Enrollment
819
California · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Nipomo, CA
Nipomo High
Federal NCES profile for Nipomo High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 29/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 062308010656
👥 S:T ratio 29
📚 AP courses 70
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 14
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Nipomo High earns 29/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 80% of California schools.
- #5 of 5
- public schools in Nipomo · Resource Index
- 29
- Resource Index · Lower
- 17.8:1
- small classes for California
- 55.4%
- free-lunch eligible
Nipomo High has class sizes smaller than 80% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Nipomo High ranks #5 of 5 public schools in Nipomo, CA.
School address
District: Lucia Mar Unified · California
NCES ID 062308010656 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
46.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.8:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-17% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
55.4%
vs 55.5% California avg
-0% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Nipomo High compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Nipomo High
Nipomo High is a higher-need, mid-sized high school in Nipomo, California, enrolling 819 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 17.8:1 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 55.4% lands close to the California typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 819 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 1,224 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need California schools statewide, it ranks #906, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (66%) and White (28%) (diversity index 48/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 14 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 512 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 34.4% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The federal civil-rights collection also records 6 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Among Nipomo's high schools, it stands alongside Central Coast New Tech High (318 students): Nipomo High is larger than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (17.8:1 vs 19.9:1).
Lucia Mar Unified also operates Arroyo Grande High (2,012 students) and Harloe Elementary (619 students) alongside Nipomo 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 Nipomo High compares
Nipomo 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 | 17.8:1 | ▼ 17% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 55.4% | ▼ 0% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 819 | top 17% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
17.8:1
Leaner classes than 26% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
819
Bigger than 86% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
55.4%
free-lunch eligible
- 0% below the California average of 55.5%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
17.8:1
students per teacher
- 17% below state mean
Top 20% in California - lower ratio than 80% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
34.4%
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
$13,869
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
Counselors1.6 FTE
Per 512 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
8
in-school suspensions + 54 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 7.6 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 6 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 66.3%
White 27.5%
Two or More 3.8%
Asian 1.2%
African American 0.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 66.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 48.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 48.3, Nipomo High is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
AP courses offered 14
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Lucia Mar Unified, which includes Nipomo High.
$13,869
Per student
-16%
vs California
Avg $16,509
-16%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 58.3%
State 30.7%
Federal 10.9%
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 Nipomo High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arroyo Grande High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Harloe Elementary | Similar size | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Dana Elementary | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Lange (Dorothea) Elementary | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Ocean View Elementary | Smaller | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Nipomo High's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,012
- Students per teacher
- 20.3:1
- Resource Index
- 26/100
- Enrollment
- 619
- Students per teacher
- 25.8:1
- Resource Index
- 26/100
- Enrollment
- 612
- Students per teacher
- 23.5:1
- Resource Index
- 24/100
- Enrollment
- 577
- Students per teacher
- 21.4:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
- Enrollment
- 547
- Students per teacher
- 23.8:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
Similar high schools in Nipomo
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 (~819 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~17.8:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Nipomo High's federal record.
- Compare Nipomo High against another school. Compare schools
- Lucia Mar 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 Nipomo High
How many students attend Nipomo High?
Nipomo High has 819 students enrolled. It is a high school in Nipomo, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Nipomo High?
The student-teacher ratio at Nipomo High is 17.8:1, which is 17% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 13% 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 Nipomo High?
55.4% of students at Nipomo High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Nipomo High?
The largest demographic group at Nipomo High is Hispanic or Latino at 66.3% of enrollment, in Nipomo, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Nipomo High?
Nipomo High has a Resource Investment Index of 29/100 (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 Nipomo High rank among public schools in Nipomo?
By Resource Investment Index, Nipomo High ranks #5 of 5 public schools in Nipomo, 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 Nipomo on the city page.
Is Nipomo High a good school?
Nipomo High earns 29/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 80% 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 Lucia Mar Unified?
Besides Nipomo High, Lucia Mar Unified also operates Arroyo Grande High (2,012 students), Harloe Elementary (619 students), and Dana Elementary (612 students). See the Lucia Mar 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.