Enrollment
912
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Santa Maria, CA
Kunst (Tommie) Junior High
Federal NCES profile for Kunst (Tommie) Junior High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 26/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 060558011436
👥 S:T ratio 35
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 39
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Kunst (Tommie) Junior High earns 26/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 86% of California schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most California schools.
- #2 of 6
- middle schools in Santa Maria · Resource Index
- 26
- Resource Index · Lower
- 16.3:1
- small classes for California
- 60.6%
- free-lunch eligible
Kunst (Tommie) Junior High has class sizes smaller than 86% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Kunst (Tommie) Junior High ranks #2 of 6 middle schools in Santa Maria, CA.
School address
District: Santa Maria-Bonita · California
NCES ID 060558011436 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
56.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.3:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-24% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
60.6%
vs 55.5% California avg
+9% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Kunst (Tommie) Junior High compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Kunst (Tommie) Junior High
Kunst (Tommie) Junior High is a higher-need, large middle school in Santa Maria, California, enrolling 912 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 16.3:1, Kunst (Tommie) Junior High is leaner than roughly 86% of California schools and 24% under the state's 21.5:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 60.6% lands close to the California typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 912 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 1,096 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #477.
Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (94% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 12/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 304 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 45.7% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Among Santa Maria's middle schools, it stands alongside Fesler (Isaac) Junior High (974 students): Kunst (Tommie) Junior High is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (16.3:1 vs 19.1:1).
Santa Maria-Bonita also operates Jimenez Roberto and Dr. Francisco Elementary (1,177 students) and Bruce (Robert) Elementary (1,050 students) alongside Kunst (Tommie) Junior 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 Kunst (Tommie) Junior High compares
Kunst (Tommie) Junior 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 | 16.3:1 | ▼ 24% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 60.6% | ▲ 9% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 912 | top 13% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16.3:1
Leaner classes than 36% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
912
Bigger than 89% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
60.6%
free-lunch eligible
- 9% 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
16.3:1
students per teacher
- 24% below state mean
Top 14% in California - lower ratio than 86% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
45.7%
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
$14,410
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 304 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
52
in-school suspensions + 78 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 5.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 14.3 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
Hispanic or Latino 93.5%
Asian 2.6%
White 2.5%
Two or More 0.9%
African American 0.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 93.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 12.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 12.4, Kunst (Tommie) Junior High is less mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Santa Maria-Bonita, which includes Kunst (Tommie) Junior High.
$14,410
Per student
-13%
vs California
Avg $16,509
-13%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 19.7%
State 68.7%
Federal 11.6%
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 Kunst (Tommie) Junior High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jimenez Roberto and Dr. Francisco Elementary | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Bruce (Robert) Elementary | Similar size | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Alvin Elementary | Similar size | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Fesler (Isaac) Junior High | Similar size | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Tunnell (Martin Luther) Elementary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Kunst (Tommie) Junior High's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,177
- Students per teacher
- 29.4:1
- Resource Index
- 26/100
- Enrollment
- 1,050
- Students per teacher
- 24.4:1
- Resource Index
- 29/100
- Enrollment
- 998
- Students per teacher
- 25.6:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
- Enrollment
- 974
- Students per teacher
- 19.1:1
- Resource Index
- 25/100
- Enrollment
- 917
- Students per teacher
- 25.5:1
- Resource Index
- 27/100
Similar middle schools in Santa Maria
5 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) serving the same city.
Fesler (Isaac) Junior High
Standard public school
974 students 19.1:1 students per teacher
El Camino Junior High
Standard public school
830 students 18.4:1 students per teacher
Arellanes Junior High
Standard public school
668 students 22.3:1 students per teacher
Orcutt Junior High
Standard public school
464 students 21.1:1 students per teacher
Lakeview Junior High
Standard public school
463 students 24.4:1 students per teacher
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 (~912 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Kunst (Tommie) Junior High's federal record.
- Compare Kunst (Tommie) Junior High against another school. Compare schools
- Santa Maria-Bonita'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 Kunst (Tommie) Junior High
How many students attend Kunst (Tommie) Junior High?
Kunst (Tommie) Junior High has 912 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Santa Maria, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Kunst (Tommie) Junior High?
The student-teacher ratio at Kunst (Tommie) Junior High is 16.3:1, which is 24% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 4% 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 Kunst (Tommie) Junior High?
60.6% of students at Kunst (Tommie) Junior High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Kunst (Tommie) Junior High?
The largest demographic group at Kunst (Tommie) Junior High is Hispanic or Latino at 93.5% of enrollment, in Santa Maria, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Kunst (Tommie) Junior High?
Kunst (Tommie) Junior High has a Resource Investment Index of 26/100 (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 Kunst (Tommie) Junior High rank among middle schools in Santa Maria?
By Resource Investment Index, Kunst (Tommie) Junior High ranks #2 of 6 middle schools in Santa Maria, CA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all middle schools in Santa Maria on the city page.
Is Kunst (Tommie) Junior High a good school?
Kunst (Tommie) Junior High earns 26/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 86% 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 Santa Maria-Bonita?
Besides Kunst (Tommie) Junior High, Santa Maria-Bonita also operates Jimenez Roberto and Dr. Francisco Elementary (1,177 students), Bruce (Robert) Elementary (1,050 students), and Alvin Elementary (998 students). See the Santa Maria-Bonita 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.