Enrollment
532
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Vista, CA
Rancho Minerva Middle
Federal NCES profile for Rancho Minerva Middle, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 28/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 064119006819
👥 S:T ratio 34
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 47
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Rancho Minerva Middle earns 28/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 85% of California schools.
- #1 of 3
- middle schools in Vista · Resource Index
- 28
- Resource Index · Lower
- 16.6:1
- small classes for California
- 74.6%
- free-lunch eligible
Rancho Minerva Middle has class sizes smaller than 85% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Rancho Minerva Middle ranks #1 of 3 middle schools in Vista, CA.
School address
District: Vista Unified · California
NCES ID 064119006819 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
32.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.6:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-23% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
74.6%
vs 55.5% California avg
+34% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Rancho Minerva Middle compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Rancho Minerva Middle
Rancho Minerva Middle is a higher-need, mid-sized middle school in Vista, California, enrolling 532 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 16.6:1, Rancho Minerva Middle is leaner than roughly 85% of California schools and 23% under the state's 21.5:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 74.6% of students eligible for free meals.
With 532 students, its enrollment sits close to the California median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 9,998 scored California schools.
Against 2,210 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #789.
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 266 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 59.4% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Discipline events run high: 242 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 532 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
Among Vista's middle schools, it stands alongside Vista Magnet Middle School of Technology Science and Math (836 students): Rancho Minerva Middle is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (16.6:1 vs 19.4:1).
Vista Unified also operates Rancho Buena Vista High (1,949 students) and Vista High (1,746 students) alongside Rancho Minerva 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 Rancho Minerva Middle compares
Rancho Minerva 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 | 16.6:1 | ▼ 23% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 74.6% | ▲ 34% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 532 | top 41% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16.6:1
Leaner classes than 33% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
532
Bigger than 66% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
74.6%
free-lunch eligible
- 34% 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
16.6:1
students per teacher
- 23% below state mean
Top 15% in California - lower ratio than 85% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
59.4%
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
$15,274
per pupil, district-wide
- below California avg of $16,509
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 266 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
70
in-school suspensions + 172 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 13.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 45.5 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.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Vista Unified, which includes Rancho Minerva Middle.
$15,274
Per student
-7%
vs California
Avg $16,509
-8%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 36.1%
State 53.6%
Federal 10.3%
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 Rancho Minerva Middle Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rancho Buena Vista High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Vista High | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Mission Vista High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Madison Middle | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Roosevelt Middle | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Rancho Minerva Middle's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,949
- Students per teacher
- 21:1
- Resource Index
- 21/100
- Enrollment
- 1,746
- Students per teacher
- 16.6:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 1,670
- Students per teacher
- 23.5:1
- Resource Index
- 28/100
- Enrollment
- 1,158
- Students per teacher
- 24.1:1
- Resource Index
- 14/100
- Enrollment
- 866
- Students per teacher
- 22.8:1
- Resource Index
- 16/100
Similar middle schools in Vista
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 (~532 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Rancho Minerva Middle's federal record.
- Compare Rancho Minerva Middle against another school. Compare schools
- Vista 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 Rancho Minerva Middle
How many students attend Rancho Minerva Middle?
Rancho Minerva Middle has 532 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Vista, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Rancho Minerva Middle?
The student-teacher ratio at Rancho Minerva Middle is 16.6:1, which is 23% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 6% 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 Rancho Minerva Middle?
74.6% of students at Rancho Minerva Middle are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Rancho Minerva Middle?
Rancho Minerva Middle has a Resource Investment Index of 28/100 (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 Rancho Minerva Middle rank among middle schools in Vista?
By Resource Investment Index, Rancho Minerva Middle ranks #1 of 3 middle schools in Vista, 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 Vista on the city page.
Is Rancho Minerva Middle a good school?
Rancho Minerva Middle earns 28/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 85% of California schools. 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 Vista Unified?
Besides Rancho Minerva Middle, Vista Unified also operates Rancho Buena Vista High (1,949 students), Vista High (1,746 students), and Mission Vista High (1,670 students). See the Vista 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.