Enrollment
815
California · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Laguna Beach, CA
Laguna Beach High
Federal NCES profile for Laguna Beach High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 52/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 062037002454
👥 S:T ratio 36
📚 AP courses 85
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 46
📋 Attendance 26
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Laguna Beach High earns 52/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 87% of California schools.
- #2 of 4
- public schools in Laguna Beach · Resource Index
- 52
- Resource Index · Higher
- 16:1
- small classes for California
- 14.2%
- free-lunch eligible
Laguna Beach High has class sizes smaller than 87% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Laguna Beach High ranks #2 of 4 public schools in Laguna Beach, CA.
School address
District: Laguna Beach Unified · California
NCES ID 062037002454 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
51.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-26% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
14.2%
vs 55.5% California avg
-74% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Laguna Beach High compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Laguna Beach High
Laguna Beach High is a lower-poverty, mid-sized high school in Laguna Beach, California, enrolling 815 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 16:1, Laguna Beach High is leaner than roughly 87% of California schools and 26% under the state's 21.5:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 14.2% free-meal eligibility runs 74% below the California average.
Enrollment of 815 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 895 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #155.
Its student body is led by White (73%) and Hispanic or Latino (11%) (diversity index 44/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 17 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 272 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 29.7% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding Laguna Beach Unified spends $26,628 per pupil, 61% above the California average, a better-resourced district than most.
Laguna Beach Unified also operates Top of the World Elementary (536 students) and Thurston Middle (524 students) alongside Laguna Beach 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 Laguna Beach High compares
Laguna Beach 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 | 16:1 | ▼ 26% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 14.2% | ▼ 74% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 815 | top 17% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16:1
Leaner classes than 38% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
815
Bigger than 86% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
14.2%
free-lunch eligible
- 74% below the California average of 55.5%
Below the 40% Title I threshold, among the lower-need profiles in the state; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
16:1
students per teacher
- 26% below state mean
Top 13% in California - lower ratio than 87% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
29.7%
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
$26,628
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
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 272 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
11
in-school suspensions + 28 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 4.8 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
White 73.0%
Hispanic or Latino 11.3%
Two or More 8.2%
Asian 7.0%
African American 0.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Largest group: White at 73.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 44.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 44.3, Laguna Beach High is about as mixed as the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
AP courses offered 17
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Laguna Beach Unified, which includes Laguna Beach High.
$26,628
Per student
+61%
vs California
Avg $16,509
+60%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 86.1%
State 9.4%
Federal 4.6%
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 Laguna Beach High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Top of the World Elementary | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Thurston Middle | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| El Morro Elementary | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Laguna Beach High's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 536
- Students per teacher
- 19.9:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 524
- Students per teacher
- 15.9:1
- Resource Index
- 53/100
- Enrollment
- 404
- Students per teacher
- 17.6:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
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 (~815 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~16:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Laguna Beach High's federal record.
- Compare Laguna Beach High against another school. Compare schools
- Laguna 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 Laguna Beach High
How many students attend Laguna Beach High?
Laguna Beach High has 815 students enrolled. It is a high school in Laguna Beach, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Laguna Beach High?
The student-teacher ratio at Laguna Beach High is 16:1, which is 26% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 2% 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 Laguna Beach High?
14.2% of students at Laguna Beach High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Laguna Beach High?
The largest demographic group at Laguna Beach High is White at 73.0% of enrollment, in Laguna Beach, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Laguna Beach High?
Laguna Beach High has a Resource Investment Index of 52/100 (higher 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 Laguna Beach High rank among public schools in Laguna Beach?
By Resource Investment Index, Laguna Beach High ranks #2 of 4 public schools in Laguna Beach, 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 Laguna Beach on the city page.
Is Laguna Beach High a good school?
Laguna Beach High earns 52/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 87% 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 Laguna Beach Unified?
Besides Laguna Beach High, Laguna Beach Unified also operates Top of the World Elementary (536 students), Thurston Middle (524 students), and El Morro Elementary (404 students). See the Laguna 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.