Enrollment
481
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Pasadena, CA
Octavia E. Butler Magnet
Federal NCES profile for Octavia E. Butler Magnet, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 26/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 062994004689
👥 S:T ratio 29
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 4
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Octavia E. Butler Magnet earns 26/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 80% of California schools.
- #13 of 19
- public schools in Pasadena · Resource Index
- 26
- Resource Index · Lower
- 17.8:1
- small classes for California
- 79.9%
- free-lunch eligible
Octavia E. Butler Magnet has class sizes smaller than 80% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Octavia E. Butler Magnet ranks #13 of 19 public schools in Pasadena, CA.
School address
District: Pasadena Unified · California
NCES ID 062994004689 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
27.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.8:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-17% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
79.9%
vs 55.5% California avg
+44% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Octavia E. Butler Magnet compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Octavia E. Butler Magnet
Octavia E. Butler Magnet is a high-poverty, mid-sized middle school in Pasadena, California, enrolling 481 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.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 79.9% of students eligible for free meals.
With 481 students, its enrollment sits close to the California median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 9,998 scored California schools.
Against 2,094 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #978.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (73%) and White (10%) (diversity index 44/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 481 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 40.3% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Pasadena Unified also operates Marshall Fundamental (1,689 students) and Pasadena High (1,303 students) alongside Octavia E. Butler Magnet.
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 Octavia E. Butler Magnet compares
Octavia E. Butler Magnet 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 | 79.9% | ▲ 44% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 481 | top 48% | - | - |
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.
481
Bigger than 59% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
79.9%
free-lunch eligible
- 44% 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
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
40.3%
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
$17,889
per pupil, district-wide
- above California avg of $16,509
Somewhat above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 481 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 30 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 6.4 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 73.3%
White 9.8%
African American 9.4%
Two or More 4.4%
Asian 2.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 73.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 44.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 44.2, Octavia E. Butler Magnet is about as mixed as the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Pasadena Unified, which includes Octavia E. Butler Magnet.
$17,889
Per student
+8%
vs California
Avg $16,509
+8%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 45.4%
State 40.3%
Federal 14.3%
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 Octavia E. Butler Magnet Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marshall Fundamental | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Pasadena High | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| John Muir High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Blair High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Jackson Elementary | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Octavia E. Butler Magnet's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,689
- Students per teacher
- 22.8:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 1,303
- Students per teacher
- 17.6:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 1,206
- Students per teacher
- 25.7:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 1,053
- Students per teacher
- 19.9:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 658
- Students per teacher
- 26.3:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
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 (~481 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~17.8:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Octavia E. Butler Magnet's federal record.
- Compare Octavia E. Butler Magnet against another school. Compare schools
- Pasadena 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 Octavia E. Butler Magnet
How many students attend Octavia E. Butler Magnet?
Octavia E. Butler Magnet has 481 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Pasadena, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Octavia E. Butler Magnet?
The student-teacher ratio at Octavia E. Butler Magnet 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 Octavia E. Butler Magnet?
79.9% of students at Octavia E. Butler Magnet are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Octavia E. Butler Magnet?
The largest demographic group at Octavia E. Butler Magnet is Hispanic or Latino at 73.3% of enrollment, in Pasadena, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Octavia E. Butler Magnet?
Octavia E. Butler Magnet has a Resource Investment Index of 26/100 (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).
How does Octavia E. Butler Magnet rank among public schools in Pasadena?
By Resource Investment Index, Octavia E. Butler Magnet ranks #13 of 19 public schools in Pasadena, 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 Pasadena on the city page.
Is Octavia E. Butler Magnet a good school?
Octavia E. Butler Magnet earns 26/100 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 Pasadena Unified?
Besides Octavia E. Butler Magnet, Pasadena Unified also operates Marshall Fundamental (1,689 students), Pasadena High (1,303 students), and John Muir High (1,206 students). See the Pasadena 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.