Enrollment
3,890
California · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Long Beach, CA
Polytechnic High
Federal NCES profile for Polytechnic High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 54/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 062250002751
👥 S:T ratio 7
📚 AP courses 100
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 40
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Polytechnic High earns 54/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median. It is also one of the largest schools in California.
- #12 of 16
- high schools in Long Beach · Resource Index
- 54
- Resource Index · Higher
- 23.3:1
- students per teacher
- 52.1%
- free-lunch eligible
Polytechnic High has class sizes near the California median. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Polytechnic High ranks #12 of 16 high schools in Long Beach, CA.
School address
District: Long Beach Unified · California
NCES ID 062250002751 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
167.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
23.3:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
+8% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
52.1%
vs 55.5% California avg
-6% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Polytechnic High compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Polytechnic High
Polytechnic High is a higher-need, large high school in Long Beach, California, enrolling 3,890 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 23.3:1 puts it in the larger third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 52.1% 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 99% of state schools at 3,890 students.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 9,998 scored California schools.
Against 58 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #9.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (56%) and Asian (17%) (diversity index 64/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 31 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 298 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Its district draws 15.4% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 4 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Among Long Beach's high schools, it stands alongside Millikan High (3,408 students): Polytechnic High is larger than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (23.3:1 vs 24.7:1).
Long Beach Unified also operates Millikan High (3,408 students) and Wilson High (3,349 students) alongside Polytechnic 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 Polytechnic High compares
Polytechnic 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 | 23.3:1 | ▲ 8% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 52.1% | ▼ 6% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 3,890 | top 1% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
23.3:1
Leaner classes than 8% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
3,890
Bigger than 99% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
52.1%
free-lunch eligible
- 6% below the California average of 55.5%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
23.3:1
students per teacher
- 8% above state mean
Top 65% in California - lower ratio than 35% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Funding equity
$16,028
per pupil, district-wide
- below California avg of $16,509
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors13.0 FTE
Per 298 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
4
in-school suspensions + 132 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.5 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 4 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
Hispanic or Latino 55.5%
Asian 16.8%
African American 14.5%
White 5.8%
Two or More 5.6%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 1.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 55.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 63.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 63.6, Polytechnic High is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
AP courses offered 31
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Long Beach Unified, which includes Polytechnic High.
$16,028
Per student
-3%
vs California
Avg $16,509
-3%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 24.5%
State 60.1%
Federal 15.4%
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 Polytechnic High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Millikan High | Similar size | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Wilson High | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Lakewood High | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Jordan High | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Cabrillo High | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Polytechnic High's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 3,408
- Students per teacher
- 24.7:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
- Enrollment
- 3,349
- Students per teacher
- 22.6:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 2,305
- Students per teacher
- 18.6:1
- Resource Index
- 53/100
- Enrollment
- 2,272
- Students per teacher
- 21.8:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
- Enrollment
- 1,652
- Students per teacher
- 19.4:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
Similar high schools in Long Beach
6 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
Millikan High
Standard public school
3,408 students 24.7:1 students per teacher
Wilson High
Standard public school
3,349 students 22.6:1 students per teacher
Jordan High
Standard public school
2,272 students 21.8:1 students per teacher
Cabrillo High
Standard public school
1,652 students 19.4:1 students per teacher
Ernest S. Mcbride Sr. High
Standard public school
682 students 20.7:1 students per teacher
Eunice Sato Academy of Math & Science
Standard public school
552 students 25.1:1 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 (~3,890 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~23.3:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Polytechnic High's federal record.
- Compare Polytechnic High against another school. Compare schools
- Long Beach 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 Polytechnic High
How many students attend Polytechnic High?
Polytechnic High has 3,890 students enrolled. It is a high school in Long Beach, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Polytechnic High?
The student-teacher ratio at Polytechnic High is 23.3:1, which is 8% higher than the California average of 21.5:1 and 48% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Polytechnic High?
52.1% of students at Polytechnic High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Polytechnic High?
The largest demographic group at Polytechnic High is Hispanic or Latino at 55.5% of enrollment, in Long Beach, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 63.6/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Polytechnic High?
Polytechnic High has a Resource Investment Index of 54/100 (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 Polytechnic High rank among high schools in Long Beach?
By Resource Investment Index, Polytechnic High ranks #12 of 16 high schools in Long Beach, 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 Long Beach on the city page.
Is Polytechnic High a good school?
Polytechnic High earns 54/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median. 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 Long Beach Unified?
Besides Polytechnic High, Long Beach Unified also operates Millikan High (3,408 students), Wilson High (3,349 students), and Lakewood High (2,305 students). See the Long Beach 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.