Enrollment
832
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Signal Hill, CA
Jessie Nelson Academy
Federal NCES profile for Jessie Nelson Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 22/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 062250002708
👥 S:T ratio 0
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 19
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Jessie Nelson Academy earns 22/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 81% of California schools.
- 22
- Resource Index · Lower
- 25.2:1
- large classes for California
- 68.5%
- free-lunch eligible
- 832
- students enrolled
Jessie Nelson Academy has class sizes larger than 81% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Long Beach Unified · California
NCES ID 062250002708 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
33.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
25.2:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
+17% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
68.5%
vs 55.5% California avg
+23% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Jessie Nelson Academy compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Jessie Nelson Academy
Jessie Nelson Academy is a higher-need, mid-sized middle school in Signal Hill, California, enrolling 832 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 25.2:1 puts it in the larger third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 68.5% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 832 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.
Against 1,478 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #851.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (60%) and Asian (22%) (diversity index 58/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 816 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 32.5% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 15.4% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 2 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Long Beach Unified also operates Polytechnic High (3,890 students) and Millikan High (3,408 students) alongside Jessie Nelson Academy.
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 Jessie Nelson Academy compares
Jessie Nelson Academy on the metrics families compare, against California and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs California | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 25.2:1 | ▲ 17% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 68.5% | ▲ 23% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 832 | top 16% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
25.2:1
Leaner classes than 5% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
832
Bigger than 87% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
68.5%
free-lunch eligible
- 23% 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
25.2:1
students per teacher
- 17% above state mean
Top 81% in California - lower ratio than 19% of state schools
Well above 20:1, one of the more stretched staffing loads nationally relative to enrollment.
Engagement
32.5%
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
$16,028
per pupil, district-wide
- below California avg of $16,509
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 816 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 58 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 7.1 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 2 expulsions.
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 60.0%
Asian 21.8%
African American 12.6%
Two or More 3.0%
White 1.8%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 60.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 57.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 57.5, Jessie Nelson Academy is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Long Beach Unified, which includes Jessie Nelson Academy.
$16,028
Per student
-3%
vs California
Avg $16,509
-3%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 24.5%
State 60.1%
Federal 15.4%
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 Jessie Nelson Academy Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polytechnic High | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Millikan High | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Wilson High | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Lakewood High | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Jordan High | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Jessie Nelson Academy's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 3,890
- Students per teacher
- 23.3:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
- Enrollment
- 3,408
- Students per teacher
- 24.7:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
- Enrollment
- 3,349
- Students per teacher
- 22.6:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 2,305
- Students per teacher
- 18.6:1
- Resource Index
- 53/100
- Enrollment
- 2,272
- Students per teacher
- 21.8:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
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 (~832 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~25.2:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Jessie Nelson Academy's federal record.
- Compare Jessie Nelson Academy against another school. Compare schools
- Long Beach 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 Jessie Nelson Academy
How many students attend Jessie Nelson Academy?
Jessie Nelson Academy has 832 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Signal Hill, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Jessie Nelson Academy?
The student-teacher ratio at Jessie Nelson Academy is 25.2:1, which is 17% higher than the California average of 21.5:1 and 61% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Jessie Nelson Academy?
68.5% of students at Jessie Nelson Academy are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Jessie Nelson Academy?
The largest demographic group at Jessie Nelson Academy is Hispanic or Latino at 60.0% of enrollment, in Signal Hill, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 57.5/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Jessie Nelson Academy?
Jessie Nelson Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 22/100 (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).
Is Jessie Nelson Academy a good school?
Jessie Nelson Academy earns 22/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 81% 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 Long Beach Unified?
Besides Jessie Nelson Academy, Long Beach Unified also operates Polytechnic High (3,890 students), Millikan High (3,408 students), and Wilson High (3,349 students). See the Long Beach 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.