Enrollment
911
California · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Half Moon Bay, CA
Half Moon Bay High
Federal NCES profile for Half Moon Bay High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 47/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 060678000599
👥 S:T ratio 24
📚 AP courses 100
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 39
📋 Attendance 43
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Half Moon Bay High earns 47/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 73% of California schools.
- #2 of 5
- public schools in Half Moon Bay · Resource Index
- 47
- Resource Index · Typical
- 19:1
- small classes for California
- 29.8%
- free-lunch eligible
Half Moon Bay High has class sizes smaller than 73% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Half Moon Bay High ranks #2 of 5 public schools in Half Moon Bay, CA.
School address
District: Cabrillo Unified · California
NCES ID 060678000599 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
48.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
19:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-12% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
29.8%
vs 55.5% California avg
-46% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Half Moon Bay High compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Half Moon Bay High
Half Moon Bay High is a large high school in Half Moon Bay, California, enrolling 911 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 19:1 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 29.8% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 911 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 998 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #447.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (51%) and White (42%) (diversity index 57/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 25 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 304 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 22.8% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Among Half Moon Bay's high schools, it stands alongside Pilarcitos Alternative High (Continuation) (25 students): Half Moon Bay High is larger than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (19:1 vs 25:1).
Cabrillo Unified also operates Alvin S. Hatch Elementary (544 students) and Manuel F. Cunha Intermediate (521 students) alongside Half Moon Bay 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 Half Moon Bay High compares
Half Moon Bay 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 | 19:1 | ▼ 12% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 29.8% | ▼ 46% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 911 | top 13% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
19:1
Leaner classes than 20% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
911
Bigger than 89% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
29.8%
free-lunch eligible
- 46% 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
19:1
students per teacher
- 12% below state mean
Top 27% in California - lower ratio than 73% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
22.8%
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
$16,643
per pupil, district-wide
- above California avg of $16,509
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 304 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
2
in-school suspensions + 29 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.2 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
Hispanic or Latino 50.9%
White 41.5%
Two or More 4.7%
Asian 2.6%
African American 0.2%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 50.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 56.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 56.6, Half Moon Bay High is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
AP courses offered 25
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Cabrillo Unified, which includes Half Moon Bay High.
$16,643
Per student
+1%
vs California
Avg $16,509
+0%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 78.4%
State 15.8%
Federal 5.8%
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 Half Moon Bay High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alvin S. Hatch Elementary | Smaller | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Manuel F. Cunha Intermediate | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| El Granada Elementary | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Farallone View Elementary | Smaller | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Kings Mountain Elementary | Smaller | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Half Moon Bay High's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 544
- Students per teacher
- 22.7:1
- Resource Index
- 26/100
- Enrollment
- 521
- Students per teacher
- 18.6:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 324
- Students per teacher
- 19.1:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
- Enrollment
- 177
- Students per teacher
- 29.5:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
- Enrollment
- 46
- Students per teacher
- 15.3:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
Similar high schools in Half Moon Bay
1 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 (~911 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~19:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Half Moon Bay High's federal record.
- Compare Half Moon Bay High against another school. Compare schools
- Cabrillo 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 Half Moon Bay High
How many students attend Half Moon Bay High?
Half Moon Bay High has 911 students enrolled. It is a high school in Half Moon Bay, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Half Moon Bay High?
The student-teacher ratio at Half Moon Bay High is 19:1, which is 12% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 21% 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 Half Moon Bay High?
29.8% of students at Half Moon Bay High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Half Moon Bay High?
The largest demographic group at Half Moon Bay High is Hispanic or Latino at 50.9% of enrollment, in Half Moon Bay, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 56.6/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Half Moon Bay High?
Half Moon Bay High has a Resource Investment Index of 47/100 (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 Half Moon Bay High rank among public schools in Half Moon Bay?
By Resource Investment Index, Half Moon Bay High ranks #2 of 5 public schools in Half Moon Bay, 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 Half Moon Bay on the city page.
Is Half Moon Bay High a good school?
Half Moon Bay High earns 47/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 73% 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 Cabrillo Unified?
Besides Half Moon Bay High, Cabrillo Unified also operates Alvin S. Hatch Elementary (544 students), Manuel F. Cunha Intermediate (521 students), and El Granada Elementary (324 students). See the Cabrillo 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.