Enrollment
1,303
California · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Pasadena, CA
Pasadena High
Federal NCES profile for Pasadena High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 48/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 062994004684
👥 S:T ratio 30
📚 AP courses 95
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 48
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Pasadena High earns 48/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 81% of California schools.
- #2 of 3
- high schools in Pasadena · Resource Index
- 48
- Resource Index · Typical
- 17.6:1
- small classes for California
- 59.5%
- free-lunch eligible
Pasadena High has class sizes smaller than 81% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Pasadena High ranks #2 of 3 high schools in Pasadena, CA.
School address
District: Pasadena Unified · California
NCES ID 062994004684 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
74.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.6:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-18% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
59.5%
vs 55.5% California avg
+7% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Pasadena High compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Pasadena High
Pasadena High is a higher-need, large high school in Pasadena, California, enrolling 1,303 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 17.6:1 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 59.5% lands close to the California typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in California, bigger than 92% of state schools at 1,303 students.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 9,998 scored California schools.
Against 515 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #74.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (53%) and White (19%) (diversity index 65/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 19 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 261 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 48.3% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Among Pasadena's high schools, it stands alongside John Muir High (1,206 students): Pasadena High is larger than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (17.6:1 vs 25.7:1).
Pasadena Unified also operates Marshall Fundamental (1,689 students) and John Muir High (1,206 students) alongside Pasadena 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 Pasadena High compares
Pasadena 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 | 17.6:1 | ▼ 18% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 59.5% | ▲ 7% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 1,303 | top 8% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
17.6:1
Leaner classes than 27% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
1,303
Bigger than 95% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
59.5%
free-lunch eligible
- 7% 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
17.6:1
students per teacher
- 18% below state mean
Top 19% in California - lower ratio than 81% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
48.3%
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
Counselors5.0 FTE
Per 261 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
6
in-school suspensions + 60 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 5.1 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 53.4%
White 19.1%
African American 11.8%
Asian 9.8%
Two or More 5.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 53.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 65.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 65.2, Pasadena High is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
AP courses offered 19
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Pasadena Unified, which includes Pasadena High.
$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 Pasadena High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marshall Fundamental | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| John Muir High | Similar size | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Blair High | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Jackson Elementary | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Sierra Madre Elementary | Smaller | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Pasadena High'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
- 1,206
- 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
- Enrollment
- 652
- Students per teacher
- 27.2:1
- Resource Index
- 52/100
Similar high schools in Pasadena
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 (~1,303 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Pasadena High's federal record.
- Compare Pasadena High 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 Pasadena High
How many students attend Pasadena High?
Pasadena High has 1,303 students enrolled. It is a high school in Pasadena, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Pasadena High?
The student-teacher ratio at Pasadena High is 17.6:1, which is 18% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 12% 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 Pasadena High?
59.5% of students at Pasadena High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Pasadena High?
The largest demographic group at Pasadena High is Hispanic or Latino at 53.4% of enrollment, in Pasadena, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 65.2/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Pasadena High?
Pasadena High has a Resource Investment Index of 48/100 (typical 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 Pasadena High rank among high schools in Pasadena?
By Resource Investment Index, Pasadena High ranks #2 of 3 high 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 high schools in Pasadena on the city page.
Is Pasadena High a good school?
Pasadena High earns 48/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 81% 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 Pasadena High, Pasadena Unified also operates Marshall Fundamental (1,689 students), John Muir High (1,206 students), and Blair High (1,053 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.