Enrollment
780
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · San Luis Obispo, CA
Laguna Middle
Federal NCES profile for Laguna Middle, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 27/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 063480005872
👥 S:T ratio 20
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 13
📋 Attendance 47
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Laguna Middle earns 27/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median.
- #8 of 16
- public schools in San Luis Obispo · Resource Index
- 27
- Resource Index · Lower
- 20:1
- students per teacher
- 27.2%
- free-lunch eligible
Laguna Middle has class sizes near the California median. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Laguna Middle ranks #8 of 16 public schools in San Luis Obispo, CA.
School address
District: San Luis Coastal Unified · California
NCES ID 063480005872 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
39.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
20:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-7% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
27.2%
vs 55.5% California avg
-51% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Laguna Middle compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Laguna Middle
Laguna Middle is a mid-sized middle school in San Luis Obispo, California, enrolling 780 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 20:1 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 27.2% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 780 puts it in the larger third of California schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 9,998 scored California schools.
Against 1,212 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #855.
Its student body is led by White (55%) and Hispanic or Latino (30%) (diversity index 60/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 433 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 federal civil-rights collection also records 2 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
San Luis Coastal Unified also operates San Luis Obispo High (1,678 students) and Morro Bay High (751 students) alongside Laguna 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 Laguna Middle compares
Laguna 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 | 20:1 | ▼ 7% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 27.2% | ▼ 51% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 780 | top 18% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
20:1
Leaner classes than 16% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
780
Bigger than 85% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
27.2%
free-lunch eligible
- 51% 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
20:1
students per teacher
- 7% below state mean
Top 35% in California - lower ratio than 65% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
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
$16,712
per pupil, district-wide
- above California avg of $16,509
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors1.8 FTE
Per 433 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
8
in-school suspensions + 49 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 7.3 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
White 54.9%
Hispanic or Latino 30.1%
Two or More 7.3%
Asian 5.8%
African American 1.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: White at 54.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 59.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 59.9, Laguna Middle is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for San Luis Coastal Unified, which includes Laguna Middle.
$16,712
Per student
+1%
vs California
Avg $16,509
+1%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 77.4%
State 16.0%
Federal 6.7%
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 Middle Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Luis Obispo High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Morro Bay High | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| C L Smith Elementary | Smaller | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Los Ranchos Elementary | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Los Osos Middle | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Laguna Middle's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,678
- Students per teacher
- 21.5:1
- Resource Index
- 24/100
- Enrollment
- 751
- Students per teacher
- 16.7:1
- Resource Index
- 24/100
- Enrollment
- 528
- Students per teacher
- 24:1
- Resource Index
- 16/100
- Enrollment
- 521
- Students per teacher
- 27.4:1
- Resource Index
- 22/100
- Enrollment
- 494
- Students per teacher
- 18.3:1
- Resource Index
- 19/100
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 (~780 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~20:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Laguna Middle's federal record.
- Compare Laguna Middle against another school. Compare schools
- San Luis Coastal 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 Middle
How many students attend Laguna Middle?
Laguna Middle has 780 students enrolled. It is a middle school in San Luis Obispo, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Laguna Middle?
The student-teacher ratio at Laguna Middle is 20:1, which is 7% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 27% 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 Middle?
27.2% of students at Laguna Middle are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Laguna Middle?
The largest demographic group at Laguna Middle is White at 54.9% of enrollment, in San Luis Obispo, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 59.9/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Laguna Middle?
Laguna Middle has a Resource Investment Index of 27/100 (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 Laguna Middle rank among public schools in San Luis Obispo?
By Resource Investment Index, Laguna Middle ranks #8 of 16 public schools in San Luis Obispo, 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 San Luis Obispo on the city page.
Is Laguna Middle a good school?
Laguna Middle earns 27/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median. 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 San Luis Coastal Unified?
Besides Laguna Middle, San Luis Coastal Unified also operates San Luis Obispo High (1,678 students), Morro Bay High (751 students), and C L Smith Elementary (528 students). See the San Luis Coastal 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.