Enrollment
652
California · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 068450003493
South Lake Middle — Irvine, CA
Federal NCES profile for South Lake Middle, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 41/100.
👥 Class size 11
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 23
📋 Attendance 61
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
District: Irvine Unified · California
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
27.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
22.3:1
vs 21.6:1 California avg
+3% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
29.8%
vs 55.5% California avg
-46% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How South Lake Middle compares with California and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
South Lake Middle reports 652 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 27.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 22.3:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 3% above the California state mean of 21.6:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 40% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 29.8% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 46% below the California average and 42% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 386 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 15.8% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Irvine Unified spends $16,218 per pupil district-wide, below the California average of $18,039 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 62.4% from local sources (property taxes), 31.0% from the state, and 6.6% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 41/100 (D), calculated from 4 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How South Lake Middle compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against California state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs California | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 22.3:1 | ▲ 3% | 21.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 29.8% | ▼ 46% | 55.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 652 | top 73% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Economic need
29.8%
free-lunch eligible
— 46% 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
22.3:1
students per teacher
— 3% above state mean
Top 53% in California — lower ratio than 47% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Engagement
15.8%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Between 10–20% — above the pre-pandemic baseline of ~15% nationally but within the current U.S. range.
Funding equity
$16,218
per pupil, district-wide
— below California avg of $18,039
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.7 FTE
Per 386 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
10
in-school suspensions + 27 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 5.7 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 652 Top 73% in California — larger than 27% of 10,006 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 27.0
Students per teacher 22.3:1 +3% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 29.8% -46% vs state
NCES ID 068450003493
Student demographics
Asian 36.7%
White 31.4%
Hispanic or Latino 16.6%
Two or More 11.0%
African American 3.8%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: Asian at 36.7% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.7
Students per counselor 386:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 15.8%
In-school suspensions 10
Out-of-school suspensions 27
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Irvine Unified, which includes South Lake Middle.
$16,218
Per student
-10%
vs California
Avg $18,039
-17%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 62.4%
State 31.0%
Federal 6.6%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,693
- Students per teacher
- 27.6:1
- Enrollment
- 2,307
- Students per teacher
- 26.7:1
- Enrollment
- 2,244
- Students per teacher
- 27.8:1
- Enrollment
- 2,232
- Students per teacher
- 23.8:1
- Enrollment
- 1,964
- Students per teacher
- 24.5:1
Similar middle schools in Irvine
5 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) serving the same city.
Sierra Vista Middle
Standard public school
1,282 students 27.5:1 students per teacher
Jeffrey Trail Middle
Standard public school
1,049 students 27.6:1 students per teacher
Rancho San Joaquin Middle
Standard public school
860 students 25.2:1 students per teacher
Lakeside Middle
Standard public school
629 students 25.4:1 students per teacher
Venado Middle
Standard public school
506 students 22.4:1 students per teacher
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about South Lake Middle
How many students attend South Lake Middle?
South Lake Middle has 652 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Irvine, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at South Lake Middle?
The student-teacher ratio at South Lake Middle is 22.3:1, which is 3% higher than the California average of 21.6:1 and 40% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at South Lake Middle?
29.8% of students at South Lake Middle are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of South Lake Middle?
The largest demographic group at South Lake Middle is Asian at 36.7%. The school serves a diverse student body in Irvine, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for South Lake Middle?
South Lake Middle has a Resource Investment Index of 41/100 (D) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.