Enrollment
1,193
California · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Petaluma, CA
Petaluma High
Federal NCES profile for Petaluma High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 50/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 063025004723
👥 S:T ratio 16
📚 AP courses 75
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 40
📋 Attendance 48
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Petaluma High earns 50/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median.
- #3 of 5
- high schools in Petaluma · Resource Index
- 50
- Resource Index · Higher
- 20.9:1
- students per teacher
- 28.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Petaluma High has class sizes near the California median. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Petaluma High ranks #3 of 5 high schools in Petaluma, CA.
School address
District: Petaluma Joint Union High · California
NCES ID 063025004723 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
57.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
20.9:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-3% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
28.0%
vs 55.5% California avg
-50% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Petaluma High compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Petaluma High
Petaluma High is a large high school in Petaluma, California, enrolling 1,193 students.
At 20.9:1, 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.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 28.0% of students eligible for free meals.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in California, bigger than 92% of state schools at 1,193 students.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 9,998 scored California schools.
Among 620 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need California schools statewide, it ranks #62, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (60%) and Hispanic or Latino (31%) (diversity index 54/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 15 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 298 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 20.8% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 1 expulsion at this campus for 2021-22.
Among Petaluma's high schools, it stands alongside Casa Grande High (1,653 students): Petaluma High is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (20.9:1 vs 21.8:1).
Petaluma Joint Union High also operates Casa Grande High (1,653 students) and Kenilworth Junior High (812 students) alongside Petaluma 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 Petaluma High compares
Petaluma 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 | 20.9:1 | ▼ 3% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 28.0% | ▼ 50% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 1,193 | top 8% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
20.9:1
Leaner classes than 13% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
1,193
Bigger than 94% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
28.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 50% 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
20.9:1
students per teacher
- 3% below state mean
Top 42% in California - lower ratio than 58% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
20.8%
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.
Support staff
Counselors4.0 FTE
Per 298 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 37 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.1 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 1 expulsion.
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 60.2%
Hispanic or Latino 31.4%
Two or More 4.6%
Asian 1.9%
African American 1.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.3%
Largest group: White at 60.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 53.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 53.6, Petaluma High is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
AP courses offered 15
Gifted & talented Yes
How Petaluma High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Casa Grande High | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Kenilworth Junior High | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Mary Collins Charter School at Cherry Valley | Smaller | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Petaluma Junior High | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Petaluma Accelerated Charter | Smaller | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Petaluma High's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,653
- Students per teacher
- 21.8:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
- Enrollment
- 812
- Students per teacher
- 21.4:1
- Resource Index
- 50/100
- Enrollment
- 494
- Students per teacher
- 29.1:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 454
- Students per teacher
- 20.6:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
- Enrollment
- 115
- Students per teacher
- 28.8:1
- Resource Index
- 51/100
Similar high schools in Petaluma
4 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
Casa Grande High
Standard public school
1,653 students 21.8:1 students per teacher
San Antonio High (Continuation)
Alternative education program
65 students 10.8:1 students per teacher
Sonoma Mountain High (Continuation)
Alternative education program
21 students 21:1 students per teacher
Carpe Diem High (Continuation)
Alternative education program
19 students 9.5:1 students per teacher
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 (~1,193 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~20.9:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Petaluma High's federal record.
- Compare Petaluma High against another school. Compare schools
- Petaluma Joint Union High'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 Petaluma High
How many students attend Petaluma High?
Petaluma High has 1,193 students enrolled. It is a high school in Petaluma, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Petaluma High?
The student-teacher ratio at Petaluma High is 20.9:1, which is 3% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 33% 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 Petaluma High?
28.0% of students at Petaluma High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Petaluma High?
The largest demographic group at Petaluma High is White at 60.2% of enrollment, in Petaluma, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 53.6/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Petaluma High?
Petaluma High has a Resource Investment Index of 50/100 (higher 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 Petaluma High rank among high schools in Petaluma?
By Resource Investment Index, Petaluma High ranks #3 of 5 high schools in Petaluma, 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 Petaluma on the city page.
Is Petaluma High a good school?
Petaluma High earns 50/100 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 Petaluma Joint Union High?
Besides Petaluma High, Petaluma Joint Union High also operates Casa Grande High (1,653 students), Kenilworth Junior High (812 students), and Mary Collins Charter School at Cherry Valley (494 students). See the Petaluma Joint Union High 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.