Enrollment
674
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Hawthorne, CA
Prairie Vista Middle
Federal NCES profile for Prairie Vista Middle, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 20/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 061668007520
👥 S:T ratio 10
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Prairie Vista Middle earns 20/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median.
- #3 of 4
- middle schools in Hawthorne · Resource Index
- 20
- Resource Index · Lower
- 22.5:1
- students per teacher
- 58.9%
- free-lunch eligible
Prairie Vista Middle has class sizes near the California median. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Prairie Vista Middle ranks #3 of 4 middle schools in Hawthorne, CA.
School address
District: Hawthorne · California
NCES ID 061668007520 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
30.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
22.5:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
+5% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
58.9%
vs 55.5% California avg
+6% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Prairie Vista Middle compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Prairie Vista Middle
Prairie Vista Middle is a higher-need, mid-sized middle school in Hawthorne, California, enrolling 674 students.
At 22.5:1, 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.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 58.9% lands close to the California typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 674 puts it in the larger third of California schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 9,998 scored California schools.
Against 1,635 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #1,098.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (73%) and African American (20%) (diversity index 43/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 674 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 48.4% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Among Hawthorne's middle schools, it stands alongside Richard Henry Dana Middle (953 students): Prairie Vista Middle is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (22.5:1 vs 26.5:1).
Hawthorne also operates Zela Davis (843 students) and Ramona (767 students) alongside Prairie Vista 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 Prairie Vista Middle compares
Prairie Vista 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 | 22.5:1 | ▲ 5% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 58.9% | ▲ 6% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 674 | top 25% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
22.5:1
Leaner classes than 9% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
674
Bigger than 79% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
58.9%
free-lunch eligible
- 6% above the California average of 55.5%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
22.5:1
students per teacher
- 5% above state mean
Top 58% in California - lower ratio than 42% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
48.4%
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
$17,073
per pupil, district-wide
- above California avg of $16,509
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 674 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 77 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 11.4 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 72.6%
African American 20.3%
Asian 2.8%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 1.8%
White 1.2%
Two or More 1.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 72.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 43.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 43.0, Prairie Vista Middle is less mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Hawthorne, which includes Prairie Vista Middle.
$17,073
Per student
+3%
vs California
Avg $16,509
+3%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 14.4%
State 71.7%
Federal 13.9%
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 Prairie Vista Middle Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zela Davis | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Ramona | Similar size | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Hawthorne Middle | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Eucalyptus | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Bud Carson Middle | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Prairie Vista Middle's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 843
- Students per teacher
- 24.8:1
- Resource Index
- 8/100
- Enrollment
- 767
- Students per teacher
- 25.6:1
- Resource Index
- 8/100
- Enrollment
- 761
- Students per teacher
- 25.4:1
- Resource Index
- 29/100
- Enrollment
- 709
- Students per teacher
- 27.3:1
- Resource Index
- 7/100
- Enrollment
- 601
- Students per teacher
- 22.3:1
- Resource Index
- 20/100
Similar middle schools in Hawthorne
3 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 (~674 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~22.5:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Prairie Vista Middle's federal record.
- Compare Prairie Vista Middle against another school. Compare schools
- Hawthorne'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 Prairie Vista Middle
How many students attend Prairie Vista Middle?
Prairie Vista Middle has 674 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Hawthorne, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Prairie Vista Middle?
The student-teacher ratio at Prairie Vista Middle is 22.5:1, which is 5% higher than the California average of 21.5:1 and 43% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Prairie Vista Middle?
58.9% of students at Prairie Vista Middle are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Prairie Vista Middle?
The largest demographic group at Prairie Vista Middle is Hispanic or Latino at 72.6% of enrollment, in Hawthorne, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Prairie Vista Middle?
Prairie Vista Middle has a Resource Investment Index of 20/100 (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 Prairie Vista Middle rank among middle schools in Hawthorne?
By Resource Investment Index, Prairie Vista Middle ranks #3 of 4 middle schools in Hawthorne, 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 Hawthorne on the city page.
Is Prairie Vista Middle a good school?
Prairie Vista Middle earns 20/100 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 Hawthorne?
Besides Prairie Vista Middle, Hawthorne also operates Zela Davis (843 students), Ramona (767 students), and Hawthorne Middle (761 students). See the Hawthorne 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.