Enrollment
813
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Palmdale, CA
Shadow Hills Engineering and Design Magnet Academy
Federal NCES profile for Shadow Hills Engineering and Design Magnet Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 36/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 062958007529
👥 S:T ratio 26
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 48
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Shadow Hills Engineering and Design Magnet Academy earns 36/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 76% of California schools.
- #1 of 6
- middle schools in Palmdale · Resource Index
- 36
- Resource Index · Typical
- 18.5:1
- small classes for California
- 78.9%
- free-lunch eligible
Shadow Hills Engineering and Design Magnet Academy has class sizes smaller than 76% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Shadow Hills Engineering and Design Magnet Academy ranks #1 of 6 middle schools in Palmdale, CA.
School address
District: Palmdale Elementary · California
NCES ID 062958007529 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
44.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18.5:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-14% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
78.9%
vs 55.5% California avg
+42% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Shadow Hills Engineering and Design Magnet Academy compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Shadow Hills Engineering and Design Magnet Academy
Shadow Hills Engineering and Design Magnet Academy is a high-poverty, mid-sized middle school in Palmdale, California, enrolling 813 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 18.5:1 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 78.9% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 813 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 1,497 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #167.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (76%) and African American (18%) (diversity index 39/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 813 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 20.9% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Its district draws 18.4% 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 1 expulsion at this campus for 2021-22.
Among Palmdale's middle schools, it stands alongside Hillview Middle (1,100 students): Shadow Hills Engineering and Design Magnet Academy is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (18.5:1 vs 27.5:1).
Palmdale Elementary also operates Los Amigos - Dual Immersion (1,027 students) and Palmdale Academy Charter (989 students) alongside Shadow Hills Engineering and Design Magnet Academy.
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 Shadow Hills Engineering and Design Magnet Academy compares
Shadow Hills Engineering and Design Magnet Academy on the metrics families compare, against California and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs California | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 18.5:1 | ▼ 14% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 78.9% | ▲ 42% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 813 | top 17% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
18.5:1
Leaner classes than 22% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
813
Bigger than 86% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
78.9%
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
18.5:1
students per teacher
- 14% below state mean
Top 24% in California - lower ratio than 76% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
20.9%
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
$16,847
per pupil, district-wide
- above California avg of $16,509
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 813 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 96 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 11.8 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 76.0%
African American 17.7%
White 2.5%
Asian 1.6%
Two or More 1.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.6%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.4%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 76.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 39.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 39.0, Shadow Hills Engineering and Design Magnet Academy is less mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Palmdale Elementary, which includes Shadow Hills Engineering and Design Magnet Academy.
$16,847
Per student
+2%
vs California
Avg $16,509
+2%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 11.4%
State 70.2%
Federal 18.4%
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 Shadow Hills Engineering and Design Magnet Academy Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Los Amigos - Dual Immersion | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Palmdale Academy Charter | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| David G. Millen Law and Government Magnet Academy | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Desert Willow Fine Arts Sci and Tech Magnet Acad | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Dos Caminos Dual Immersion | Similar size | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Shadow Hills Engineering and Design Magnet Academy's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,027
- Students per teacher
- 28.5:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 989
- Students per teacher
- 39.6:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 952
- Students per teacher
- 22.1:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
- Enrollment
- 948
- Students per teacher
- 21.5:1
- Resource Index
- 28/100
- Enrollment
- 945
- Students per teacher
- 27:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
Similar middle schools in Palmdale
5 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) serving the same city.
Hillview Middle
Standard public school
1,100 students 27.5:1 students per teacher
David G. Millen Law and Government Magnet Academy
Standard public school
952 students 22.1:1 students per teacher
Desert Willow Fine Arts Sci and Tech Magnet Acad
Standard public school
948 students 21.5:1 students per teacher
Cactus Medical Health and Technology Magnet Academy
Standard public school
822 students 20.6:1 students per teacher
Space Aeronautics Gateway to Exploration Magnet Academy
Standard public school
747 students 20.2:1 students per teacher
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 (~813 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~18.5:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Shadow Hills Engineering and Design Magnet Academy's federal record.
- Compare Shadow Hills Engineering and Design Magnet Academy against another school. Compare schools
- Palmdale Elementary'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 Shadow Hills Engineering and Design Magnet Academy
How many students attend Shadow Hills Engineering and Design Magnet Academy?
Shadow Hills Engineering and Design Magnet Academy has 813 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Palmdale, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Shadow Hills Engineering and Design Magnet Academy?
The student-teacher ratio at Shadow Hills Engineering and Design Magnet Academy is 18.5:1, which is 14% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 18% 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 Shadow Hills Engineering and Design Magnet Academy?
78.9% of students at Shadow Hills Engineering and Design Magnet Academy are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Shadow Hills Engineering and Design Magnet Academy?
The largest demographic group at Shadow Hills Engineering and Design Magnet Academy is Hispanic or Latino at 76.0% of enrollment, in Palmdale, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Shadow Hills Engineering and Design Magnet Academy?
Shadow Hills Engineering and Design Magnet Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 36/100 (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 Shadow Hills Engineering and Design Magnet Academy rank among middle schools in Palmdale?
By Resource Investment Index, Shadow Hills Engineering and Design Magnet Academy ranks #1 of 6 middle schools in Palmdale, 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 Palmdale on the city page.
Is Shadow Hills Engineering and Design Magnet Academy a good school?
Shadow Hills Engineering and Design Magnet Academy earns 36/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 76% 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 Palmdale Elementary?
Besides Shadow Hills Engineering and Design Magnet Academy, Palmdale Elementary also operates Los Amigos - Dual Immersion (1,027 students), Palmdale Academy Charter (989 students), and David G. Millen Law and Government Magnet Academy (952 students). See the Palmdale Elementary 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.