Enrollment
1,401
California · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Monterey, CA
Monterey High
Federal NCES profile for Monterey High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 29/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 062553003839
👥 S:T ratio 14
📚 AP courses 40
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 7
📋 Attendance 57
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Monterey High earns 29/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median.
- #5 of 6
- public schools in Monterey · Resource Index
- 29
- Resource Index · Lower
- 21.6:1
- students per teacher
- 42.6%
- free-lunch eligible
Monterey High has class sizes near the California median. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Monterey High ranks #5 of 6 public schools in Monterey, CA.
School address
District: Monterey Peninsula Unified · California
NCES ID 062553003839 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
65.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
21.6:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
+0% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
42.6%
vs 55.5% California avg
-23% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Monterey High compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Monterey High
Monterey High is a large high school in Monterey, California, enrolling 1,401 students.
At 21.6:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the California median, within a few percentage points of the 21.5:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 42.6% of students eligible for free meals.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in California, bigger than 93% of state schools at 1,401 students.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 9,998 scored California schools.
Against 458 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #299.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (50%) and White (29%) (diversity index 65/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 8 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 467 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
17.3% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Monterey Peninsula Unified also operates Seaside High (1,073 students) and Marina High (721 students) alongside Monterey 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 Monterey High compares
Monterey 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 | 21.6:1 | ▲ 0% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 42.6% | ▼ 23% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 1,401 | top 7% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
21.6:1
Leaner classes than 11% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
1,401
Bigger than 96% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
42.6%
free-lunch eligible
- 23% below the California average of 55.5%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
21.6:1
students per teacher
- 0% above state mean
Top 49% in California - lower ratio than 51% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
17.3%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$16,404
per pupil, district-wide
- below California avg of $16,509
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 467 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
13
in-school suspensions + 48 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 4.4 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
Hispanic or Latino 50.1%
White 28.6%
Asian 8.7%
African American 5.6%
Two or More 4.6%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 1.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 50.1% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 65.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 65.4, Monterey High is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
AP courses offered 8
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Monterey Peninsula Unified, which includes Monterey High.
$16,404
Per student
-1%
vs California
Avg $16,509
-1%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 46.8%
State 40.7%
Federal 12.5%
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 Monterey High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seaside High | Similar size | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Marina High | Smaller | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| La Mesa | Smaller | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Monte Vista | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| J. C. Crumpton Elementary | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Monterey High's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,073
- Students per teacher
- 21:1
- Resource Index
- 28/100
- Enrollment
- 721
- Students per teacher
- 20.6:1
- Resource Index
- 27/100
- Enrollment
- 689
- Students per teacher
- 26.5:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
- Enrollment
- 688
- Students per teacher
- 26.5:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
- Enrollment
- 562
- Students per teacher
- 23.4:1
- Resource Index
- 16/100
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 (~1,401 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~21.6:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Monterey High's federal record.
- Compare Monterey High against another school. Compare schools
- Monterey Peninsula 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 Monterey High
How many students attend Monterey High?
Monterey High has 1,401 students enrolled. It is a high school in Monterey, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Monterey High?
The student-teacher ratio at Monterey High is 21.6:1, which is 0% higher than the California average of 21.5:1 and 38% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Monterey High?
42.6% of students at Monterey High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Monterey High?
The largest demographic group at Monterey High is Hispanic or Latino at 50.1% of enrollment, in Monterey, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 65.4/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Monterey High?
Monterey High has a Resource Investment Index of 29/100 (lower 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 Monterey High rank among public schools in Monterey?
By Resource Investment Index, Monterey High ranks #5 of 6 public schools in Monterey, 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 Monterey on the city page.
Is Monterey High a good school?
Monterey High earns 29/100 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 Monterey Peninsula Unified?
Besides Monterey High, Monterey Peninsula Unified also operates Seaside High (1,073 students), Marina High (721 students), and La Mesa (689 students). See the Monterey Peninsula 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.