Enrollment
539
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Fullerton, CA
Nicolas Junior High
Federal NCES profile for Nicolas Junior High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 33/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 061473001798
👥 S:T ratio 28
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 34
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Nicolas Junior High earns 33/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 79% of California schools.
- #2 of 3
- middle schools in Fullerton · Resource Index
- 33
- Resource Index · Typical
- 18:1
- small classes for California
- 77.7%
- free-lunch eligible
Nicolas Junior High has class sizes smaller than 79% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Nicolas Junior High ranks #2 of 3 middle schools in Fullerton, CA.
School address
District: Fullerton Elementary · California
NCES ID 061473001798 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
30.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-16% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
77.7%
vs 55.5% California avg
+40% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Nicolas Junior High compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Nicolas Junior High
Nicolas Junior High is a high-poverty, mid-sized middle school in Fullerton, California, enrolling 539 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 18:1 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 77.7% of students eligible for free meals.
With 539 students, its enrollment sits close to the California median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 9,998 scored California schools.
Against 2,219 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #394.
Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (87% of enrollment) (diversity index 24/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 539 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 26.3% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 16.2% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Fullerton's middle schools, it stands alongside D. Russell Parks Junior High (854 students): Nicolas Junior High is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (18:1 vs 23.7:1).
Fullerton Elementary also operates Robert C. Fisler Elementary (892 students) and Beechwood Elementary (872 students) alongside Nicolas Junior 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 Nicolas Junior High compares
Nicolas Junior 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 | 18:1 | ▼ 16% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 77.7% | ▲ 40% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 539 | top 40% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
18:1
Leaner classes than 24% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
539
Bigger than 66% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
77.7%
free-lunch eligible
- 40% 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
18:1
students per teacher
- 16% below state mean
Top 21% in California - lower ratio than 79% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
26.3%
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
$15,836
per pupil, district-wide
- below California avg of $16,509
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 539 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
2
in-school suspensions + 45 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 8.7 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 87.2%
White 3.5%
Asian 3.5%
Two or More 2.2%
African American 1.9%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.7%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 87.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 23.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 23.6, Nicolas Junior High is less mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Fullerton Elementary, which includes Nicolas Junior High.
$15,836
Per student
-4%
vs California
Avg $16,509
-5%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 40.1%
State 43.6%
Federal 16.2%
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 Nicolas Junior High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Robert C. Fisler Elementary | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Beechwood Elementary | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| D. Russell Parks Junior High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Ladera Vista Junior High School of the Arts | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Sunset Lane Elementary | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Nicolas Junior High's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 892
- Students per teacher
- 27:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 872
- Students per teacher
- 20.8:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 854
- Students per teacher
- 23.7:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 820
- Students per teacher
- 23.4:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 700
- Students per teacher
- 28:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
Similar middle schools in Fullerton
2 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) serving the same city.
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 (~539 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~18:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Nicolas Junior High's federal record.
- Compare Nicolas Junior High against another school. Compare schools
- Fullerton 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 Nicolas Junior High
How many students attend Nicolas Junior High?
Nicolas Junior High has 539 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Fullerton, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Nicolas Junior High?
The student-teacher ratio at Nicolas Junior High is 18:1, which is 16% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 15% 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 Nicolas Junior High?
77.7% of students at Nicolas Junior High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Nicolas Junior High?
The largest demographic group at Nicolas Junior High is Hispanic or Latino at 87.2% of enrollment, in Fullerton, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Nicolas Junior High?
Nicolas Junior High has a Resource Investment Index of 33/100 (typical 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).
How does Nicolas Junior High rank among middle schools in Fullerton?
By Resource Investment Index, Nicolas Junior High ranks #2 of 3 middle schools in Fullerton, CA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all middle schools in Fullerton on the city page.
Is Nicolas Junior High a good school?
Nicolas Junior High earns 33/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 79% 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 Fullerton Elementary?
Besides Nicolas Junior High, Fullerton Elementary also operates Robert C. Fisler Elementary (892 students), Beechwood Elementary (872 students), and D. Russell Parks Junior High (854 students). See the Fullerton 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.