Enrollment
521
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Seaside, CA
Seaside Middle
Federal NCES profile for Seaside 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 062553003341
👥 S:T ratio 20
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 48
📋 Attendance 48
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Seaside Middle earns 37/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median.
- #3 of 10
- public schools in Seaside · Resource Index
- 37
- Resource Index · Typical
- 20:1
- students per teacher
- 80.4%
- free-lunch eligible
Seaside Middle has class sizes near the California median. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Seaside Middle ranks #3 of 10 public schools in Seaside, CA.
School address
District: Monterey Peninsula Unified · California
NCES ID 062553003341 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
26.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
20:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-7% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
80.4%
vs 55.5% California avg
+45% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Seaside Middle compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Seaside Middle
Seaside Middle is a high-poverty, mid-sized middle school in Seaside, California, enrolling 521 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 20:1 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 80.4% of students eligible for free meals.
With 521 students, its enrollment sits close to the California median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 9,998 scored California schools.
Among 2,131 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need California schools statewide, it ranks #201, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (78%) and White (8%) (diversity index 38/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 261 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 20.7% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Among Seaside's middle schools, it stands alongside Monterey Peninsula Unf Sch Dist Com Day Mid (3 students): Seaside Middle is larger than that campus by headcount.
Monterey Peninsula Unified also operates Monterey High (1,401 students) and Seaside High (1,073 students) alongside Seaside 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 Seaside Middle compares
Seaside 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 | 20:1 | ▼ 7% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 80.4% | ▲ 45% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 521 | top 42% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
20:1
Leaner classes than 16% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
521
Bigger than 64% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
80.4%
free-lunch eligible
- 45% 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
20:1
students per teacher
- 7% below state mean
Top 35% in California - lower ratio than 65% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
20.7%
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
$16,404
per pupil, district-wide
- below California avg of $16,509
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 261 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
4
in-school suspensions + 65 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 13.2 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 77.9%
White 8.1%
African American 5.0%
Asian 3.8%
Two or More 2.7%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 2.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 77.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 38.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 38.1, Seaside Middle is less mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Monterey Peninsula Unified, which includes Seaside Middle.
$16,404
Per student
-1%
vs California
Avg $16,509
-1%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 46.8%
State 40.7%
Federal 12.5%
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 Seaside Middle Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monterey High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Seaside High | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Marina High | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| La Mesa | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Monte Vista | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Seaside Middle's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,401
- Students per teacher
- 21.6:1
- Resource Index
- 27/100
- Enrollment
- 1,073
- Students per teacher
- 21:1
- Resource Index
- 28/100
- Enrollment
- 721
- Students per teacher
- 20.6:1
- Resource Index
- 27/100
- Enrollment
- 689
- Students per teacher
- 26.5:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
- Enrollment
- 688
- Students per teacher
- 26.5:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
Similar middle schools in Seaside
1 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 (~521 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~20:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Seaside Middle's federal record.
- Compare Seaside Middle against another school. Compare schools
- Monterey Peninsula 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 Seaside Middle
How many students attend Seaside Middle?
Seaside Middle has 521 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Seaside, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Seaside Middle?
The student-teacher ratio at Seaside Middle is 20:1, which is 7% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 27% 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 Seaside Middle?
80.4% of students at Seaside Middle are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Seaside Middle?
The largest demographic group at Seaside Middle is Hispanic or Latino at 77.9% of enrollment, in Seaside, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Seaside Middle?
Seaside 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 Seaside Middle rank among public schools in Seaside?
By Resource Investment Index, Seaside Middle ranks #3 of 10 public schools in Seaside, 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 Seaside on the city page.
Is Seaside Middle a good school?
Seaside Middle earns 37/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median. 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 Monterey Peninsula Unified?
Besides Seaside Middle, Monterey Peninsula Unified also operates Monterey High (1,401 students), Seaside High (1,073 students), and Marina High (721 students). See the Monterey Peninsula 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.