Enrollment
868
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Lake Forest, CA
Serrano Intermediate
Federal NCES profile for Serrano Intermediate, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 43/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 063386005314
👥 S:T ratio 17
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 42
📋 Attendance 43
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Serrano Intermediate earns 43/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most California schools.
- #4 of 9
- public schools in Lake Forest · Resource Index
- 43
- Resource Index · Typical
- 20.7:1
- students per teacher
- 36.5%
- free-lunch eligible
Serrano Intermediate has class sizes near the California median. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Serrano Intermediate ranks #4 of 9 public schools in Lake Forest, CA.
School address
District: Saddleback Valley Unified · California
NCES ID 063386005314 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
42.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
20.7:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
36.5%
vs 55.5% California avg
-34% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Serrano Intermediate compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Serrano Intermediate
Serrano Intermediate is a large middle school in Lake Forest, California, enrolling 868 students.
At 20.7:1, 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.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 36.5% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 868 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 1,030 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #110.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (45%) and White (31%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 68/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 289 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 22.6% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Saddleback Valley Unified also operates Trabuco Hills High (2,475 students) and El Toro High (1,902 students) alongside Serrano Intermediate.
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 Serrano Intermediate compares
Serrano Intermediate on the metrics families compare, against California and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs California | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 20.7:1 | ▼ 4% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 36.5% | ▼ 34% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 868 | top 15% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
20.7:1
Leaner classes than 14% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
868
Bigger than 88% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
36.5%
free-lunch eligible
- 34% below the California average of 55.5%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
20.7:1
students per teacher
- 4% below state mean
Top 41% in California - lower ratio than 59% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
22.6%
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
$13,733
per pupil, district-wide
- below California avg of $16,509
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 289 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
88
in-school suspensions + 24 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 10.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 12.9 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 45.0%
White 31.3%
Asian 12.4%
Two or More 9.0%
African American 1.8%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 45.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 67.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 67.6, Serrano Intermediate is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Saddleback Valley Unified, which includes Serrano Intermediate.
$13,733
Per student
-17%
vs California
Avg $16,509
-17%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 62.6%
State 29.5%
Federal 7.9%
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 Serrano Intermediate Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trabuco Hills High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| El Toro High | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Mission Viejo High | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Laguna Hills High | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Rancho Santa Margarita Intermediate | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Serrano Intermediate's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,475
- Students per teacher
- 22.3:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 1,902
- Students per teacher
- 21.6:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
- Enrollment
- 1,566
- Students per teacher
- 20.9:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
- Enrollment
- 1,317
- Students per teacher
- 20.3:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 1,153
- Students per teacher
- 25.6:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
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 (~868 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~20.7:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Serrano Intermediate's federal record.
- Compare Serrano Intermediate against another school. Compare schools
- Saddleback Valley 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 Serrano Intermediate
How many students attend Serrano Intermediate?
Serrano Intermediate has 868 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Lake Forest, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Serrano Intermediate?
The student-teacher ratio at Serrano Intermediate is 20.7:1, which is 4% 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 Serrano Intermediate?
36.5% of students at Serrano Intermediate are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Serrano Intermediate?
The largest demographic group at Serrano Intermediate is Hispanic or Latino at 45.0% of enrollment, in Lake Forest, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 67.6/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Serrano Intermediate?
Serrano Intermediate has a Resource Investment Index of 43/100 (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 Serrano Intermediate rank among public schools in Lake Forest?
By Resource Investment Index, Serrano Intermediate ranks #4 of 9 public schools in Lake Forest, 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 Lake Forest on the city page.
Is Serrano Intermediate a good school?
Serrano Intermediate earns 43/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median. It is also more 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 Saddleback Valley Unified?
Besides Serrano Intermediate, Saddleback Valley Unified also operates Trabuco Hills High (2,475 students), El Toro High (1,902 students), and Mission Viejo High (1,566 students). See the Saddleback Valley 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.