Enrollment
256
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Malibu, CA
Malibu Middle
Federal NCES profile for Malibu Middle, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 36/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 063570014384
👥 S:T ratio 40
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 49
📋 Attendance 27
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Malibu Middle earns 36/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 89% of California schools.
- #3 of 4
- public schools in Malibu · Resource Index
- 36
- Resource Index · Typical
- 15.1:1
- small classes for California
- 11.8%
- free-lunch eligible
Malibu Middle has class sizes smaller than 89% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Malibu Middle ranks #3 of 4 public schools in Malibu, CA.
School address
District: Santa Monica-Malibu Unified · California
NCES ID 063570014384 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
17.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.1:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-30% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
11.8%
vs 55.5% California avg
-79% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Malibu Middle compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Malibu Middle
Malibu Middle is a lower-poverty, mid-sized middle school in Malibu, California, enrolling 256 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 15.1:1, Malibu Middle is leaner than roughly 89% of California schools and 30% under the state's 21.5:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 11.8% free-meal eligibility runs 79% below the California average.
Enrollment of 256 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 9,998 scored California schools.
Against 230 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #110.
Its student body is predominantly White (82% of enrollment) (diversity index 32/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 256 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 29.3% 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 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 Malibu Middle compares
Malibu 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 | 15.1:1 | ▼ 30% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 11.8% | ▼ 79% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 256 | top 78% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
15.1:1
Leaner classes than 46% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
256
Bigger than 26% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
11.8%
free-lunch eligible
- 79% 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
15.1:1
students per teacher
- 30% below state mean
Top 11% in California - lower ratio than 89% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
29.3%
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 256 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 24 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 9.4 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 82.0%
Hispanic or Latino 10.5%
Asian 3.5%
African American 2.0%
Two or More 1.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.8%
Largest group: White at 82.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 31.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 31.5, Malibu Middle is less mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Santa Monica-Malibu Unified, which includes Malibu Middle.
$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 Middle 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 | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Malibu Middle'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 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 (~256 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~15.1:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Malibu Middle's federal record.
- Compare Malibu Middle 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 Middle
How many students attend Malibu Middle?
Malibu Middle has 256 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Malibu, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Malibu Middle?
The student-teacher ratio at Malibu Middle is 15.1:1, which is 30% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 4% 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 Middle?
11.8% of students at Malibu Middle are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Malibu Middle?
The largest demographic group at Malibu Middle is White at 82.0% of enrollment, in Malibu, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Malibu Middle?
Malibu Middle has a Resource Investment Index of 36/100 (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 Malibu Middle rank among public schools in Malibu?
By Resource Investment Index, Malibu Middle ranks #3 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 Middle a good school?
Malibu Middle earns 36/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 89% 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 Middle, 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.