Enrollment
296
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Murrieta, CA
Murrieta Canyon Academy
Federal NCES profile for Murrieta Canyon Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 53/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 060002911241
👥 S:T ratio 63
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 66
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Murrieta Canyon Academy earns 53/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 96% of California schools.
- #1 of 3
- schools in Murrieta · Resource Index
- 53
- Resource Index · Higher
- 9.3:1
- small classes for California
- 44.4%
- free-lunch eligible
Murrieta Canyon Academy has class sizes smaller than 96% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Murrieta Canyon Academy ranks #1 of 3 schools in Murrieta, CA.
School address
District: Murrieta Valley Unified · California
NCES ID 060002911241 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
32.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
9.3:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-57% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
44.4%
vs 55.5% California avg
-20% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Murrieta Canyon Academy compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Murrieta Canyon Academy
Murrieta Canyon Academy is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Murrieta, California, enrolling 296 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 9.3:1, Murrieta Canyon Academy is leaner than roughly 96% of California schools and 57% under the state's 21.5:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 44.4% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 296 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 94% of the 9,998 California schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Among 784 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need California schools statewide, it ranks #19, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (50%) and White (31%) (diversity index 65/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 169 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Among Murrieta's public schools, it stands alongside Methodschools (428 students): Murrieta Canyon Academy is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (9.3:1 vs 25.2:1).
Murrieta Valley Unified also operates Vista Murrieta High (3,328 students) and Murrieta Valley High (2,104 students) alongside Murrieta Canyon Academy.
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 Murrieta Canyon Academy compares
Murrieta Canyon Academy on the metrics families compare, against California and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs California | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 9.3:1 | ▼ 57% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 44.4% | ▼ 20% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 296 | top 74% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
9.3:1
Leaner classes than 92% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
296
Bigger than 32% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
44.4%
free-lunch eligible
- 20% 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
9.3:1
students per teacher
- 57% below state mean
Top 4% in California - lower ratio than 96% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Funding equity
$13,483
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
Counselors1.8 FTE
Per 169 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 9 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.0 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 49.7%
White 30.7%
Two or More 7.1%
African American 6.1%
Asian 5.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 1.0%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 49.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 64.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 64.7, Murrieta Canyon Academy is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Murrieta Valley Unified, which includes Murrieta Canyon Academy.
$13,483
Per student
-18%
vs California
Avg $16,509
-19%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 33.5%
State 57.2%
Federal 9.3%
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 Murrieta Canyon Academy Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vista Murrieta High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Murrieta Valley High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Murrieta Mesa High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Thompson Middle | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Dorothy Mcelhinney Middle | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Murrieta Canyon Academy's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 3,328
- Students per teacher
- 23.4:1
- Resource Index
- 16/100
- Enrollment
- 2,104
- Students per teacher
- 22.1:1
- Resource Index
- 10/100
- Enrollment
- 2,066
- Students per teacher
- 21.7:1
- Resource Index
- 20/100
- Enrollment
- 1,565
- Students per teacher
- 27.5:1
- Resource Index
- 14/100
- Enrollment
- 1,451
- Students per teacher
- 27.9:1
- Resource Index
- 18/100
Similar other schools in Murrieta
2 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Similar other 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 (~296 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Murrieta Canyon Academy's federal record.
- Compare Murrieta Canyon Academy against another school. Compare schools
- Murrieta Valley 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 Murrieta Canyon Academy
How many students attend Murrieta Canyon Academy?
Murrieta Canyon Academy has 296 students enrolled. It is an alternative school in Murrieta, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Murrieta Canyon Academy?
The student-teacher ratio at Murrieta Canyon Academy is 9.3:1, which is 57% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 41% 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 Murrieta Canyon Academy?
44.4% of students at Murrieta Canyon Academy are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Murrieta Canyon Academy?
The largest demographic group at Murrieta Canyon Academy is Hispanic or Latino at 49.7% of enrollment, in Murrieta, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 64.7/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Murrieta Canyon Academy?
Murrieta Canyon Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 53/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Murrieta Canyon Academy rank among schools in Murrieta?
By Resource Investment Index, Murrieta Canyon Academy ranks #1 of 3 schools in Murrieta, CA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Murrieta on the city page.
Is Murrieta Canyon Academy a good school?
Murrieta Canyon Academy earns 53/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 96% 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 Murrieta Valley Unified?
Besides Murrieta Canyon Academy, Murrieta Valley Unified also operates Vista Murrieta High (3,328 students), Murrieta Valley High (2,104 students), and Murrieta Mesa High (2,066 students). See the Murrieta Valley 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.