Enrollment
197
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Paradise, CA
Paradise Junior High
Federal NCES profile for Paradise Junior High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 32/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 062982004639
👥 S:T ratio 12
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 61
📋 Attendance 25
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Paradise Junior High earns 32/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median.
- #4 of 8
- public schools in Paradise · Resource Index
- 32
- Resource Index · Typical
- 21.9:1
- students per teacher
- 64.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Paradise Junior High has class sizes near the California median. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Paradise Junior High ranks #4 of 8 public schools in Paradise, CA.
School address
District: Paradise Unified · California
NCES ID 062982004639 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
9.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
21.9:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
+2% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
64.0%
vs 55.5% California avg
+15% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Paradise Junior High compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Paradise Junior High
Paradise Junior High is a higher-need, mid-sized middle school in Paradise, California, enrolling 197 students.
At 21.9:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the California median, within a few percentage points of the 21.5:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 64.0% lands close to the California typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 197 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 9,998 scored California schools.
Against 543 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #282.
Its student body is led by White (70%) and Hispanic or Latino (20%) (diversity index 47/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 197 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 29.9% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding Paradise Unified spends $20,269 per pupil, 23% above the California average, a better-resourced district than most.
Its district draws 21.0% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Paradise's middle schools, it stands alongside Paradise Charter Middle (143 students): Paradise Junior High is larger than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (21.9:1 vs 20.4:1).
Paradise Unified also operates Paradise Ridge Elementary (496 students) and Paradise Senior High (495 students) alongside Paradise Junior 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 Paradise Junior High compares
Paradise Junior 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 | 21.9:1 | ▲ 2% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 64.0% | ▲ 15% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 197 | top 83% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
21.9:1
Leaner classes than 11% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
197
Bigger than 19% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
64.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 15% 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
21.9:1
students per teacher
- 2% above state mean
Top 52% in California - lower ratio than 48% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
29.9%
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
$20,269
per pupil, district-wide
- above California avg of $16,509
Well above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting substantially higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 197 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
2
in-school suspensions + 18 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 10.2 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 70.1%
Hispanic or Latino 19.8%
Two or More 5.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 3.0%
African American 0.5%
Asian 0.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.5%
Largest group: White at 70.1% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 46.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 46.5, Paradise Junior High is about as mixed as the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Paradise Unified, which includes Paradise Junior High.
$20,269
Per student
+23%
vs California
Avg $16,509
+22%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 14.7%
State 64.3%
Federal 21.0%
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 Paradise Junior High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paradise Ridge Elementary | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Paradise Senior High | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Cedarwood Elementary | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Pine Ridge | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Ridgeview High (Continuation) | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Paradise Junior High's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 496
- Students per teacher
- 29.2:1
- Resource Index
- 21/100
- Enrollment
- 495
- Students per teacher
- 17.7:1
- Resource Index
- 27/100
- Enrollment
- 271
- Students per teacher
- 24.6:1
- Resource Index
- 11/100
- Enrollment
- 179
- Students per teacher
- 14.9:1
- Resource Index
- 23/100
- Enrollment
- 51
- Students per teacher
- 10.2:1
- Resource Index
- 60/100
Similar middle schools in Paradise
1 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) serving the same city.
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 (~197 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Paradise Junior High's federal record.
- Compare Paradise Junior High against another school. Compare schools
- Paradise 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 Paradise Junior High
How many students attend Paradise Junior High?
Paradise Junior High has 197 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Paradise, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Paradise Junior High?
The student-teacher ratio at Paradise Junior High is 21.9:1, which is 2% higher than the California average of 21.5:1 and 39% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Paradise Junior High?
64.0% of students at Paradise Junior High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Paradise Junior High?
The largest demographic group at Paradise Junior High is White at 70.1% of enrollment, in Paradise, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Paradise Junior High?
Paradise Junior High has a Resource Investment Index of 32/100 (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 Paradise Junior High rank among public schools in Paradise?
By Resource Investment Index, Paradise Junior High ranks #4 of 8 public schools in Paradise, 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 Paradise on the city page.
Is Paradise Junior High a good school?
Paradise Junior High earns 32/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median. 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 Paradise Unified?
Besides Paradise Junior High, Paradise Unified also operates Paradise Ridge Elementary (496 students), Paradise Senior High (495 students), and Cedarwood Elementary (271 students). See the Paradise 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.