Enrollment
112
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Cambria, CA
Santa Lucia Middle
Federal NCES profile for Santa Lucia Middle, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 37/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 060004907416
👥 S:T ratio 50
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 25
📋 Attendance 42
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Santa Lucia Middle earns 37/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 93% of California schools.
- #2 of 4
- public schools in Cambria · Resource Index
- 37
- Resource Index · Typical
- 12.4:1
- small classes for California
- 72.7%
- free-lunch eligible
Santa Lucia Middle has class sizes smaller than 93% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Santa Lucia Middle ranks #2 of 4 public schools in Cambria, CA.
School address
District: Coast Unified · California
NCES ID 060004907416 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
9.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.4:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-42% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
72.7%
vs 55.5% California avg
+31% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Santa Lucia Middle compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Santa Lucia Middle
Santa Lucia Middle is a higher-need, small middle school in Cambria, California, enrolling 112 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 12.4:1, Santa Lucia Middle is leaner than roughly 93% of California schools and 42% 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 72.7% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 112 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 9,998 scored California schools.
Against 283 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #153.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (76%) and White (19%) (diversity index 39/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 373 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 23.2% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
The surrounding Coast Unified spends $27,502 per pupil, 67% above the California average, a better-resourced district than most.
Coast Unified also operates Cambria Grammar (202 students) and Coast Union High (159 students) alongside Santa Lucia 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 Santa Lucia Middle compares
Santa Lucia 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 | 12.4:1 | ▼ 42% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 72.7% | ▲ 31% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 112 | top 89% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.4:1
Leaner classes than 72% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
112
Bigger than 11% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
72.7%
free-lunch eligible
- 31% 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
12.4:1
students per teacher
- 42% below state mean
Top 7% in California - lower ratio than 93% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
23.2%
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
$27,502
per pupil, district-wide
- above California avg of $16,509
Well above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting substantially higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors0.3 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
2
in-school suspensions + 4 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 5.4 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 75.9%
White 18.8%
Two or More 3.6%
Asian 0.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.9%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 75.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 38.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 38.7, Santa Lucia Middle is less mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Coast Unified, which includes Santa Lucia Middle.
$27,502
Per student
+67%
vs California
Avg $16,509
+66%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 78.9%
State 15.9%
Federal 5.2%
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 Santa Lucia Middle Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cambria Grammar | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Coast Union High | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Leffingwell High (Continuation) | Smaller | Similar economic need | No ratio data |
Comparisons are relative to Santa Lucia Middle's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 202
- Students per teacher
- 15.5:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
- Enrollment
- 159
- Students per teacher
- 9.9:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
- Enrollment
- 5
- Students per teacher
- -
- Resource Index
- 30/100
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 (~112 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~12.4:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Santa Lucia Middle's federal record.
- Compare Santa Lucia Middle against another school. Compare schools
- Coast 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 Santa Lucia Middle
How many students attend Santa Lucia Middle?
Santa Lucia Middle has 112 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Cambria, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Santa Lucia Middle?
The student-teacher ratio at Santa Lucia Middle is 12.4:1, which is 42% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 21% lower 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 Santa Lucia Middle?
72.7% of students at Santa Lucia Middle are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Santa Lucia Middle?
The largest demographic group at Santa Lucia Middle is Hispanic or Latino at 75.9% of enrollment, in Cambria, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Santa Lucia Middle?
Santa Lucia Middle has a Resource Investment Index of 37/100 (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 Santa Lucia Middle rank among public schools in Cambria?
By Resource Investment Index, Santa Lucia Middle ranks #2 of 4 public schools in Cambria, 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 Cambria on the city page.
Is Santa Lucia Middle a good school?
Santa Lucia Middle earns 37/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 93% 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 Coast Unified?
Besides Santa Lucia Middle, Coast Unified also operates Cambria Grammar (202 students), Coast Union High (159 students), and Leffingwell High (Continuation) (5 students). See the Coast 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.