Enrollment
1,582
California · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Los Angeles, CA
Santee Education Complex
Federal NCES profile for Santee Education Complex, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 45/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 062271011626
👥 S:T ratio 26
📚 AP courses 65
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 65
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Santee Education Complex earns 45/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 77% of California schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most California schools.
- #60 of 122
- high schools in Los Angeles · Resource Index
- 45
- Resource Index · Typical
- 18.4:1
- small classes for California
- 96.6%
- free-lunch eligible
Santee Education Complex has class sizes smaller than 77% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Santee Education Complex ranks #60 of 122 high schools in Los Angeles, CA.
School address
District: Los Angeles Unified · California
NCES ID 062271011626 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
86.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18.4:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-14% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
96.6%
vs 55.5% California avg
+74% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Santee Education Complex compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Santee Education Complex
Santee Education Complex is a high-poverty, large high school in Los Angeles, California, enrolling 1,582 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 18.4:1 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need is high: 96.6% of students qualify for free meals, 74% above the California average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in California, bigger than 94% of state schools at 1,582 students.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 9,998 scored California schools.
Against 99 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #18.
Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (94% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 12/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 13 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage is strong, about 176 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 49.4% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding Los Angeles Unified spends $21,940 per pupil, 33% above the California average, a better-resourced district than most.
Its district draws 19.2% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Los Angeles's high schools, it stands alongside Venice Senior High (2,293 students): Santee Education Complex is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (18.4:1 vs 24.4:1).
Los Angeles Unified also operates Grover Cleveland Charter High (2,719 students) and North Hollywood Senior High (2,444 students) alongside Santee Education Complex.
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 Santee Education Complex compares
Santee Education Complex on the metrics families compare, against California and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs California | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 18.4:1 | ▼ 14% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 96.6% | ▲ 74% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 1,582 | top 6% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
18.4:1
Leaner classes than 22% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
1,582
Bigger than 97% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
96.6%
free-lunch eligible
- 74% 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
18.4:1
students per teacher
- 14% below state mean
Top 23% in California - lower ratio than 77% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
49.4%
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
$21,940
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
Counselors9.0 FTE
Per 176 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 1 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.1 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 93.8%
African American 4.1%
White 1.1%
Two or More 0.6%
Asian 0.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 93.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 11.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 11.8, Santee Education Complex is less 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 Los Angeles Unified, which includes Santee Education Complex.
$21,940
Per student
+33%
vs California
Avg $16,509
+32%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 26.3%
State 54.5%
Federal 19.2%
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 Santee Education Complex Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grover Cleveland Charter High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| North Hollywood Senior High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Phineas Banning Senior High | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| San Pedro Senior High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Venice Senior High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Santee Education Complex's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,719
- Students per teacher
- 22.8:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 2,444
- Students per teacher
- 20.5:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 2,422
- Students per teacher
- 19.4:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
- Enrollment
- 2,398
- Students per teacher
- 20.3:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
- Enrollment
- 2,293
- Students per teacher
- 24.4:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
Similar high schools in Los Angeles
6 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
Venice Senior High
Standard public school
2,293 students 24.4:1 students per teacher
James a. Garfield Senior High
Standard public school
2,237 students 17.5:1 students per teacher
Alexander Hamilton Senior High
Standard public school
2,055 students 16.4:1 students per teacher
John C. Fremont Senior High
Standard public school
1,889 students 18.3:1 students per teacher
John Marshall Senior High
Standard public school
1,842 students 19.6:1 students per teacher
Theodore Roosevelt Senior High
Standard public school
1,678 students 18.6:1 students per teacher
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 (~1,582 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~18.4:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Santee Education Complex's federal record.
- Compare Santee Education Complex against another school. Compare schools
- Los Angeles 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 Santee Education Complex
How many students attend Santee Education Complex?
Santee Education Complex has 1,582 students enrolled. It is a high school in Los Angeles, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Santee Education Complex?
The student-teacher ratio at Santee Education Complex is 18.4:1, which is 14% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 17% 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 Santee Education Complex?
96.6% of students at Santee Education Complex are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Santee Education Complex?
The largest demographic group at Santee Education Complex is Hispanic or Latino at 93.8% of enrollment, in Los Angeles, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Santee Education Complex?
Santee Education Complex 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 Santee Education Complex rank among high schools in Los Angeles?
By Resource Investment Index, Santee Education Complex ranks #60 of 122 high schools in Los Angeles, CA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all high schools in Los Angeles on the city page.
Is Santee Education Complex a good school?
Santee Education Complex earns 45/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 77% of California schools. 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 Los Angeles Unified?
Besides Santee Education Complex, Los Angeles Unified also operates Grover Cleveland Charter High (2,719 students), North Hollywood Senior High (2,444 students), and Phineas Banning Senior High (2,422 students). See the Los Angeles 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.