Enrollment
474
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Arroyo Grande, CA
Mesa Middle
Federal NCES profile for Mesa Middle, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 21/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 062308009910
👥 S:T ratio 24
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 5
📋 Attendance 27
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Mesa Middle earns 21/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 73% of California schools.
- #8 of 8
- public schools in Arroyo Grande · Resource Index
- 21
- Resource Index · Lower
- 19:1
- small classes for California
- 57.6%
- free-lunch eligible
Mesa Middle has class sizes smaller than 73% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Mesa Middle ranks #8 of 8 public schools in Arroyo Grande, CA.
School address
District: Lucia Mar Unified · California
NCES ID 062308009910 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
25.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
19:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-12% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
57.6%
vs 55.5% California avg
+4% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Mesa Middle compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Mesa Middle
Mesa Middle is a higher-need, mid-sized middle school in Arroyo Grande, California, enrolling 474 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 19:1 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 57.6% lands close to the California typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
With 474 students, its enrollment sits close to the California median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 9,998 scored California schools.
Against 1,725 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #1,139.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (66%) and White (28%) (diversity index 49/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 474 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 29.3% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Among Arroyo Grande's middle schools, it stands alongside Paulding Middle (544 students): Mesa Middle is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (19:1 vs 19.4:1).
Lucia Mar Unified also operates Arroyo Grande High (2,012 students) and Nipomo High (819 students) alongside Mesa 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 Mesa Middle compares
Mesa 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 | 19:1 | ▼ 12% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 57.6% | ▲ 4% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 474 | top 49% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
19:1
Leaner classes than 20% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
474
Bigger than 58% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
57.6%
free-lunch eligible
- 4% 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
19:1
students per teacher
- 12% below state mean
Top 27% in California - lower ratio than 73% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
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
$13,869
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 474 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
6
in-school suspensions + 24 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 6.3 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 65.6%
White 27.6%
Two or More 4.0%
Asian 1.9%
African American 0.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 65.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 49.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 49.1, Mesa Middle is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Lucia Mar Unified, which includes Mesa Middle.
$13,869
Per student
-16%
vs California
Avg $16,509
-16%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 58.3%
State 30.7%
Federal 10.9%
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 Mesa Middle Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arroyo Grande High | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Nipomo High | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Harloe Elementary | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Dana Elementary | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Lange (Dorothea) Elementary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Mesa Middle's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,012
- Students per teacher
- 20.3:1
- Resource Index
- 26/100
- Enrollment
- 819
- Students per teacher
- 17.8:1
- Resource Index
- 18/100
- Enrollment
- 619
- Students per teacher
- 25.8:1
- Resource Index
- 26/100
- Enrollment
- 612
- Students per teacher
- 23.5:1
- Resource Index
- 24/100
- Enrollment
- 577
- Students per teacher
- 21.4:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
Similar middle schools in Arroyo Grande
1 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 (~474 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~19:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Mesa Middle's federal record.
- Compare Mesa Middle against another school. Compare schools
- Lucia Mar 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 Mesa Middle
How many students attend Mesa Middle?
Mesa Middle has 474 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Arroyo Grande, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Mesa Middle?
The student-teacher ratio at Mesa Middle is 19:1, which is 12% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 21% 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 Mesa Middle?
57.6% of students at Mesa Middle are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Mesa Middle?
The largest demographic group at Mesa Middle is Hispanic or Latino at 65.6% of enrollment, in Arroyo Grande, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Mesa Middle?
Mesa Middle has a Resource Investment Index of 21/100 (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 Mesa Middle rank among public schools in Arroyo Grande?
By Resource Investment Index, Mesa Middle ranks #8 of 8 public schools in Arroyo Grande, 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 Arroyo Grande on the city page.
Is Mesa Middle a good school?
Mesa Middle earns 21/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 73% 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 Lucia Mar Unified?
Besides Mesa Middle, Lucia Mar Unified also operates Arroyo Grande High (2,012 students), Nipomo High (819 students), and Harloe Elementary (619 students). See the Lucia Mar 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.