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

Lakeview Middle

Federal NCES profile for Lakeview Middle, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 25/100.

2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 062949006662
0/100100/10025/100
👥 S:T ratio
15
🌟 Gifted program
70
🎓 Counselors
15
📋 Attendance
0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

Lakeview Middle earns 25/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most California schools.

#2 of 5
middle schools in Watsonville · Resource Index
25
Resource Index · Lower
21.3:1
students per teacher
77.2%
free-lunch eligible

Lakeview Middle has class sizes near the California median. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, Lakeview Middle ranks #2 of 5 middle schools in Watsonville, CA.

Enrollment

425

California · 2024-25 NCES data

Teachers (FTE)

20.0

Federal CCD staff survey

Students per teacher

21.3:1

vs 21.5:1 California avg

-1% vs state

Free-lunch eligible

77.2%

vs 55.5% California avg

+39% vs state

Student-teacher ratio in context

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

At or below 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 Lakeview Middle

Lakeview Middle is a high-poverty, mid-sized middle school in Watsonville, California, enrolling 425 students.

At 21.3:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the California median, within a few percentage points of the 21.5:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.

Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 77.2% of students eligible for free meals.

With 425 students, its enrollment sits close to the California median campus size.

Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 9,998 scored California schools.

Against 2,032 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #1,067.

Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (96% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 8/100).

Counselor access is stretched at roughly 425 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.

Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 52.7% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).

Discipline events run high: 91 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 425 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.

Among Watsonville's middle schools, it stands alongside Rolling Hills Middle (588 students): Lakeview Middle is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (21.3:1 vs 21:1).

Pajaro Valley Unified also operates Watsonville High (2,215 students) and Pajaro Valley High (1,293 students) alongside Lakeview 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 Lakeview Middle compares

Lakeview 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 21.3:1 ▼ 1% 21.5:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 77.2% ▲ 39% 55.5% 51.7%
Enrollment 425 top 57% - -

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

21.3:1
Leaner classes than 12% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
425
Bigger than 51% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.

Equity indicators (what these measure)

Economic need
77.2%
free-lunch eligible - 39% 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
21.3:1
students per teacher - 1% below state mean
Top 46% in California - lower ratio than 54% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
52.7%
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
$17,011
per pupil, district-wide - above California avg of $16,509
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 425 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
44
in-school suspensions + 47 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 10.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 21.4 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

Hispanic or Latino 96.0%
Asian 1.9%
White 0.7%
African American 0.7%
Two or More 0.7%

Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 96.0% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 7.8/100

Simpson diversity index - at 7.8, Lakeview Middle is less mixed than the California school average of 46.0.

Programs

Gifted & talented Yes

Funding & spending

District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Pajaro Valley Unified, which includes Lakeview Middle.

$17,011
Per student
+3%
vs California
Avg $16,509
+3%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 30.6%
State 56.5%
Federal 12.9%

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 Lakeview Middle Compares to District-Mates

School Enrollment Economic Profile Student-Teacher Ratio
Watsonville High Larger Similar economic need Similar S:T ratio
Pajaro Valley High Larger Similar economic need Similar S:T ratio
Aptos High Larger Lower economic need Lower S:T ratio
Alianza Charter Larger Lower economic need Similar S:T ratio
Rolling Hills Middle Larger Similar economic need Similar S:T ratio

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

Other Schools in This District

Pajaro Valley Unified · 5 sibling schools

View district profile

Similar middle schools in Watsonville

4 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 Lakeview 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 Lakeview Middle

How many students attend Lakeview Middle?

Lakeview Middle has 425 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Watsonville, CA.

What is the student-teacher ratio at Lakeview Middle?

The student-teacher ratio at Lakeview Middle is 21.3:1, which is 1% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 36% 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 Lakeview Middle?

77.2% of students at Lakeview Middle are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Lakeview Middle?

The largest demographic group at Lakeview Middle is Hispanic or Latino at 96.0% of enrollment, in Watsonville, CA.

What is the Resource Investment Index for Lakeview Middle?

Lakeview Middle has a Resource Investment Index of 25/100 (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 Lakeview Middle rank among middle schools in Watsonville?

By Resource Investment Index, Lakeview Middle ranks #2 of 5 middle schools in Watsonville, 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 Watsonville on the city page.

Is Lakeview Middle a good school?

Lakeview Middle earns 25/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median. 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 Pajaro Valley Unified?

Besides Lakeview Middle, Pajaro Valley Unified also operates Watsonville High (2,215 students), Pajaro Valley High (1,293 students), and Aptos High (1,274 students). See the Pajaro Valley 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.