Enrollment
463
California · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Lake Elsinore, CA
Ortega High
Federal NCES profile for Ortega High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 19/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 060002709488
👥 S:T ratio 32
📚 AP courses 10
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 23
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Ortega High earns 19/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 83% of California schools.
- #3 of 3
- high schools in Lake Elsinore · Resource Index
- 19
- Resource Index · Lower
- 17.1:1
- small classes for California
- 65.7%
- free-lunch eligible
Ortega High has class sizes smaller than 83% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Ortega High ranks #3 of 3 high schools in Lake Elsinore, CA.
School address
District: Lake Elsinore Unified · California
NCES ID 060002709488 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
27.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.1:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-20% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
65.7%
vs 55.5% California avg
+18% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Ortega High compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Ortega High
Ortega High is a higher-need, mid-sized high school in Lake Elsinore, California, enrolling 463 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 17.1:1 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 65.7% lands close to the California typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
With 463 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 2,005 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #1,285.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (73%) and White (16%) (diversity index 44/100).
No Advanced Placement courses are reported for this campus in the federal data.
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 386 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 98.1% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The federal civil-rights collection also records 5 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Among Lake Elsinore's high schools, it stands alongside Temescal Canyon High (2,373 students): Ortega High is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (17.1:1 vs 27.3:1).
Lake Elsinore Unified also operates Temescal Canyon High (2,373 students) and Elsinore High (1,927 students) alongside Ortega 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 Ortega High compares
Ortega 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 | 17.1:1 | ▼ 20% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 65.7% | ▲ 18% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 463 | top 51% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
17.1:1
Leaner classes than 30% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
463
Bigger than 57% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
65.7%
free-lunch eligible
- 18% 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
17.1:1
students per teacher
- 20% below state mean
Top 17% in California - lower ratio than 83% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
98.1%
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
$14,740
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
Counselors1.2 FTE
Per 386 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 20 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 4.3 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 5 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 72.6%
White 16.4%
African American 5.0%
Two or More 3.7%
Asian 1.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 72.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 44.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 44.2, Ortega High is about as mixed as the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
AP program Not offered
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Lake Elsinore Unified, which includes Ortega High.
$14,740
Per student
-11%
vs California
Avg $16,509
-11%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 25.9%
State 61.4%
Federal 12.6%
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 Ortega High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Temescal Canyon High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Elsinore High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Lakeside High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| David a. Brown Middle | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Terra Cotta Middle | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Ortega High's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,373
- Students per teacher
- 27.3:1
- Resource Index
- 25/100
- Enrollment
- 1,927
- Students per teacher
- 22.7:1
- Resource Index
- 27/100
- Enrollment
- 1,687
- Students per teacher
- 23.4:1
- Resource Index
- 26/100
- Enrollment
- 1,030
- Students per teacher
- 27.1:1
- Resource Index
- 24/100
- Enrollment
- 1,026
- Students per teacher
- 23.9:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
Similar high schools in Lake Elsinore
2 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 (~463 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~17.1:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Ortega High's federal record.
- Compare Ortega High against another school. Compare schools
- Lake Elsinore 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 Ortega High
How many students attend Ortega High?
Ortega High has 463 students enrolled. It is a high school in Lake Elsinore, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Ortega High?
The student-teacher ratio at Ortega High is 17.1:1, which is 20% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 9% 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 Ortega High?
65.7% of students at Ortega High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Ortega High?
The largest demographic group at Ortega High is Hispanic or Latino at 72.6% of enrollment, in Lake Elsinore, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Ortega High?
Ortega High has a Resource Investment Index of 19/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Ortega High rank among high schools in Lake Elsinore?
By Resource Investment Index, Ortega High ranks #3 of 3 high schools in Lake Elsinore, CA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all high schools in Lake Elsinore on the city page.
Is Ortega High a good school?
Ortega High earns 19/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 83% 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 Lake Elsinore Unified?
Besides Ortega High, Lake Elsinore Unified also operates Temescal Canyon High (2,373 students), Elsinore High (1,927 students), and Lakeside High (1,687 students). See the Lake Elsinore 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.