Enrollment
801
California · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Santa Ynez, CA
Santa Ynez Valley Union High
Federal NCES profile for Santa Ynez Valley Union High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 48/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 063585006136
👥 S:T ratio 29
📚 AP courses 65
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 47
📋 Attendance 30
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Santa Ynez Valley Union High earns 48/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 80% of California schools.
- #2 of 5
- public schools in Santa Ynez · Resource Index
- 48
- Resource Index · Typical
- 17.8:1
- small classes for California
- 24.4%
- free-lunch eligible
Santa Ynez Valley Union High has class sizes smaller than 80% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Santa Ynez Valley Union High ranks #2 of 5 public schools in Santa Ynez, CA.
School address
District: Santa Ynez Valley Union High · California
NCES ID 063585006136 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
45.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.8:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-17% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
24.4%
vs 55.5% California avg
-56% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Santa Ynez Valley Union High compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Santa Ynez Valley Union High
Santa Ynez Valley Union High is a mid-sized high school in Santa Ynez, California, enrolling 801 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 17.8:1 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 24.4% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 801 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 1,159 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #161.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (50%) and White (45%) (diversity index 55/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 13 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 267 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 28.2% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The federal civil-rights collection also records 1 expulsion at this campus for 2021-22.
Among Santa Ynez's high schools, it stands alongside Refugio High (11 students): Santa Ynez Valley Union High is larger than that campus by headcount.
Its district, Santa Ynez Valley Union High, also runs Refugio High (11 students).
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 Ynez Valley Union High compares
Santa Ynez Valley Union 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 | 17.8:1 | ▼ 17% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 24.4% | ▼ 56% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 801 | top 18% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
17.8:1
Leaner classes than 26% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
801
Bigger than 85% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
24.4%
free-lunch eligible
- 56% below the California average of 55.5%
Below the 40% Title I threshold, among the lower-need profiles in the state; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
17.8:1
students per teacher
- 17% below state mean
Top 20% in California - lower ratio than 80% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
28.2%
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
$17,911
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
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 267 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 30 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.9 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 1 expulsion.
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 50.0%
White 44.8%
Two or More 4.1%
African American 0.4%
Asian 0.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 50.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 54.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 54.8, Santa Ynez Valley Union High is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
AP courses offered 13
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Santa Ynez Valley Union High, which includes Santa Ynez Valley Union High.
$17,911
Per student
+8%
vs California
Avg $16,509
+8%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 55.7%
State 41.3%
Federal 3.1%
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 Santa Ynez Valley Union High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Refugio High | Smaller | No free-lunch data | No ratio data |
Comparisons are relative to Santa Ynez Valley Union High's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 11
- Students per teacher
- -
- Resource Index
- 30/100
Similar high schools in Santa Ynez
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 (~801 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~17.8:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Santa Ynez Valley Union High's federal record.
- Compare Santa Ynez Valley Union High against another school. Compare schools
- Santa Ynez Valley Union High'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 Ynez Valley Union High
How many students attend Santa Ynez Valley Union High?
Santa Ynez Valley Union High has 801 students enrolled. It is a high school in Santa Ynez, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Santa Ynez Valley Union High?
The student-teacher ratio at Santa Ynez Valley Union High is 17.8:1, which is 17% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 13% 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 Ynez Valley Union High?
24.4% of students at Santa Ynez Valley Union High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Santa Ynez Valley Union High?
The largest demographic group at Santa Ynez Valley Union High is Hispanic or Latino at 50.0% of enrollment, in Santa Ynez, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 54.8/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Santa Ynez Valley Union High?
Santa Ynez Valley Union High has a Resource Investment Index of 48/100 (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 Ynez Valley Union High rank among public schools in Santa Ynez?
By Resource Investment Index, Santa Ynez Valley Union High ranks #2 of 5 public schools in Santa Ynez, 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 Ynez on the city page.
Is Santa Ynez Valley Union High a good school?
Santa Ynez Valley Union High earns 48/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 80% 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 Santa Ynez Valley Union High?
Besides Santa Ynez Valley Union High, Santa Ynez Valley Union High also operates Refugio High (11 students). See the Santa Ynez Valley Union High 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.