Enrollment
2,422
California · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Wilmington, CA
Phineas Banning Senior High
Federal NCES profile for Phineas Banning Senior High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 53/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 062271002838
👥 S:T ratio 22
📚 AP courses 80
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 39
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Phineas Banning Senior High earns 53/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 70% of California schools. It is also one of the largest schools in California.
- #2 of 3
- high schools in Wilmington · Resource Index
- 53
- Resource Index · Higher
- 19.4:1
- small classes for California
- 88.7%
- free-lunch eligible
Phineas Banning Senior High has class sizes smaller than 70% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Phineas Banning Senior High ranks #2 of 3 high schools in Wilmington, CA.
School address
District: Los Angeles Unified · California
NCES ID 062271002838 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
125.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
19.4:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-10% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
88.7%
vs 55.5% California avg
+60% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Phineas Banning Senior High compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Phineas Banning Senior High
Phineas Banning Senior High is a high-poverty, large high school in Wilmington, California, enrolling 2,422 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 is high: 88.7% of students qualify for free meals, 60% above the California average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in California, bigger than 99% of state schools at 2,422 students.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 9,998 scored California schools.
Among 91 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need California schools statewide, it ranks #4, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (94% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 12/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 16 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 303 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
The surrounding Los Angeles Unified spends $21,940 per pupil, 33% above the California average, a better-resourced district than most.
Its district draws 19.2% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Wilmington's high schools, it stands alongside Dr. Richard a. Vladovic Harbor Teacher Preparation Academy (452 students): Phineas Banning Senior High is larger than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (19.4:1 vs 25.1:1).
Los Angeles Unified also operates Grover Cleveland Charter High (2,719 students) and North Hollywood Senior High (2,444 students) alongside Phineas Banning Senior 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 Phineas Banning Senior High compares
Phineas Banning Senior 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 | 19.4:1 | ▼ 10% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 88.7% | ▲ 60% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 2,422 | top 1% | - | - |
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.
2,422
Bigger than 99% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
88.7%
free-lunch eligible
- 60% above the California average of 55.5%
Well above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold, among the highest-need profiles in the state; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
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.
Funding equity
$21,940
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
Counselors8.0 FTE
Per 303 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 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 94.0%
White 1.9%
African American 1.7%
Asian 1.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.7%
Two or More 0.5%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 94.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 11.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 11.6, Phineas Banning Senior High is less mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
AP courses offered 16
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Los Angeles Unified, which includes Phineas Banning Senior High.
$21,940
Per student
+33%
vs California
Avg $16,509
+32%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 26.3%
State 54.5%
Federal 19.2%
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 Phineas Banning Senior High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grover Cleveland Charter High | Similar size | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| North Hollywood Senior High | Similar size | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| San Pedro Senior High | Similar size | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Venice Senior High | Similar size | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| James a. Garfield Senior High | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Phineas Banning Senior High's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,719
- Students per teacher
- 22.8:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 2,444
- Students per teacher
- 20.5:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 2,398
- Students per teacher
- 20.3:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
- Enrollment
- 2,293
- Students per teacher
- 24.4:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 2,237
- Students per teacher
- 17.5:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
Similar high schools in Wilmington
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 (~2,422 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~19.4:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Phineas Banning Senior High's federal record.
- Compare Phineas Banning Senior High against another school. Compare schools
- Los Angeles 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 Phineas Banning Senior High
How many students attend Phineas Banning Senior High?
Phineas Banning Senior High has 2,422 students enrolled. It is a high school in Wilmington, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Phineas Banning Senior High?
The student-teacher ratio at Phineas Banning Senior High 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 Phineas Banning Senior High?
88.7% of students at Phineas Banning Senior High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Phineas Banning Senior High?
The largest demographic group at Phineas Banning Senior High is Hispanic or Latino at 94.0% of enrollment, in Wilmington, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Phineas Banning Senior High?
Phineas Banning Senior High has a Resource Investment Index of 53/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Phineas Banning Senior High rank among high schools in Wilmington?
By Resource Investment Index, Phineas Banning Senior High ranks #2 of 3 high schools in Wilmington, 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 Wilmington on the city page.
Is Phineas Banning Senior High a good school?
Phineas Banning Senior High earns 53/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 70% of California schools. It is also one of the largest schools in California. 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 Los Angeles Unified?
Besides Phineas Banning Senior High, Los Angeles Unified also operates Grover Cleveland Charter High (2,719 students), North Hollywood Senior High (2,444 students), and San Pedro Senior High (2,398 students). See the Los Angeles 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.