Enrollment
953
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Hawthorne, CA
Richard Henry Dana Middle
Federal NCES profile for Richard Henry Dana Middle, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 38/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 060142806993
👥 S:T ratio 0
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 5
📋 Attendance 76
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Richard Henry Dana Middle earns 38/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 87% of California schools.
- #1 of 4
- middle schools in Hawthorne · Resource Index
- 38
- Resource Index · Typical
- 26.5:1
- large classes for California
- 28.4%
- free-lunch eligible
Richard Henry Dana Middle has class sizes larger than 87% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Richard Henry Dana Middle ranks #1 of 4 middle schools in Hawthorne, CA.
School address
District: Wiseburn Unified · California
NCES ID 060142806993 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
36.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
26.5:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
+23% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
28.4%
vs 55.5% California avg
-49% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Richard Henry Dana Middle compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Richard Henry Dana Middle
Richard Henry Dana Middle is a large middle school in Hawthorne, California, enrolling 953 students.
Class loads run heavy: 26.5:1 is larger than about 87% of California schools and 23% above the 21.5:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 28.4% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 953 puts it in the larger third of California schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 9,998 scored California schools.
Against 914 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #285.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (56%) and African American (16%) (diversity index 64/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 477 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance holds up well here: only 9.5% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
Among Hawthorne's middle schools, it stands alongside Hawthorne Middle (761 students): Richard Henry Dana Middle is larger than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (26.5:1 vs 25.4:1).
Wiseburn Unified also operates Juan De Anza Elementary (612 students) and Juan Cabrillo Elementary (518 students) alongside Richard Henry Dana 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 Richard Henry Dana Middle compares
Richard Henry Dana 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 | 26.5:1 | ▲ 23% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 28.4% | ▼ 49% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 953 | top 12% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
26.5:1
Leaner classes than 4% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
953
Bigger than 90% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
28.4%
free-lunch eligible
- 49% below the California average of 55.5%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
26.5:1
students per teacher
- 23% above state mean
Top 87% in California - lower ratio than 13% of state schools
Well above 20:1, one of the more stretched staffing loads nationally relative to enrollment.
Engagement
9.5%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 5-10% range, close to the pre-pandemic national baseline.
Funding equity
$13,605
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 477 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
4
in-school suspensions + 29 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.5 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.
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 55.9%
African American 15.8%
White 13.2%
Two or More 8.0%
Asian 6.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.4%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 55.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 63.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 63.5, Richard Henry Dana Middle is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Wiseburn Unified, which includes Richard Henry Dana Middle.
$13,605
Per student
-18%
vs California
Avg $16,509
-18%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 56.7%
State 35.2%
Federal 8.1%
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 Richard Henry Dana Middle Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Juan De Anza Elementary | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Juan Cabrillo Elementary | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| 138th Street | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Success Learning Center | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Richard Henry Dana Middle's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 612
- Students per teacher
- 26.6:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 518
- Students per teacher
- 25.9:1
- Resource Index
- 24/100
- Enrollment
- 439
- Students per teacher
- 29.3:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 14
- Students per teacher
- 7:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
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 (~953 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~26.5:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Richard Henry Dana Middle's federal record.
- Compare Richard Henry Dana Middle against another school. Compare schools
- Wiseburn 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 Richard Henry Dana Middle
How many students attend Richard Henry Dana Middle?
Richard Henry Dana Middle has 953 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Hawthorne, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Richard Henry Dana Middle?
The student-teacher ratio at Richard Henry Dana Middle is 26.5:1, which is 23% higher than the California average of 21.5:1 and 69% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Richard Henry Dana Middle?
28.4% of students at Richard Henry Dana Middle are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Richard Henry Dana Middle?
The largest demographic group at Richard Henry Dana Middle is Hispanic or Latino at 55.9% of enrollment, in Hawthorne, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 63.5/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Richard Henry Dana Middle?
Richard Henry Dana Middle has a Resource Investment Index of 38/100 (typical 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 Richard Henry Dana Middle rank among middle schools in Hawthorne?
By Resource Investment Index, Richard Henry Dana Middle ranks #1 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 Richard Henry Dana Middle a good school?
Richard Henry Dana Middle earns 38/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 87% 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 Wiseburn Unified?
Besides Richard Henry Dana Middle, Wiseburn Unified also operates Juan De Anza Elementary (612 students), Juan Cabrillo Elementary (518 students), and 138th Street (439 students). See the Wiseburn 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.