Middle school (grades 6-8) · Irvine, CA

Lakeside Middle

Federal NCES profile for Lakeside Middle, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 43/100.

2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 068450007060
0/100100/10043/100
👥 S:T ratio
0
🌟 Gifted program
70
🎓 Counselors
30
📋 Attendance
71
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

Lakeside Middle earns 43/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 81% of California schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most California schools.

#3 of 6
middle schools in Irvine · Resource Index
43
Resource Index · Typical
25.2:1
large classes for California
17.0%
free-lunch eligible

Lakeside Middle has class sizes larger than 81% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, Lakeside Middle ranks #3 of 6 middle schools in Irvine, CA.

School address

Enrollment

629

California · 2024-25 NCES data

Teachers (FTE)

25.0

Federal CCD staff survey

Students per teacher

25.2:1

vs 21.5:1 California avg

+17% vs state

Free-lunch eligible

17.0%

vs 55.5% California avg

-69% vs state

Student-teacher ratio in context

How Lakeside Middle compares with California and U.S. medians

Larger classes than state median

Source: NCES Common Core of Data As of 2024-25 federal staff survey Total enrollment ÷ full-time-equivalent classroom teachers

What stands out at Lakeside Middle

Lakeside Middle is a lower-poverty, mid-sized middle school in Irvine, California, enrolling 629 students.

Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 25.2:1 puts it in the larger third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.

Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 17.0% free-meal eligibility runs 69% below the California average.

Enrollment of 629 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 1,234 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #242.

Its student body is led by Asian (46%) and White (31%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 67/100).

Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 349 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.

11.6% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.

The surrounding Irvine Unified spends $13,289 per pupil, 20% below the California average, a leaner-resourced district than most.

Among Irvine's middle schools, it stands alongside Sierra Vista Middle (1,282 students): Lakeside Middle is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (25.2:1 vs 31.3:1).

Irvine Unified also operates Portola High (2,693 students) and University High (2,307 students) alongside Lakeside 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 Lakeside Middle compares

Lakeside 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 25.2:1 ▲ 17% 21.5:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 17.0% ▼ 69% 55.5% 51.7%
Enrollment 629 top 29% - -

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25

25.2:1
Leaner classes than 5% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
629
Bigger than 75% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.

Equity indicators (what these measure)

Economic need
17.0%
free-lunch eligible - 69% 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
25.2:1
students per teacher - 17% above state mean
Top 81% in California - lower ratio than 19% of state schools
Well above 20:1, one of the more stretched staffing loads nationally relative to enrollment.
Engagement
11.6%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 10-15% range, above the pre-pandemic national baseline but within the broader post-pandemic picture.
Funding equity
$13,289
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
Counselors1.8 FTE
Per 349 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
6
in-school suspensions + 9 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.4 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

Asian 45.9%
White 31.0%
Hispanic or Latino 11.0%
Two or More 10.2%
African American 1.9%

Largest group: Asian at 45.9% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 67.0/100

Simpson diversity index - at 67.0, Lakeside Middle is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.

Programs

Gifted & talented Yes

Funding & spending

District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Irvine Unified, which includes Lakeside Middle.

$13,289
Per student
-20%
vs California
Avg $16,509
-20%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 62.4%
State 31.0%
Federal 6.6%

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 Lakeside Middle Compares to District-Mates

School Enrollment Economic Profile Student-Teacher Ratio
Portola High Larger Similar economic need Higher S:T ratio
University High Larger Similar economic need Higher S:T ratio
Northwood High Larger Similar economic need Higher S:T ratio
Woodbridge High Larger Similar economic need Similar S:T ratio
Irvine High Larger Similar economic need Similar S:T ratio

Comparisons are relative to Lakeside Middle's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.

Other Schools in This District

Irvine Unified · 5 sibling schools

View district profile

Similar middle schools in Irvine

5 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.

Next steps

Verify locally before acting on Lakeside Middle's federal record.

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 Lakeside Middle

How many students attend Lakeside Middle?

Lakeside Middle has 629 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Irvine, CA.

What is the student-teacher ratio at Lakeside Middle?

The student-teacher ratio at Lakeside Middle is 25.2:1, which is 17% higher than the California average of 21.5:1 and 61% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.

What percentage of students receive free lunch at Lakeside Middle?

17.0% of students at Lakeside Middle are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Lakeside Middle?

The largest demographic group at Lakeside Middle is Asian at 45.9% of enrollment, in Irvine, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 67.0/100.

What is the Resource Investment Index for Lakeside Middle?

Lakeside Middle has a Resource Investment Index of 43/100 (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 Lakeside Middle rank among middle schools in Irvine?

By Resource Investment Index, Lakeside Middle ranks #3 of 6 middle schools in Irvine, 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 Irvine on the city page.

Is Lakeside Middle a good school?

Lakeside Middle earns 43/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 81% of California schools. It is also more 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 Irvine Unified?

Besides Lakeside Middle, Irvine Unified also operates Portola High (2,693 students), University High (2,307 students), and Northwood High (2,244 students). See the Irvine Unified district page for the complete list.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) CCD + Public School Universe (2024-25), CRDC (2021-22), F-33 District Finance Survey (FY 2021-22) · 2024-25 Data as of the 2024-25 school year. Coverage from U.S. Department of Education NCES Common Core of Data. Varies by entity type; administrative districts and certain charter networks may report only a subset of fields.

All federal data sources used on this page

Full source list and how we compute each figure: methodology page.

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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.