Enrollment
693
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Laguna Niguel, CA
Niguel Hills Middle
Federal NCES profile for Niguel Hills Middle, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 41/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 060744000696
👥 S:T ratio 25
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 31
📋 Attendance 40
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Niguel Hills Middle earns 41/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 75% of California schools.
- #1 of 9
- public schools in Laguna Niguel · Resource Index
- 41
- Resource Index · Typical
- 18.7:1
- small classes for California
- 33.8%
- free-lunch eligible
Niguel Hills Middle has class sizes smaller than 75% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Niguel Hills Middle ranks #1 of 9 public schools in Laguna Niguel, CA.
School address
District: Capistrano Unified · California
NCES ID 060744000696 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
37.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18.7:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-13% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
33.8%
vs 55.5% California avg
-39% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Niguel Hills Middle compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Niguel Hills Middle
Niguel Hills Middle is a mid-sized middle school in Laguna Niguel, California, enrolling 693 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 18.7:1 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 33.8% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 693 puts it in the larger third of California schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 9,998 scored California schools.
Against 1,347 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #240.
Its student body is led by White (55%) and Hispanic or Latino (31%) (diversity index 59/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 347 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 24.2% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Capistrano Unified also operates San Clemente High (2,740 students) and San Juan Hills High (2,641 students) alongside Niguel Hills 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 Niguel Hills Middle compares
Niguel Hills 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 | 18.7:1 | ▼ 13% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 33.8% | ▼ 39% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 693 | top 24% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
18.7:1
Leaner classes than 21% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
693
Bigger than 80% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
33.8%
free-lunch eligible
- 39% 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
18.7:1
students per teacher
- 13% below state mean
Top 25% in California - lower ratio than 75% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
24.2%
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
$14,421
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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 347 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
29
in-school suspensions + 28 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 4.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 8.2 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 55.4%
Hispanic or Latino 30.6%
Two or More 7.6%
Asian 5.2%
African American 1.2%
Largest group: White at 55.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 59.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 59.1, Niguel Hills Middle is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Capistrano Unified, which includes Niguel Hills Middle.
$14,421
Per student
-13%
vs California
Avg $16,509
-13%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 61.2%
State 31.0%
Federal 7.7%
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 Niguel Hills Middle Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Clemente High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| San Juan Hills High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Aliso Niguel High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Tesoro High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Capistrano Valley High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Niguel Hills Middle's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,740
- Students per teacher
- 21.9:1
- Resource Index
- 28/100
- Enrollment
- 2,641
- Students per teacher
- 21.5:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 2,563
- Students per teacher
- 22.5:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 2,030
- Students per teacher
- 22.1:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
- Enrollment
- 1,991
- Students per teacher
- 21.9:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
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 (~693 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~18.7:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Niguel Hills Middle's federal record.
- Compare Niguel Hills Middle against another school. Compare schools
- Capistrano 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 Niguel Hills Middle
How many students attend Niguel Hills Middle?
Niguel Hills Middle has 693 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Laguna Niguel, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Niguel Hills Middle?
The student-teacher ratio at Niguel Hills Middle is 18.7:1, which is 13% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 19% 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 Niguel Hills Middle?
33.8% of students at Niguel Hills Middle are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Niguel Hills Middle?
The largest demographic group at Niguel Hills Middle is White at 55.4% of enrollment, in Laguna Niguel, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 59.1/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Niguel Hills Middle?
Niguel Hills Middle has a Resource Investment Index of 41/100 (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 Niguel Hills Middle rank among public schools in Laguna Niguel?
By Resource Investment Index, Niguel Hills Middle ranks #1 of 9 public schools in Laguna Niguel, 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 Laguna Niguel on the city page.
Is Niguel Hills Middle a good school?
Niguel Hills Middle earns 41/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 75% 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 Capistrano Unified?
Besides Niguel Hills Middle, Capistrano Unified also operates San Clemente High (2,740 students), San Juan Hills High (2,641 students), and Aliso Niguel High (2,563 students). See the Capistrano 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.