Enrollment
1,439
California · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Imperial, CA
Imperial High
Federal NCES profile for Imperial High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 28/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 061821002243
👥 S:T ratio 1
📚 AP courses 35
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 4
📋 Attendance 31
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Imperial High earns 28/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 78% of California schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most California schools.
- #6 of 6
- public schools in Imperial · Resource Index
- 28
- Resource Index · Lower
- 24.8:1
- large classes for California
- 44.3%
- free-lunch eligible
Imperial High has class sizes larger than 78% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Imperial High ranks #6 of 6 public schools in Imperial, CA.
School address
District: Imperial Unified · California
NCES ID 061821002243 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
58.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
24.8:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
+15% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
44.3%
vs 55.5% California avg
-20% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Imperial High compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Imperial High
Imperial High is a large high school in Imperial, California, enrolling 1,439 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 24.8:1 puts it in the larger third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 44.3% of students eligible for free meals.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in California, bigger than 93% of state schools at 1,439 students.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 9,998 scored California schools.
Against 437 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #304.
Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (89% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 21/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 7 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 480 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 27.6% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The federal civil-rights collection also records 1 expulsion at this campus for 2021-22.
Among Imperial's high schools, it stands alongside Imperial Ave. Holbrook High (28 students): Imperial High is larger than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (24.8:1 vs 28:1).
Imperial Unified also operates Frank M. Wright Middle (1,116 students) and Ben Hulse Elementary (838 students) alongside Imperial 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 Imperial High compares
Imperial 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 | 24.8:1 | ▲ 15% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 44.3% | ▼ 20% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 1,439 | top 7% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
24.8:1
Leaner classes than 5% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
1,439
Bigger than 96% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
44.3%
free-lunch eligible
- 20% 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
24.8:1
students per teacher
- 15% above state mean
Top 78% in California - lower ratio than 22% of state schools
Well above 20:1, one of the more stretched staffing loads nationally relative to enrollment.
Engagement
27.6%
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
$13,369
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
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 480 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
24
in-school suspensions + 43 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 4.7 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 1 expulsion.
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 88.8%
White 8.1%
Asian 1.5%
African American 0.8%
Two or More 0.7%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 88.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 20.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 20.5, Imperial High is less mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
AP courses offered 7
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Imperial Unified, which includes Imperial High.
$13,369
Per student
-19%
vs California
Avg $16,509
-19%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 21.5%
State 67.3%
Federal 11.2%
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 Imperial High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frank M. Wright Middle | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Ben Hulse Elementary | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Imperial Cross Elementary | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| T. L. Waggoner Elementary | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Imperial Ave. Holbrook High | Smaller | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Imperial High's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,116
- Students per teacher
- 25.4:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 838
- Students per teacher
- 24.6:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
- Enrollment
- 760
- Students per teacher
- 26.2:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 613
- Students per teacher
- 22.7:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
- Enrollment
- 28
- Students per teacher
- 28:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
Similar high schools in Imperial
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 (~1,439 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~24.8:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Imperial High's federal record.
- Compare Imperial High against another school. Compare schools
- Imperial 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 Imperial High
How many students attend Imperial High?
Imperial High has 1,439 students enrolled. It is a high school in Imperial, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Imperial High?
The student-teacher ratio at Imperial High is 24.8:1, which is 15% higher than the California average of 21.5:1 and 58% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Imperial High?
44.3% of students at Imperial High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Imperial High?
The largest demographic group at Imperial High is Hispanic or Latino at 88.8% of enrollment, in Imperial, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Imperial High?
Imperial High has a Resource Investment Index of 28/100 (lower 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 Imperial High rank among public schools in Imperial?
By Resource Investment Index, Imperial High ranks #6 of 6 public schools in Imperial, 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 Imperial on the city page.
Is Imperial High a good school?
Imperial High earns 28/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 78% of California schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most 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 Imperial Unified?
Besides Imperial High, Imperial Unified also operates Frank M. Wright Middle (1,116 students), Ben Hulse Elementary (838 students), and Imperial Cross Elementary (760 students). See the Imperial 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.