Enrollment
454
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Petaluma, CA
Petaluma Junior High
Federal NCES profile for Petaluma Junior High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 42/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 063025004724
👥 S:T ratio 18
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 43
📋 Attendance 38
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Petaluma Junior High earns 42/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median.
- #3 of 3
- middle schools in Petaluma · Resource Index
- 42
- Resource Index · Typical
- 20.6:1
- students per teacher
- 31.3%
- free-lunch eligible
Petaluma Junior High has class sizes near the California median. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Petaluma Junior High ranks #3 of 3 middle schools in Petaluma, CA.
School address
District: Petaluma Joint Union High · California
NCES ID 063025004724 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
22.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
20.6:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
31.3%
vs 55.5% California avg
-44% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Petaluma Junior High compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Petaluma Junior High
Petaluma Junior High is a mid-sized middle school in Petaluma, California, enrolling 454 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 20.6:1 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 31.3% of students eligible for free meals.
With 454 students, its enrollment sits close to the California median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 9,998 scored California schools.
Against 1,248 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #203.
Its student body is led by White (56%) and Hispanic or Latino (35%) (diversity index 56/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 284 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 24.9% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Among Petaluma's middle schools, it stands alongside Kenilworth Junior High (812 students): Petaluma Junior High is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (20.6:1 vs 21.4:1).
Petaluma Joint Union High also operates Casa Grande High (1,653 students) and Petaluma High (1,193 students) alongside Petaluma 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 Petaluma Junior High compares
Petaluma 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 | 20.6:1 | ▼ 4% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 31.3% | ▼ 44% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 454 | top 52% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
20.6:1
Leaner classes than 14% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
454
Bigger than 55% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
31.3%
free-lunch eligible
- 44% 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
20.6:1
students per teacher
- 4% below state mean
Top 40% in California - lower ratio than 60% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
24.9%
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.
Support staff
Counselors1.6 FTE
Per 284 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
8
in-school suspensions + 38 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 10.1 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
White 56.2%
Hispanic or Latino 35.2%
Two or More 4.9%
Asian 2.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.9%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.4%
African American 0.2%
Largest group: White at 56.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 55.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 55.7, Petaluma Junior High is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
How Petaluma Junior High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Casa Grande High | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Petaluma High | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Kenilworth Junior High | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Mary Collins Charter School at Cherry Valley | Similar size | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Petaluma Accelerated Charter | Smaller | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Petaluma Junior 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
- 1,193
- Students per teacher
- 20.9:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
- 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
- 115
- Students per teacher
- 28.8:1
- Resource Index
- 51/100
Similar middle schools in Petaluma
2 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 (~454 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~20.6:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Petaluma Junior High's federal record.
- Compare Petaluma Junior 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 Junior High
How many students attend Petaluma Junior High?
Petaluma Junior High has 454 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Petaluma, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Petaluma Junior High?
The student-teacher ratio at Petaluma Junior High is 20.6:1, which is 4% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 31% 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 Junior High?
31.3% of students at Petaluma Junior High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Petaluma Junior High?
The largest demographic group at Petaluma Junior High is White at 56.2% of enrollment, in Petaluma, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 55.7/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Petaluma Junior High?
Petaluma Junior 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, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Petaluma Junior High rank among middle schools in Petaluma?
By Resource Investment Index, Petaluma Junior High ranks #3 of 3 middle 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 middle schools in Petaluma on the city page.
Is Petaluma Junior High a good school?
Petaluma Junior High earns 42/100 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 Junior High, Petaluma Joint Union High also operates Casa Grande High (1,653 students), Petaluma High (1,193 students), and Kenilworth Junior High (812 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.