Enrollment
387
California · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Malibu, CA
Malibu High
Federal NCES profile for Malibu High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 43/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 063570002173
👥 S:T ratio 48
📚 AP courses 65
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 61
📋 Attendance 12
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Malibu High earns 43/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 93% of California schools.
- #2 of 4
- public schools in Malibu · Resource Index
- 43
- Resource Index · Typical
- 12.9:1
- small classes for California
- 15.2%
- free-lunch eligible
Malibu High has class sizes smaller than 93% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Malibu High ranks #2 of 4 public schools in Malibu, CA.
School address
District: Santa Monica-Malibu Unified · California
NCES ID 063570002173 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
30.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.9:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-40% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
15.2%
vs 55.5% California avg
-73% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Malibu High compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Malibu High
Malibu High is a lower-poverty, mid-sized high school in Malibu, California, enrolling 387 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 12.9:1, Malibu High is leaner than roughly 93% of California schools and 40% under the state's 21.5:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 15.2% free-meal eligibility runs 73% below the California average.
With 387 students, its enrollment sits close to the California median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 9,998 scored California schools.
Against 821 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #302.
Its student body is led by White (72%) and Hispanic or Latino (16%) (diversity index 45/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 13 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage is strong, about 194 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 35.1% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Santa Monica-Malibu Unified also operates Santa Monica High (2,588 students) and Lincoln Middle (914 students) alongside Malibu 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 Malibu High compares
Malibu 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 | 12.9:1 | ▼ 40% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 15.2% | ▼ 73% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 387 | top 62% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.9:1
Leaner classes than 68% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
387
Bigger than 45% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
15.2%
free-lunch eligible
- 73% 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
12.9:1
students per teacher
- 40% below state mean
Top 7% in California - lower ratio than 93% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
35.1%
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
$19,713
per pupil, district-wide
- above California avg of $16,509
Somewhat above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 194 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
15
in-school suspensions + 29 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 3.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 11.4 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
White 72.3%
Hispanic or Latino 16.3%
Two or More 6.7%
Asian 2.8%
African American 1.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Largest group: White at 72.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 44.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 44.5, Malibu High is about as mixed as the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
AP courses offered 13
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Santa Monica-Malibu Unified, which includes Malibu High.
$19,713
Per student
+19%
vs California
Avg $16,509
+19%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 85.5%
State 8.6%
Federal 5.9%
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 Malibu High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Monica High | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Lincoln Middle | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| John Adams Middle | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Franklin Elementary | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Grant Elementary | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Malibu High's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,588
- Students per teacher
- 18.9:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 914
- Students per teacher
- 20.3:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 806
- Students per teacher
- 18.3:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
- Enrollment
- 597
- Students per teacher
- 22.1:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
- Enrollment
- 562
- Students per teacher
- 19.4:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
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 (~387 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Malibu High's federal record.
- Compare Malibu High against another school. Compare schools
- Santa Monica-Malibu 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 Malibu High
How many students attend Malibu High?
Malibu High has 387 students enrolled. It is a high school in Malibu, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Malibu High?
The student-teacher ratio at Malibu High is 12.9:1, which is 40% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 18% lower 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 Malibu High?
15.2% of students at Malibu High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Malibu High?
The largest demographic group at Malibu High is White at 72.3% of enrollment, in Malibu, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Malibu High?
Malibu High has a Resource Investment Index of 43/100 (typical 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 Malibu High rank among public schools in Malibu?
By Resource Investment Index, Malibu High ranks #2 of 4 public schools in Malibu, 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 Malibu on the city page.
Is Malibu High a good school?
Malibu High earns 43/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 93% of 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 Santa Monica-Malibu Unified?
Besides Malibu High, Santa Monica-Malibu Unified also operates Santa Monica High (2,588 students), Lincoln Middle (914 students), and John Adams Middle (806 students). See the Santa Monica-Malibu 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.