Enrollment
269
California · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Needles, CA
Needles High
Federal NCES profile for Needles High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 23/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 062676004057
👥 S:T ratio 23
📚 AP courses 15
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 46
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Needles High earns 23/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 71% of California schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most California schools.
- #3 of 5
- public schools in Needles · Resource Index
- 23
- Resource Index · Lower
- 19.2:1
- small classes for California
- 71.7%
- free-lunch eligible
Needles High has class sizes smaller than 71% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Needles High ranks #3 of 5 public schools in Needles, CA.
School address
District: Needles Unified · California
NCES ID 062676004057 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
14.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
19.2:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-11% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
71.7%
vs 55.5% California avg
+29% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Needles High compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Needles High
Needles High is a higher-need, mid-sized high school in Needles, California, enrolling 269 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 19.2:1 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 71.7% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 269 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 9,998 scored California schools.
Against 978 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #619.
Its student body is led by White (39%) and Hispanic or Latino (34%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 70/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 3 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 269 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 41.6% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding Needles Unified spends $20,418 per pupil, 24% above the California average, a better-resourced district than most.
Its district draws 22.6% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Needles's high schools, it stands alongside Educational Training Center (9 students): Needles High is larger than that campus by headcount.
Needles Unified also operates Vista Colorado Elementary (319 students) and Needles Middle (196 students) alongside Needles 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 Needles High compares
Needles 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 | 19.2:1 | ▼ 11% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 71.7% | ▲ 29% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 269 | top 77% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
19.2:1
Leaner classes than 19% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
269
Bigger than 28% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
71.7%
free-lunch eligible
- 29% 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
19.2:1
students per teacher
- 11% below state mean
Top 29% in California - lower ratio than 71% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
41.6%
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
$20,418
per pupil, district-wide
- above California avg of $16,509
Well above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting substantially higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 269 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 32 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 11.9 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 38.7%
Hispanic or Latino 34.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 16.4%
Two or More 5.9%
African American 3.0%
Asian 1.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.4%
Largest group: White at 38.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 70.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 70.2, Needles High is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
AP courses offered 3
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Needles Unified, which includes Needles High.
$20,418
Per student
+24%
vs California
Avg $16,509
+23%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 22.9%
State 54.6%
Federal 22.6%
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 Needles High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vista Colorado Elementary | Similar size | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Needles Middle | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Monument Peak | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Chemehuevi Valley Elementary | Smaller | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Needles Community Day | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Needles High's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 319
- Students per teacher
- 21.3:1
- Resource Index
- 15/100
- Enrollment
- 196
- Students per teacher
- 17.8:1
- Resource Index
- 25/100
- Enrollment
- 70
- Students per teacher
- 17.5:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
- Enrollment
- 40
- Students per teacher
- 20:1
- Resource Index
- 17/100
- Enrollment
- 18
- Students per teacher
- 18:1
- Resource Index
- 29/100
Similar high schools in Needles
1 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 (~269 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Needles High's federal record.
- Compare Needles High against another school. Compare schools
- Needles 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 Needles High
How many students attend Needles High?
Needles High has 269 students enrolled. It is a high school in Needles, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Needles High?
The student-teacher ratio at Needles High is 19.2:1, which is 11% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 22% 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 Needles High?
71.7% of students at Needles High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Needles High?
The largest demographic group at Needles High is White at 38.7% of enrollment, in Needles, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 70.2/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Needles High?
Needles High has a Resource Investment Index of 23/100 (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 Needles High rank among public schools in Needles?
By Resource Investment Index, Needles High ranks #3 of 5 public schools in Needles, 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 Needles on the city page.
Is Needles High a good school?
Needles High earns 23/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 71% of California schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most 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 Needles Unified?
Besides Needles High, Needles Unified also operates Vista Colorado Elementary (319 students), Needles Middle (196 students), and Monument Peak (70 students). See the Needles 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.