Enrollment
716
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Highland, CA
Serrano Middle
Federal NCES profile for Serrano Middle, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 33/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 063417005386
👥 S:T ratio 33
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 28
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Serrano Middle earns 33/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 85% of California schools.
- #2 of 3
- middle schools in Highland · Resource Index
- 33
- Resource Index · Typical
- 16.7:1
- small classes for California
- 78.8%
- free-lunch eligible
Serrano Middle has class sizes smaller than 85% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Serrano Middle ranks #2 of 3 middle schools in Highland, CA.
School address
District: San Bernardino City Unified · California
NCES ID 063417005386 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
43.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.7:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-22% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
78.8%
vs 55.5% California avg
+42% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Serrano Middle compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Serrano Middle
Serrano Middle is a high-poverty, mid-sized middle school in Highland, California, enrolling 716 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 16.7:1, Serrano Middle is leaner than roughly 85% of California schools and 22% under the state's 21.5:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 78.8% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 716 puts it in the larger third of California schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 9,998 scored California schools.
Against 1,818 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #304.
Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (83% of enrollment) (diversity index 31/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 358 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 45.1% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 16.3% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 4 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Among Highland's middle schools, it stands alongside Beattie Middle (1,072 students): Serrano Middle is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (16.7:1 vs 21.4:1).
San Bernardino City Unified also operates Cajon High (2,748 students) and Arroyo Valley High (2,692 students) alongside Serrano 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 Serrano Middle compares
Serrano 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 | 16.7:1 | ▼ 22% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 78.8% | ▲ 42% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 716 | top 22% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16.7:1
Leaner classes than 33% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
716
Bigger than 81% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
78.8%
free-lunch eligible
- 42% 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
16.7:1
students per teacher
- 22% below state mean
Top 15% in California - lower ratio than 85% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
45.1%
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
$18,063
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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 358 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 85 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 11.9 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 4 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 82.5%
African American 9.2%
White 3.2%
Asian 2.5%
Two or More 2.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 82.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 30.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 30.9, Serrano Middle is less mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for San Bernardino City Unified, which includes Serrano Middle.
$18,063
Per student
+9%
vs California
Avg $16,509
+9%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 11.5%
State 72.3%
Federal 16.3%
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 Middle Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cajon High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Arroyo Valley High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Indian Springs High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| San Bernardino High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| San Gorgonio High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Serrano Middle's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,748
- Students per teacher
- 24.8:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
- Enrollment
- 2,692
- Students per teacher
- 23.4:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
- Enrollment
- 1,810
- Students per teacher
- 21.8:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
- Enrollment
- 1,440
- Students per teacher
- 19.7:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 1,431
- Students per teacher
- 18.6:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
Similar middle schools in Highland
2 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 (~716 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~16.7:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Serrano Middle's federal record.
- Compare Serrano Middle against another school. Compare schools
- San Bernardino City 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 Middle
How many students attend Serrano Middle?
Serrano Middle has 716 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Highland, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Serrano Middle?
The student-teacher ratio at Serrano Middle is 16.7:1, which is 22% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 6% 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 Middle?
78.8% of students at Serrano Middle are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Serrano Middle?
The largest demographic group at Serrano Middle is Hispanic or Latino at 82.5% of enrollment, in Highland, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Serrano Middle?
Serrano Middle has a Resource Investment Index of 33/100 (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 Middle rank among middle schools in Highland?
By Resource Investment Index, Serrano Middle ranks #2 of 3 middle schools in Highland, CA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all middle schools in Highland on the city page.
Is Serrano Middle a good school?
Serrano Middle earns 33/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 85% 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 San Bernardino City Unified?
Besides Serrano Middle, San Bernardino City Unified also operates Cajon High (2,748 students), Arroyo Valley High (2,692 students), and Indian Springs High (1,810 students). See the San Bernardino City 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.