Enrollment
806
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Santa Monica, CA
John Adams Middle
Federal NCES profile for John Adams Middle, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 39/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 063570006085
👥 S:T ratio 27
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 46
📋 Attendance 52
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
John Adams Middle earns 39/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 77% of California schools.
- #2 of 12
- public schools in Santa Monica · Resource Index
- 39
- Resource Index · Typical
- 18.3:1
- small classes for California
- 34.8%
- free-lunch eligible
John Adams Middle has class sizes smaller than 77% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, John Adams Middle ranks #2 of 12 public schools in Santa Monica, CA.
School address
District: Santa Monica-Malibu Unified · California
NCES ID 063570006085 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
44.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18.3:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-15% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
34.8%
vs 55.5% California avg
-37% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How John Adams Middle compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at John Adams Middle
John Adams Middle is a mid-sized middle school in Santa Monica, California, enrolling 806 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 18.3:1 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 34.8% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 806 puts it in the larger third of California schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 9,998 scored California schools.
Against 1,157 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #244.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (45%) and White (36%) (diversity index 65/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 269 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 19.1% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Among Santa Monica's middle schools, it stands alongside Lincoln Middle (914 students): John Adams Middle is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (18.3:1 vs 20.3:1).
Santa Monica-Malibu Unified also operates Santa Monica High (2,588 students) and Lincoln Middle (914 students) alongside John Adams Middle.
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 John Adams Middle compares
John Adams Middle on the metrics families compare, against California and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs California | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 18.3:1 | ▼ 15% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 34.8% | ▼ 37% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 806 | top 17% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
18.3:1
Leaner classes than 23% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
806
Bigger than 86% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
34.8%
free-lunch eligible
- 37% 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
18.3:1
students per teacher
- 15% below state mean
Top 23% in California - lower ratio than 77% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
19.1%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$19,713
per pupil, district-wide
- above California avg of $16,509
Somewhat above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 269 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
3
in-school suspensions + 83 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 10.7 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 45.0%
White 35.9%
African American 11.2%
Asian 5.8%
Two or More 1.9%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 45.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 65.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 65.2, John Adams Middle is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Santa Monica-Malibu Unified, which includes John Adams Middle.
$19,713
Per student
+19%
vs California
Avg $16,509
+19%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 85.5%
State 8.6%
Federal 5.9%
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 John Adams Middle Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Monica High | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Lincoln Middle | Similar size | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Franklin Elementary | Smaller | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Grant Elementary | Smaller | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Roosevelt Elementary | Smaller | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to John Adams Middle's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,588
- Students per teacher
- 18.9:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 914
- Students per teacher
- 20.3:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 597
- Students per teacher
- 22.1:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
- Enrollment
- 562
- Students per teacher
- 19.4:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 552
- Students per teacher
- 18.4:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
Similar middle schools in Santa Monica
1 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) serving the same city.
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 (~806 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~18.3:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on John Adams Middle's federal record.
- Compare John Adams Middle against another school. Compare schools
- Santa Monica-Malibu 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 John Adams Middle
How many students attend John Adams Middle?
John Adams Middle has 806 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Santa Monica, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at John Adams Middle?
The student-teacher ratio at John Adams Middle is 18.3:1, which is 15% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 17% 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 John Adams Middle?
34.8% of students at John Adams Middle are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of John Adams Middle?
The largest demographic group at John Adams Middle is Hispanic or Latino at 45.0% of enrollment, in Santa Monica, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 65.2/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for John Adams Middle?
John Adams Middle has a Resource Investment Index of 39/100 (typical 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 John Adams Middle rank among public schools in Santa Monica?
By Resource Investment Index, John Adams Middle ranks #2 of 12 public schools in Santa Monica, 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 Santa Monica on the city page.
Is John Adams Middle a good school?
John Adams Middle earns 39/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 77% 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 Santa Monica-Malibu Unified?
Besides John Adams Middle, Santa Monica-Malibu Unified also operates Santa Monica High (2,588 students), Lincoln Middle (914 students), and Franklin Elementary (597 students). See the Santa Monica-Malibu 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.