Enrollment
1,216
California · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Imperial Beach, CA
Mar Vista Senior High
Federal NCES profile for Mar Vista Senior High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 45/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 063864006486
👥 S:T ratio 20
📚 AP courses 100
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 73
📋 Attendance 1
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Mar Vista Senior High earns 45/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median.
- #1 of 6
- public schools in Imperial Beach · Resource Index
- 45
- Resource Index · Typical
- 19.9:1
- students per teacher
- 69.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Mar Vista Senior High has class sizes near the California median. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Mar Vista Senior High ranks #1 of 6 public schools in Imperial Beach, CA.
School address
District: Sweetwater Union High · California
NCES ID 063864006486 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
61.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
19.9:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-7% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
69.0%
vs 55.5% California avg
+24% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Mar Vista Senior High compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Mar Vista Senior High
Mar Vista Senior High is a higher-need, large high school in Imperial Beach, California, enrolling 1,216 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 19.9:1 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 69.0% of students eligible for free meals.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in California, bigger than 92% of state schools at 1,216 students.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 9,998 scored California schools.
Against 633 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #199.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (72%) and White (16%) (diversity index 45/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 29 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage is strong, about 135 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 39.5% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Sweetwater Union High also operates Eastlake High (2,557 students) and Otay Ranch Senior High (2,440 students) alongside Mar Vista Senior 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 Mar Vista Senior High compares
Mar Vista Senior 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 | 19.9:1 | ▼ 7% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 69.0% | ▲ 24% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 1,216 | top 8% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
19.9:1
Leaner classes than 16% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
1,216
Bigger than 94% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
69.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 24% 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
19.9:1
students per teacher
- 7% below state mean
Top 34% in California - lower ratio than 66% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
39.5%
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
$13,859
per pupil, district-wide
- below California avg of $16,509
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors9.0 FTE
Per 135 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
4
in-school suspensions + 130 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 11.0 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 72.0%
White 15.9%
Asian 5.5%
Two or More 3.5%
African American 2.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 72.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 45.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 45.1, Mar Vista Senior High is about as mixed as the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
AP courses offered 29
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Sweetwater Union High, which includes Mar Vista Senior High.
$13,859
Per student
-16%
vs California
Avg $16,509
-16%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 32.2%
State 58.4%
Federal 9.4%
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 Mar Vista Senior High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eastlake High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Otay Ranch Senior High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Sweetwater High | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Olympian High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Bonita Vista Senior High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Mar Vista Senior High's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,557
- Students per teacher
- 23.2:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
- Enrollment
- 2,440
- Students per teacher
- 24.2:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 2,290
- Students per teacher
- 21.2:1
- Resource Index
- 29/100
- Enrollment
- 2,289
- Students per teacher
- 24.1:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 1,960
- Students per teacher
- 21.5:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
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 (~1,216 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~19.9:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Mar Vista Senior High's federal record.
- Compare Mar Vista Senior High against another school. Compare schools
- Sweetwater 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 Mar Vista Senior High
How many students attend Mar Vista Senior High?
Mar Vista Senior High has 1,216 students enrolled. It is a high school in Imperial Beach, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Mar Vista Senior High?
The student-teacher ratio at Mar Vista Senior High is 19.9:1, which is 7% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 27% 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 Mar Vista Senior High?
69.0% of students at Mar Vista Senior High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Mar Vista Senior High?
The largest demographic group at Mar Vista Senior High is Hispanic or Latino at 72.0% of enrollment, in Imperial Beach, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Mar Vista Senior High?
Mar Vista Senior High has a Resource Investment Index of 45/100 (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 Mar Vista Senior High rank among public schools in Imperial Beach?
By Resource Investment Index, Mar Vista Senior High ranks #1 of 6 public schools in Imperial Beach, 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 Imperial Beach on the city page.
Is Mar Vista Senior High a good school?
Mar Vista Senior High earns 45/100 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 Sweetwater Union High?
Besides Mar Vista Senior High, Sweetwater Union High also operates Eastlake High (2,557 students), Otay Ranch Senior High (2,440 students), and Sweetwater High (2,290 students). See the Sweetwater 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.