Enrollment
585
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Capitola, CA
New Brighton Middle
Federal NCES profile for New Brighton Middle, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 20/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 063729006309
👥 S:T ratio 22
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 27
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
New Brighton Middle earns 20/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median.
- 20
- Resource Index · Lower
- 19.5:1
- students per teacher
- 27.6%
- free-lunch eligible
- 585
- students enrolled
New Brighton Middle has class sizes near the California median. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Soquel Union Elementary · California
NCES ID 063729006309 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
30.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
19.5:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-9% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
27.6%
vs 55.5% California avg
-50% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How New Brighton Middle compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at New Brighton Middle
New Brighton Middle is a mid-sized middle school in Capitola, California, enrolling 585 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 19.5:1 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 27.6% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 585 puts it in the larger third of California schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 9,998 scored California schools.
Among 1,396 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need California schools statewide, it ranks #1,242, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (57%) and Hispanic or Latino (34%) (diversity index 56/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 585 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 29.2% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding Soquel Union Elementary spends $12,894 per pupil, 22% below the California average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 2 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Soquel Union Elementary also operates Main Street Elementary (383 students) and Soquel Elementary (337 students) alongside New Brighton 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 New Brighton Middle compares
New Brighton 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 | 19.5:1 | ▼ 9% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 27.6% | ▼ 50% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 585 | top 34% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
19.5:1
Leaner classes than 18% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
585
Bigger than 71% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
27.6%
free-lunch eligible
- 50% 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
19.5:1
students per teacher
- 9% below state mean
Top 31% in California - lower ratio than 69% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
29.2%
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.
Funding equity
$12,894
per pupil, district-wide
- below California avg of $16,509
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 585 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 10 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.7 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
White 56.6%
Hispanic or Latino 34.1%
Two or More 6.2%
Asian 1.7%
African American 0.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.3%
Largest group: White at 56.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 55.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 55.9, New Brighton Middle is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Soquel Union Elementary, which includes New Brighton Middle.
$12,894
Per student
-22%
vs California
Avg $16,509
-22%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 67.6%
State 23.2%
Federal 9.2%
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 New Brighton Middle Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main Street Elementary | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Soquel Elementary | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Santa Cruz Gardens Elementary | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Opal Cliffs | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to New Brighton Middle's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 383
- Students per teacher
- 21.3:1
- Resource Index
- 26/100
- Enrollment
- 337
- Students per teacher
- 19.8:1
- Resource Index
- 25/100
- Enrollment
- 214
- Students per teacher
- 26.8:1
- Resource Index
- 25/100
- Enrollment
- 3
- Students per teacher
- 3:1
- Resource Index
- 59/100
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 (~585 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on New Brighton Middle's federal record.
- Compare New Brighton Middle against another school. Compare schools
- Soquel Union Elementary'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 New Brighton Middle
How many students attend New Brighton Middle?
New Brighton Middle has 585 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Capitola, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at New Brighton Middle?
The student-teacher ratio at New Brighton Middle is 19.5:1, which is 9% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 24% 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 New Brighton Middle?
27.6% of students at New Brighton Middle are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of New Brighton Middle?
The largest demographic group at New Brighton Middle is White at 56.6% of enrollment, in Capitola, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 55.9/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for New Brighton Middle?
New Brighton Middle has a Resource Investment Index of 20/100 (lower 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).
Is New Brighton Middle a good school?
New Brighton Middle earns 20/100 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 Soquel Union Elementary?
Besides New Brighton Middle, Soquel Union Elementary also operates Main Street Elementary (383 students), Soquel Elementary (337 students), and Santa Cruz Gardens Elementary (214 students). See the Soquel Union Elementary 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.