Enrollment
1,234
California · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 063531008548
Gonzalo Felicitas Mendez Fundamental Intermediate — Santa Ana, CA
Federal NCES profile for Gonzalo Felicitas Mendez Fundamental Intermediate, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 42/100.
👥 Class size 8
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 51
📋 Attendance 41
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
Gonzalo Felicitas Mendez Fundamental Intermediate earns a D Resource Investment Index (42/100), with class sizes near the California median.
- D
- Resource Index · 42/100
- 23.1:1
- students per teacher
- 69.5%
- free-lunch eligible
- 1,234
- students enrolled
School address
District: Santa Ana Unified · 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)
56.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
23.1:1
vs 21.6:1 California avg
+7% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
69.5%
vs 55.5% California avg
+25% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Gonzalo Felicitas Mendez Fundamental Intermediate 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
Gonzalo Felicitas Mendez Fundamental Intermediate reports 1,234 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 56.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 23.1:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 7% 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 45% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 69.5% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 25% above the California average and 34% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 247 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 23.6% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Santa Ana Unified spends $20,942 per pupil district-wide, above the California average of $18,039 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 26.0% from local sources (property taxes), 54.7% from the state, and 19.3% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 42/100 (D), calculated from 4 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 Gonzalo Felicitas Mendez Fundamental Intermediate 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 | 23.1:1 | ▲ 7% | 21.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 69.5% | ▲ 25% | 55.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 1,234 | top 92% | — | — |
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)
23 smaller classes than 8% 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')
1,234 larger than 94% 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
69.5%
free-lunch eligible
— 25% 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
23.1:1
students per teacher
— 7% above state mean
Top 62% in California — lower ratio than 38% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Engagement
23.6%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$20,942
per pupil, district-wide
— above California avg of $18,039
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors5.0 FTE
Per 247 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 21 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.7 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 1,234 Top 92% in California — larger than 8% of 10,006 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 56.0
Students per teacher 23.1:1 +7% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 69.5% +25% vs state
NCES ID 063531008548
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 98.6%
Asian 1.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
White 0.1%
Two or More 0.1%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 98.6% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 5.0
Students per counselor 247:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 23.6%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 21
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Santa Ana Unified, which includes Gonzalo Felicitas Mendez Fundamental Intermediate.
$20,942
Per student
+16%
vs California
Avg $18,039
+7%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 26.0%
State 54.7%
Federal 19.3%
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
- 2,505
- Students per teacher
- 23.2:1
- Enrollment
- 2,376
- Students per teacher
- 25.4:1
- Enrollment
- 1,908
- Students per teacher
- 20.9:1
- Enrollment
- 1,687
- Students per teacher
- 21.6:1
- Enrollment
- 1,519
- Students per teacher
- 17.6:1
Similar middle schools in Santa Ana
6 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) serving the same city.
Douglas Macarthur Fundamental Intermediate
Standard public school
1,005 students 24.4:1 students per teacher
Raymond a. Villa Fundamental Intermediate
Standard public school
936 students 22.5:1 students per teacher
Hewes Middle
Standard public school
929 students 25.6:1 students per teacher
Gerald P. Carr Intermediate
Standard public school
886 students 17.1:1 students per teacher
Julia C. Lathrop Intermediate
Standard public school
584 students 17.3:1 students per teacher
Stephen R. Fitz Intermediate
Standard public school
534 students 23:1 students per teacher
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 Gonzalo Felicitas Mendez Fundamental Intermediate
How many students attend Gonzalo Felicitas Mendez Fundamental Intermediate?
Gonzalo Felicitas Mendez Fundamental Intermediate has 1,234 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Santa Ana, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Gonzalo Felicitas Mendez Fundamental Intermediate?
The student-teacher ratio at Gonzalo Felicitas Mendez Fundamental Intermediate is 23.1:1, which is 7% higher than the California average of 21.6:1 and 45% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Gonzalo Felicitas Mendez Fundamental Intermediate?
69.5% of students at Gonzalo Felicitas Mendez Fundamental Intermediate are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Gonzalo Felicitas Mendez Fundamental Intermediate?
The largest demographic group at Gonzalo Felicitas Mendez Fundamental Intermediate is Hispanic or Latino at 98.6%. The school serves a diverse student body in Santa Ana, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Gonzalo Felicitas Mendez Fundamental Intermediate?
Gonzalo Felicitas Mendez Fundamental Intermediate has a Resource Investment Index of 42/100 (D) based on 4 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.