Enrollment
636
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Ceres, CA
Mae Hensley Junior High
Federal NCES profile for Mae Hensley Junior High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 27/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 060813000787
👥 S:T ratio 15
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 58
📋 Attendance 4
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Mae Hensley Junior High earns 27/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median.
- #2 of 3
- middle schools in Ceres · Resource Index
- 27
- Resource Index · Lower
- 21.2:1
- students per teacher
- 80.2%
- free-lunch eligible
Mae Hensley Junior High has class sizes near the California median. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Mae Hensley Junior High ranks #2 of 3 middle schools in Ceres, CA.
School address
District: Ceres Unified · California
NCES ID 060813000787 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
30.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
21.2:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
80.2%
vs 55.5% California avg
+45% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Mae Hensley Junior High compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Mae Hensley Junior High
Mae Hensley Junior High is a high-poverty, mid-sized middle school in Ceres, California, enrolling 636 students.
At 21.2:1, 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 80.2% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 636 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 2,002 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #795.
Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (82% of enrollment) (diversity index 31/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 212 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 38.2% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Among Ceres's middle schools, it stands alongside Cesar Chavez Junior High (685 students): Mae Hensley Junior High is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (21.2:1 vs 22.1:1).
Ceres Unified also operates Central Valley High (2,317 students) and Ceres High (1,660 students) alongside Mae Hensley Junior 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 Mae Hensley Junior High compares
Mae Hensley Junior 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 | 21.2:1 | ▼ 1% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 80.2% | ▲ 45% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 636 | top 29% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
21.2:1
Leaner classes than 12% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
636
Bigger than 76% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
80.2%
free-lunch eligible
- 45% 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
21.2:1
students per teacher
- 1% below state mean
Top 45% in California - lower ratio than 55% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
38.2%
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
$16,252
per pupil, district-wide
- below California avg of $16,509
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 212 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 14 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.2 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 82.2%
White 10.7%
Asian 3.9%
African American 1.6%
Two or More 0.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.3%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 82.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 31.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 31.1, Mae Hensley Junior High is less mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Ceres Unified, which includes Mae Hensley Junior High.
$16,252
Per student
-2%
vs California
Avg $16,509
-2%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 14.4%
State 74.5%
Federal 11.1%
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 Mae Hensley Junior High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Central Valley High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Ceres High | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Cesar Chavez Junior High | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Lucas Elementary | Similar size | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Caswell Elementary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Mae Hensley Junior High's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,317
- Students per teacher
- 23.4:1
- Resource Index
- 14/100
- Enrollment
- 1,660
- Students per teacher
- 22.4:1
- Resource Index
- 19/100
- Enrollment
- 685
- Students per teacher
- 22.1:1
- Resource Index
- 24/100
- Enrollment
- 668
- Students per teacher
- 26.7:1
- Resource Index
- 18/100
- Enrollment
- 653
- Students per teacher
- 26.1:1
- Resource Index
- 10/100
Similar middle schools in Ceres
2 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.
Similar enrollment (~636 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~21.2:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Mae Hensley Junior High's federal record.
- Compare Mae Hensley Junior High against another school. Compare schools
- Ceres 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 Mae Hensley Junior High
How many students attend Mae Hensley Junior High?
Mae Hensley Junior High has 636 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Ceres, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Mae Hensley Junior High?
The student-teacher ratio at Mae Hensley Junior High is 21.2:1, which is 1% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 35% 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 Mae Hensley Junior High?
80.2% of students at Mae Hensley Junior High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Mae Hensley Junior High?
The largest demographic group at Mae Hensley Junior High is Hispanic or Latino at 82.2% of enrollment, in Ceres, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Mae Hensley Junior High?
Mae Hensley Junior High 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 Mae Hensley Junior High rank among middle schools in Ceres?
By Resource Investment Index, Mae Hensley Junior High ranks #2 of 3 middle schools in Ceres, 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 Ceres on the city page.
Is Mae Hensley Junior High a good school?
Mae Hensley Junior High 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 Ceres Unified?
Besides Mae Hensley Junior High, Ceres Unified also operates Central Valley High (2,317 students), Ceres High (1,660 students), and Cesar Chavez Junior High (685 students). See the Ceres 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.