Enrollment
55
California · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Atascadero, CA
Paloma Creek High
Federal NCES profile for Paloma Creek High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 42/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 060330006562
👥 S:T ratio 45
📚 AP courses 10
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 82
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Paloma Creek High earns 42/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 91% of California schools.
- #1 of 3
- high schools in Atascadero · Resource Index
- 42
- Resource Index · Typical
- 13.8:1
- small classes for California
- 57.9%
- free-lunch eligible
Paloma Creek High has class sizes smaller than 91% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Paloma Creek High ranks #1 of 3 high schools in Atascadero, CA.
School address
District: Atascadero Unified · California
NCES ID 060330006562 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
4.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.8:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-36% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
57.9%
vs 55.5% California avg
+4% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Paloma Creek High compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Paloma Creek High
Paloma Creek High is a higher-need, small high school in Atascadero, California, enrolling 55 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 13.8:1, Paloma Creek High is leaner than roughly 91% of California schools and 36% under the state's 21.5:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 57.9% lands close to the California typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
This is a small campus: fewer students than 93% of California schools, with 55 enrolled.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 94% of the 9,998 California schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Against 166 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #43.
Its student body is led by White (59%) and Hispanic or Latino (39%) (diversity index 50/100).
No Advanced Placement courses are reported for this campus in the federal data.
Counselor coverage is strong, about 92 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
The surrounding Atascadero Unified spends $13,091 per pupil, 21% below the California average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Among Atascadero's high schools, it stands alongside Atascadero High (1,157 students): Paloma Creek High is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (13.8:1 vs 19.3:1).
Atascadero Unified also operates Atascadero High (1,157 students) and Atascadero Middle (845 students) alongside Paloma Creek 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 Paloma Creek High compares
Paloma Creek 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 | 13.8:1 | ▼ 36% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 57.9% | ▲ 4% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 55 | top 93% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13.8:1
Leaner classes than 59% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
55
Bigger than 6% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
57.9%
free-lunch eligible
- 4% 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
13.8:1
students per teacher
- 36% below state mean
Top 9% in California - lower ratio than 91% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Funding equity
$13,091
per pupil, district-wide
- below California avg of $16,509
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.6 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 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 59.3%
Hispanic or Latino 38.9%
Two or More 1.9%
Largest group: White at 59.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 49.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 49.7, Paloma Creek High is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
AP program Not offered
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Atascadero Unified, which includes Paloma Creek High.
$13,091
Per student
-21%
vs California
Avg $16,509
-21%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 63.5%
State 30.2%
Federal 6.3%
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 Paloma Creek High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Atascadero High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Atascadero Middle | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| San Benito Elementary | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Monterey Road Elementary | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Santa Rosa Road Academic Academy | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Paloma Creek High's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,157
- Students per teacher
- 19.3:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 845
- Students per teacher
- 20.6:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
- Enrollment
- 403
- Students per teacher
- 26.9:1
- Resource Index
- 18/100
- Enrollment
- 382
- Students per teacher
- 27.3:1
- Resource Index
- 18/100
- Enrollment
- 377
- Students per teacher
- 25.1:1
- Resource Index
- 7/100
Similar high schools in Atascadero
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 (~55 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~13.8:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Paloma Creek High's federal record.
- Compare Paloma Creek High against another school. Compare schools
- Atascadero 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 Paloma Creek High
How many students attend Paloma Creek High?
Paloma Creek High has 55 students enrolled. It is a high school in Atascadero, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Paloma Creek High?
The student-teacher ratio at Paloma Creek High is 13.8:1, which is 36% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 12% lower 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 Paloma Creek High?
57.9% of students at Paloma Creek High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Paloma Creek High?
The largest demographic group at Paloma Creek High is White at 59.3% of enrollment, in Atascadero, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Paloma Creek High?
Paloma Creek High has a Resource Investment Index of 42/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Paloma Creek High rank among high schools in Atascadero?
By Resource Investment Index, Paloma Creek High ranks #1 of 3 high schools in Atascadero, 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 Atascadero on the city page.
Is Paloma Creek High a good school?
Paloma Creek High earns 42/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 91% 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 Atascadero Unified?
Besides Paloma Creek High, Atascadero Unified also operates Atascadero High (1,157 students), Atascadero Middle (845 students), and San Benito Elementary (403 students). See the Atascadero 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.