Enrollment
510
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Santa Cruz, CA
Mission Hill Middle
Federal NCES profile for Mission Hill Middle, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 33/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 063560006065
👥 S:T ratio 24
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 32
📋 Attendance 47
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Mission Hill Middle earns 33/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 74% of California schools.
- #2 of 3
- middle schools in Santa Cruz · Resource Index
- 33
- Resource Index · Typical
- 18.9:1
- small classes for California
- 30.9%
- free-lunch eligible
Mission Hill Middle has class sizes smaller than 74% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Mission Hill Middle ranks #2 of 3 middle schools in Santa Cruz, CA.
School address
District: Santa Cruz City High · California
NCES ID 063560006065 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
27.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18.9:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-12% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
30.9%
vs 55.5% California avg
-44% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Mission Hill Middle compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Mission Hill Middle
Mission Hill Middle is a mid-sized middle school in Santa Cruz, California, enrolling 510 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 18.9:1 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 30.9% of students eligible for free meals.
With 510 students, its enrollment sits close to the California median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 9,998 scored California schools.
Against 1,330 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #575.
Its student body is led by White (53%) and Hispanic or Latino (33%) (diversity index 61/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 340 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 21.2% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Among Santa Cruz's middle schools, it stands alongside Shoreline Middle (478 students): Mission Hill Middle is larger than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (18.9:1 vs 19.1:1).
Santa Cruz City High also operates Santa Cruz High (1,093 students) and Soquel High (1,074 students) alongside Mission Hill 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 Mission Hill Middle compares
Mission Hill 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 | 18.9:1 | ▼ 12% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 30.9% | ▼ 44% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 510 | top 44% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
18.9:1
Leaner classes than 20% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
510
Bigger than 63% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
30.9%
free-lunch eligible
- 44% below the California average of 55.5%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
18.9:1
students per teacher
- 12% below state mean
Top 26% in California - lower ratio than 74% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
21.2%
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.
Support staff
Counselors1.5 FTE
Per 340 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
5
in-school suspensions + 20 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 4.9 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 52.5%
Hispanic or Latino 32.5%
Two or More 10.6%
Asian 2.7%
African American 1.0%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.6%
Largest group: White at 52.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 60.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 60.7, Mission Hill Middle is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
How Mission Hill Middle Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Cruz High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Soquel High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Harbor High | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Branciforte Middle | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Delta Charter | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Mission Hill Middle's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,093
- Students per teacher
- 21.4:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
- Enrollment
- 1,074
- Students per teacher
- 23.3:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
- Enrollment
- 1,013
- Students per teacher
- 18.8:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
- Enrollment
- 409
- Students per teacher
- 19.5:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 113
- Students per teacher
- 14.1:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
Similar middle schools in Santa Cruz
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 (~510 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~18.9:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Mission Hill Middle's federal record.
- Compare Mission Hill Middle against another school. Compare schools
- Santa Cruz City 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 Mission Hill Middle
How many students attend Mission Hill Middle?
Mission Hill Middle has 510 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Santa Cruz, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Mission Hill Middle?
The student-teacher ratio at Mission Hill Middle is 18.9:1, which is 12% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 20% 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 Mission Hill Middle?
30.9% of students at Mission Hill Middle are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Mission Hill Middle?
The largest demographic group at Mission Hill Middle is White at 52.5% of enrollment, in Santa Cruz, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 60.7/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Mission Hill Middle?
Mission Hill Middle has a Resource Investment Index of 33/100 (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 Mission Hill Middle rank among middle schools in Santa Cruz?
By Resource Investment Index, Mission Hill Middle ranks #2 of 3 middle schools in Santa Cruz, 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 Santa Cruz on the city page.
Is Mission Hill Middle a good school?
Mission Hill Middle earns 33/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 74% 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 Cruz City High?
Besides Mission Hill Middle, Santa Cruz City High also operates Santa Cruz High (1,093 students), Soquel High (1,074 students), and Harbor High (1,013 students). See the Santa Cruz City 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.