Enrollment
168
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Buellton, CA
Jonata Middle
Federal NCES profile for Jonata Middle, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 20/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 060633000551
👥 S:T ratio 4
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 47
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Jonata Middle earns 20/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 71% of California schools.
- #3 of 3
- public schools in Buellton · Resource Index
- 20
- Resource Index · Lower
- 24:1
- large classes for California
- 42.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Jonata Middle has class sizes larger than 71% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Jonata Middle ranks #3 of 3 public schools in Buellton, CA.
School address
District: Buellton Union Elementary · California
NCES ID 060633000551 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
7.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
24:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
+12% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
42.0%
vs 55.5% California avg
-24% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Jonata Middle compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Jonata Middle
Jonata Middle is a small middle school in Buellton, California, enrolling 168 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 24:1 puts it in the larger third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 42.0% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 168 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 9,998 scored California schools.
Among 336 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need California schools statewide, it ranks #290, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (54%) and White (38%) (diversity index 56/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 509 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 21.4% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
The surrounding Buellton Union Elementary spends $24,480 per pupil, 48% above the California average, a better-resourced district than most.
Its district, Buellton Union Elementary, also runs Oak Valley Elementary (377 students).
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 Jonata Middle compares
Jonata 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 | 24:1 | ▲ 12% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 42.0% | ▼ 24% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 168 | top 85% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
24:1
Leaner classes than 6% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
168
Bigger than 16% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
42.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 24% 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
24:1
students per teacher
- 12% above state mean
Top 71% in California - lower ratio than 29% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
21.4%
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
$24,480
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
Counselors0.3 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
2
in-school suspensions + 11 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 7.7 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 53.6%
White 38.1%
Two or More 7.1%
Asian 1.2%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 53.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 56.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 56.2, Jonata Middle is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Buellton Union Elementary, which includes Jonata Middle.
$24,480
Per student
+48%
vs California
Avg $16,509
+48%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 66.8%
State 25.8%
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 Jonata Middle Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oak Valley Elementary | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Jonata Middle's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 377
- Students per teacher
- 22.2:1
- Resource Index
- 22/100
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 (~168 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~24:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Jonata Middle's federal record.
- Compare Jonata Middle against another school. Compare schools
- Buellton Union Elementary'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 Jonata Middle
How many students attend Jonata Middle?
Jonata Middle has 168 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Buellton, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Jonata Middle?
The student-teacher ratio at Jonata Middle is 24:1, which is 12% higher than the California average of 21.5:1 and 53% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Jonata Middle?
42.0% of students at Jonata Middle are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Jonata Middle?
The largest demographic group at Jonata Middle is Hispanic or Latino at 53.6% of enrollment, in Buellton, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 56.2/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Jonata Middle?
Jonata Middle has a Resource Investment Index of 20/100 (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 Jonata Middle rank among public schools in Buellton?
By Resource Investment Index, Jonata Middle ranks #3 of 3 public schools in Buellton, 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 Buellton on the city page.
Is Jonata Middle a good school?
Jonata Middle earns 20/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 71% 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 Buellton Union Elementary?
Besides Jonata Middle, Buellton Union Elementary also operates Oak Valley Elementary (377 students). See the Buellton Union Elementary 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.