Enrollment
554
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Avenal, CA
Reef Sunset Middle
Federal NCES profile for Reef Sunset Middle, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 11/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 063227010227
👥 S:T ratio 15
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Reef Sunset Middle earns 11/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most California schools.
- #6 of 6
- public schools in Avenal · Resource Index
- 11
- Resource Index · Lower
- 21.3:1
- students per teacher
- 88.1%
- free-lunch eligible
Reef Sunset Middle has class sizes near the California median. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Reef Sunset Middle ranks #6 of 6 public schools in Avenal, CA.
School address
District: Reef-Sunset Unified · California
NCES ID 063227010227 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
26.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
21.3:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
88.1%
vs 55.5% California avg
+59% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Reef Sunset Middle compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Reef Sunset Middle
Reef Sunset Middle is a high-poverty, mid-sized middle school in Avenal, California, enrolling 554 students.
At 21.3:1, 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.
Economic need is high: 88.1% of students qualify for free meals, 59% above the California average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
With 554 students, its enrollment sits close to the California median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 96% of the 9,998 California schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.
Among 1,622 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need California schools statewide, it ranks #1,483, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (98% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 5/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 554 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 49.1% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 20.0% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Reef-Sunset Unified also operates Avenal High (762 students) and Avenal Elementary (654 students) alongside Reef Sunset 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 Reef Sunset Middle compares
Reef Sunset 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 | 21.3:1 | ▼ 1% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 88.1% | ▲ 59% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 554 | top 38% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
21.3:1
Leaner classes than 12% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
554
Bigger than 68% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
88.1%
free-lunch eligible
- 59% 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
21.3:1
students per teacher
- 1% below state mean
Top 46% in California - lower ratio than 54% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
49.1%
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
$15,964
per pupil, district-wide
- below California avg of $16,509
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 554 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
2
in-school suspensions + 89 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 16.4 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 97.5%
White 2.0%
Asian 0.5%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 97.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 4.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 4.9, Reef Sunset Middle is less mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Reef-Sunset Unified, which includes Reef Sunset Middle.
$15,964
Per student
-3%
vs California
Avg $16,509
-4%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 9.3%
State 70.6%
Federal 20.0%
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 Reef Sunset Middle Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Avenal High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Avenal Elementary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Tamarack Elementary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Kettleman City Elementary | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Sunrise High (Continuation) | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Reef Sunset Middle's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 762
- Students per teacher
- 26.3:1
- Resource Index
- 23/100
- Enrollment
- 654
- Students per teacher
- 21.8:1
- Resource Index
- 28/100
- Enrollment
- 433
- Students per teacher
- 21.6:1
- Resource Index
- 15/100
- Enrollment
- 239
- Students per teacher
- 19.9:1
- Resource Index
- 19/100
- Enrollment
- 14
- Students per teacher
- 14:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
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 (~554 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Reef Sunset Middle's federal record.
- Compare Reef Sunset Middle against another school. Compare schools
- Reef-Sunset 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 Reef Sunset Middle
How many students attend Reef Sunset Middle?
Reef Sunset Middle has 554 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Avenal, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Reef Sunset Middle?
The student-teacher ratio at Reef Sunset Middle is 21.3:1, which is 1% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 36% 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 Reef Sunset Middle?
88.1% of students at Reef Sunset Middle are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Reef Sunset Middle?
The largest demographic group at Reef Sunset Middle is Hispanic or Latino at 97.5% of enrollment, in Avenal, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Reef Sunset Middle?
Reef Sunset Middle has a Resource Investment Index of 11/100 (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 Reef Sunset Middle rank among public schools in Avenal?
By Resource Investment Index, Reef Sunset Middle ranks #6 of 6 public schools in Avenal, CA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Avenal on the city page.
Is Reef Sunset Middle a good school?
Reef Sunset Middle earns 11/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most 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 Reef-Sunset Unified?
Besides Reef Sunset Middle, Reef-Sunset Unified also operates Avenal High (762 students), Avenal Elementary (654 students), and Tamarack Elementary (433 students). See the Reef-Sunset 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.