse student body in Fountain Valley, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Fountain Valley High?
Fountain Valley High has a Resource Investment Index of 22/100 (F) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.