Enrollment
2,170
California · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Los Altos, CA
Los Altos High
Federal NCES profile for Los Altos High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 51/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 062631003929
👥 S:T ratio 26
📚 AP courses 100
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 28
📋 Attendance 69
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Los Altos High earns 51/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 76% of California schools. It is also one of the largest schools in California.
- #9 of 10
- public schools in Los Altos · Resource Index
- 51
- Resource Index · Higher
- 18.5:1
- small classes for California
- 12.4%
- free-lunch eligible
Los Altos High has class sizes smaller than 76% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Los Altos High ranks #9 of 10 public schools in Los Altos, CA.
School address
District: Mountain View-Los Altos Union High · California
NCES ID 062631003929 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
117.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18.5:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-14% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
12.4%
vs 55.5% California avg
-78% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Los Altos High compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Los Altos High
Los Altos High is a lower-poverty, large high school in Los Altos, California, enrolling 2,170 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 18.5:1 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 12.4% free-meal eligibility runs 78% below the California average.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in California, bigger than 98% of state schools at 2,170 students.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 9,998 scored California schools.
Against 177 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #52.
Its student body is led by Asian (31%) and White (29%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 73/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 25 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 362 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
12.4% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
The surrounding Mountain View-Los Altos Union High spends $26,799 per pupil, 62% above the California average, a better-resourced district than most.
Mountain View-Los Altos Union High also operates Mountain View High (2,187 students) and Alta Vista High (78 students) alongside Los Altos 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 Los Altos High compares
Los Altos 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 | 18.5:1 | ▼ 14% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 12.4% | ▼ 78% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 2,170 | top 2% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
18.5:1
Leaner classes than 22% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
2,170
Bigger than 99% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
12.4%
free-lunch eligible
- 78% 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
18.5:1
students per teacher
- 14% below state mean
Top 24% in California - lower ratio than 76% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
12.4%
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
$26,799
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
Counselors6.0 FTE
Per 362 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 39 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.8 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
Asian 30.7%
White 29.3%
Hispanic or Latino 28.2%
Two or More 10.5%
African American 0.6%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: Asian at 30.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 72.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 72.9, Los Altos High is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
AP courses offered 25
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Mountain View-Los Altos Union High, which includes Los Altos High.
$26,799
Per student
+62%
vs California
Avg $16,509
+62%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 85.3%
State 11.8%
Federal 2.9%
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 Los Altos High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mountain View High | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Alta Vista High | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Los Altos High's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,187
- Students per teacher
- 18.9:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 78
- Students per teacher
- 15.6:1
- Resource Index
- 23/100
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 (~2,170 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Los Altos High's federal record.
- Compare Los Altos High against another school. Compare schools
- Mountain View-Los Altos Union High'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 Los Altos High
How many students attend Los Altos High?
Los Altos High has 2,170 students enrolled. It is a high school in Los Altos, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Los Altos High?
The student-teacher ratio at Los Altos High is 18.5:1, which is 14% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 18% 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 Los Altos High?
12.4% of students at Los Altos High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Los Altos High?
The largest demographic group at Los Altos High is Asian at 30.7% of enrollment, in Los Altos, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 72.9/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Los Altos High?
Los Altos High has a Resource Investment Index of 51/100 (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 Los Altos High rank among public schools in Los Altos?
By Resource Investment Index, Los Altos High ranks #9 of 10 public schools in Los Altos, 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 Los Altos on the city page.
Is Los Altos High a good school?
Los Altos High earns 51/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 76% of California schools. It is also one of the largest schools in California. 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 Mountain View-Los Altos Union High?
Besides Los Altos High, Mountain View-Los Altos Union High also operates Mountain View High (2,187 students) and Alta Vista High (78 students). See the Mountain View-Los Altos Union High 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.