Enrollment
2,066
California · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Murrieta, CA
Murrieta Mesa High
Federal NCES profile for Murrieta Mesa High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 40/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 060002912289
👥 S:T ratio 13
📚 AP courses 100
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 17
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Murrieta Mesa High earns 40/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median. It is also one of the largest schools in California.
- #2 of 4
- high schools in Murrieta · Resource Index
- 40
- Resource Index · Typical
- 21.7:1
- students per teacher
- 35.6%
- free-lunch eligible
Murrieta Mesa High has class sizes near the California median. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Murrieta Mesa High ranks #2 of 4 high schools in Murrieta, CA.
School address
District: Murrieta Valley Unified · California
NCES ID 060002912289 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
95.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
21.7:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
+1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
35.6%
vs 55.5% California avg
-36% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Murrieta Mesa High compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Murrieta Mesa High
Murrieta Mesa High is a large high school in Murrieta, California, enrolling 2,066 students.
At 21.7:1, 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 35.6% of students eligible for free meals.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in California, bigger than 97% of state schools at 2,066 students.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 9,998 scored California schools.
Among 288 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need California schools statewide, it ranks #266, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (46%) and White (31%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 68/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 21 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 413 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 2 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Among Murrieta's high schools, it stands alongside Vista Murrieta High (3,328 students): Murrieta Mesa High is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (21.7:1 vs 23.4:1).
Murrieta Valley Unified also operates Vista Murrieta High (3,328 students) and Murrieta Valley High (2,104 students) alongside Murrieta Mesa 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 Murrieta Mesa High compares
Murrieta Mesa 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 | 21.7:1 | ▲ 1% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 35.6% | ▼ 36% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 2,066 | top 3% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
21.7:1
Leaner classes than 11% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
2,066
Bigger than 98% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
35.6%
free-lunch eligible
- 36% 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
21.7:1
students per teacher
- 1% above state mean
Top 50% in California - lower ratio than 50% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
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
Counselors5.0 FTE
Per 413 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
3
in-school suspensions + 83 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 4.2 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 2 expulsions.
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 45.5%
White 30.6%
Two or More 10.2%
Asian 6.9%
African American 6.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 45.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 68.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 68.0, Murrieta Mesa High is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
AP courses offered 21
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Murrieta Valley Unified, which includes Murrieta Mesa High.
$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 Mesa High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vista Murrieta High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Murrieta Valley High | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Thompson Middle | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Dorothy Mcelhinney Middle | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Shivela Middle | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Murrieta Mesa High'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
- 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
- Enrollment
- 1,282
- Students per teacher
- 26.2:1
- Resource Index
- 13/100
Similar high schools in Murrieta
3 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
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 (~2,066 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~21.7:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Murrieta Mesa High's federal record.
- Compare Murrieta Mesa High 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 Mesa High
How many students attend Murrieta Mesa High?
Murrieta Mesa High has 2,066 students enrolled. It is a high school in Murrieta, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Murrieta Mesa High?
The student-teacher ratio at Murrieta Mesa High is 21.7:1, which is 1% 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 Murrieta Mesa High?
35.6% of students at Murrieta Mesa High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Murrieta Mesa High?
The largest demographic group at Murrieta Mesa High is Hispanic or Latino at 45.5% of enrollment, in Murrieta, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 68.0/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Murrieta Mesa High?
Murrieta Mesa High has a Resource Investment Index of 40/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Murrieta Mesa High rank among high schools in Murrieta?
By Resource Investment Index, Murrieta Mesa High ranks #2 of 4 high 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 high schools in Murrieta on the city page.
Is Murrieta Mesa High a good school?
Murrieta Mesa High earns 40/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median. It is also one of the largest schools in California. 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 Mesa High, Murrieta Valley Unified also operates Vista Murrieta High (3,328 students), Murrieta Valley High (2,104 students), and Thompson Middle (1,565 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.