Enrollment
544
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Arroyo Grande, CA
Paulding Middle
Federal NCES profile for Paulding Middle, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 25/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 062308003528
👥 S:T ratio 22
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 47
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Paulding Middle earns 25/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 70% of California schools.
- #7 of 8
- public schools in Arroyo Grande · Resource Index
- 25
- Resource Index · Lower
- 19.4:1
- small classes for California
- 33.4%
- free-lunch eligible
Paulding Middle has class sizes smaller than 70% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Paulding Middle ranks #7 of 8 public schools in Arroyo Grande, CA.
School address
District: Lucia Mar Unified · California
NCES ID 062308003528 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
28.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
19.4:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-10% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
33.4%
vs 55.5% California avg
-40% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Paulding Middle compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Paulding Middle
Paulding Middle is a mid-sized middle school in Arroyo Grande, California, enrolling 544 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 19.4:1 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 33.4% of students eligible for free meals.
With 544 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 1,393 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #980.
Its student body is led by White (50%) and Hispanic or Latino (39%) (diversity index 60/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 544 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 21.3% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 3 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Among Arroyo Grande's middle schools, it stands alongside Mesa Middle (474 students): Paulding Middle is larger than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (19.4:1 vs 19:1).
Lucia Mar Unified also operates Arroyo Grande High (2,012 students) and Nipomo High (819 students) alongside Paulding Middle.
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 Paulding Middle compares
Paulding Middle on the metrics families compare, against California and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs California | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 19.4:1 | ▼ 10% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 33.4% | ▼ 40% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 544 | top 39% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
19.4:1
Leaner classes than 18% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
544
Bigger than 67% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
33.4%
free-lunch eligible
- 40% below the California average of 55.5%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
19.4:1
students per teacher
- 10% below state mean
Top 30% in California - lower ratio than 70% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
21.3%
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
$13,869
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 544 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
6
in-school suspensions + 42 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 8.8 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 3 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
White 49.7%
Hispanic or Latino 38.9%
Two or More 7.7%
Asian 2.6%
African American 0.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: White at 49.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 59.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 59.5, Paulding Middle is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Lucia Mar Unified, which includes Paulding Middle.
$13,869
Per student
-16%
vs California
Avg $16,509
-16%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 58.3%
State 30.7%
Federal 10.9%
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 Paulding Middle Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arroyo Grande High | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Nipomo High | Larger | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Harloe Elementary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Dana Elementary | Similar size | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Lange (Dorothea) Elementary | Similar size | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Paulding Middle's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,012
- Students per teacher
- 20.3:1
- Resource Index
- 26/100
- Enrollment
- 819
- Students per teacher
- 17.8:1
- Resource Index
- 18/100
- Enrollment
- 619
- Students per teacher
- 25.8:1
- Resource Index
- 26/100
- Enrollment
- 612
- Students per teacher
- 23.5:1
- Resource Index
- 24/100
- Enrollment
- 577
- Students per teacher
- 21.4:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
Similar middle schools in Arroyo Grande
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 (~544 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Paulding Middle's federal record.
- Compare Paulding Middle against another school. Compare schools
- Lucia Mar 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 Paulding Middle
How many students attend Paulding Middle?
Paulding Middle has 544 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Arroyo Grande, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Paulding Middle?
The student-teacher ratio at Paulding Middle is 19.4:1, which is 10% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 24% 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 Paulding Middle?
33.4% of students at Paulding Middle are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Paulding Middle?
The largest demographic group at Paulding Middle is White at 49.7% of enrollment, in Arroyo Grande, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 59.5/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Paulding Middle?
Paulding Middle has a Resource Investment Index of 25/100 (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 Paulding Middle rank among public schools in Arroyo Grande?
By Resource Investment Index, Paulding Middle ranks #7 of 8 public schools in Arroyo Grande, 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 Arroyo Grande on the city page.
Is Paulding Middle a good school?
Paulding Middle earns 25/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 70% 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 Lucia Mar Unified?
Besides Paulding Middle, Lucia Mar Unified also operates Arroyo Grande High (2,012 students), Nipomo High (819 students), and Harloe Elementary (619 students). See the Lucia Mar 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.