Enrollment
875
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Newport Beach, CA
Horace Ensign Intermediate
Federal NCES profile for Horace Ensign Intermediate, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 21/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 062724004113
👥 S:T ratio 17
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 13
📋 Attendance 26
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Horace Ensign Intermediate earns 21/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median.
- #10 of 10
- public schools in Newport Beach · Resource Index
- 21
- Resource Index · Lower
- 20.8:1
- students per teacher
- 38.4%
- free-lunch eligible
Horace Ensign Intermediate has class sizes near the California median. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Horace Ensign Intermediate ranks #10 of 10 public schools in Newport Beach, CA.
School address
District: Newport-Mesa Unified · California
NCES ID 062724004113 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
42.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
20.8:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-3% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
38.4%
vs 55.5% California avg
-31% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Horace Ensign Intermediate compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Horace Ensign Intermediate
Horace Ensign Intermediate is a large middle school in Newport Beach, California, enrolling 875 students.
At 20.8:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the California median, within a few percentage points of the 21.5:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 38.4% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 875 puts it in the larger third of California schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 9,998 scored California schools.
Among 1,021 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need California schools statewide, it ranks #800, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (49%) and Hispanic or Latino (42%) (diversity index 58/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 438 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 29.5% 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.
Newport-Mesa Unified also operates Corona Del Mar High (2,106 students) and Newport Harbor High (2,084 students) alongside Horace Ensign Intermediate.
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 Horace Ensign Intermediate compares
Horace Ensign Intermediate on the metrics families compare, against California and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs California | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 20.8:1 | ▼ 3% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 38.4% | ▼ 31% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 875 | top 14% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
20.8:1
Leaner classes than 13% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
875
Bigger than 88% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
38.4%
free-lunch eligible
- 31% 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
20.8:1
students per teacher
- 3% below state mean
Top 42% in California - lower ratio than 58% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
29.5%
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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 438 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 73 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 8.3 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 49.4%
Hispanic or Latino 41.6%
Two or More 6.9%
Asian 1.6%
African American 0.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: White at 49.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 57.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 57.8, Horace Ensign Intermediate is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Newport-Mesa Unified, which includes Horace Ensign Intermediate.
$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 Horace Ensign Intermediate 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 | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Costa Mesa High | Larger | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Estancia High | Similar size | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Mariners Elementary | Smaller | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Horace Ensign Intermediate'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
- 976
- Students per teacher
- 18.4:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 573
- Students per teacher
- 21.2:1
- Resource Index
- 50/100
Similar middle 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 (~875 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~20.8:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Horace Ensign Intermediate's federal record.
- Compare Horace Ensign Intermediate 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 Horace Ensign Intermediate
How many students attend Horace Ensign Intermediate?
Horace Ensign Intermediate has 875 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Newport Beach, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Horace Ensign Intermediate?
The student-teacher ratio at Horace Ensign Intermediate is 20.8:1, which is 3% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 32% 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 Horace Ensign Intermediate?
38.4% of students at Horace Ensign Intermediate are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Horace Ensign Intermediate?
The largest demographic group at Horace Ensign Intermediate is White at 49.4% of enrollment, in Newport Beach, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 57.8/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Horace Ensign Intermediate?
Horace Ensign Intermediate has a Resource Investment Index of 21/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Horace Ensign Intermediate rank among public schools in Newport Beach?
By Resource Investment Index, Horace Ensign Intermediate ranks #10 of 10 public schools in Newport Beach, 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 Newport Beach on the city page.
Is Horace Ensign Intermediate a good school?
Horace Ensign Intermediate earns 21/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median. 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 Horace Ensign Intermediate, 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.