Enrollment
1,494
California · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Santa Paula, CA
Santa Paula High
Federal NCES profile for Santa Paula High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 45/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 060142106114
👥 S:T ratio 17
📚 AP courses 60
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 57
📋 Attendance 19
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Santa Paula High earns 45/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most California schools.
- #2 of 13
- public schools in Santa Paula · Resource Index
- 45
- Resource Index · Typical
- 20.8:1
- students per teacher
- 63.1%
- free-lunch eligible
Santa Paula High has class sizes near the California median. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Santa Paula High ranks #2 of 13 public schools in Santa Paula, CA.
School address
District: Santa Paula Unified · California
NCES ID 060142106114 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
72.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
20.8:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-3% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
63.1%
vs 55.5% California avg
+14% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Santa Paula High compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Santa Paula High
Santa Paula High is a higher-need, large high school in Santa Paula, California, enrolling 1,494 students.
At 20.8:1, 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 63.1% lands close to the California typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in California, bigger than 94% of state schools at 1,494 students.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 9,998 scored California schools.
Among 415 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need California schools statewide, it ranks #31, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (96% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 7/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 12 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage is strong, about 213 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 32.4% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The federal civil-rights collection also records 2 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Among Santa Paula's high schools, it stands alongside Renaissance High (113 students): Santa Paula High is larger than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (20.8:1 vs 22.6:1).
Santa Paula Unified also operates Glen City Elementary (675 students) and Isbell Middle (634 students) alongside Santa Paula High.
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 Paula High compares
Santa Paula High on the metrics families compare, against California and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs California | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 20.8:1 | ▼ 3% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 63.1% | ▲ 14% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 1,494 | top 6% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
20.8:1
Leaner classes than 13% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
1,494
Bigger than 96% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
63.1%
free-lunch eligible
- 14% 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
20.8:1
students per teacher
- 3% below state mean
Top 42% in California - lower ratio than 58% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
32.4%
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
$17,587
per pupil, district-wide
- above California avg of $16,509
Somewhat above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors7.0 FTE
Per 213 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
3
in-school suspensions + 87 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 6.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 2 expulsions.
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 96.2%
White 2.7%
Asian 0.4%
Two or More 0.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 96.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 7.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 7.4, Santa Paula High is less mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
AP courses offered 12
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Santa Paula Unified, which includes Santa Paula High.
$17,587
Per student
+7%
vs California
Avg $16,509
+6%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 20.4%
State 68.9%
Federal 10.7%
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 Paula High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Glen City Elementary | Smaller | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Isbell Middle | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Grace Thille Elementary | Smaller | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Barbara Webster Elementary | Smaller | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Blanchard Elementary | Smaller | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Santa Paula High's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 675
- Students per teacher
- 27:1
- Resource Index
- 21/100
- Enrollment
- 634
- Students per teacher
- 13.5:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
- Enrollment
- 358
- Students per teacher
- 25.6:1
- Resource Index
- 27/100
- Enrollment
- 325
- Students per teacher
- 20.3:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 317
- Students per teacher
- 24.4:1
- Resource Index
- 18/100
Similar high schools in Santa Paula
1 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
Similar high 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 (~1,494 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~20.8:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Santa Paula High's federal record.
- Compare Santa Paula High against another school. Compare schools
- Santa Paula 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 Paula High
How many students attend Santa Paula High?
Santa Paula High has 1,494 students enrolled. It is a high school in Santa Paula, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Santa Paula High?
The student-teacher ratio at Santa Paula High is 20.8:1, which is 3% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 32% 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 Santa Paula High?
63.1% of students at Santa Paula High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Santa Paula High?
The largest demographic group at Santa Paula High is Hispanic or Latino at 96.2% of enrollment, in Santa Paula, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Santa Paula High?
Santa Paula High has a Resource Investment Index of 45/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Santa Paula High rank among public schools in Santa Paula?
By Resource Investment Index, Santa Paula High ranks #2 of 13 public schools in Santa Paula, 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 Santa Paula on the city page.
Is Santa Paula High a good school?
Santa Paula High earns 45/100 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 Santa Paula Unified?
Besides Santa Paula High, Santa Paula Unified also operates Glen City Elementary (675 students), Isbell Middle (634 students), and Grace Thille Elementary (358 students). See the Santa Paula 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.