Enrollment
747
California · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 062958014085
Space Aeronautics Gateway to Exploration Magnet Academy — Palmdale, CA
Federal NCES profile for Space Aeronautics Gateway to Exploration Magnet Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 26/100.
👥 Class size 13
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 23
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: Palmdale Elementary · 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)
37.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
21.7:1
vs 21.6:1 California avg
+0% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
91.6%
vs 55.5% California avg
+65% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Space Aeronautics Gateway to Exploration Magnet Academy 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
Space Aeronautics Gateway to Exploration Magnet Academy reports 747 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 37.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 21.7:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 0% 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 36% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 91.6% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 65% above the California average and 77% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 747 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 30.9% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Palmdale Elementary spends $22,750 per pupil district-wide, above the California average of $18,039 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 11.4% from local sources (property taxes), 70.2% from the state, and 18.4% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 26/100 (F), 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 Space Aeronautics Gateway to Exploration Magnet Academy 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 | 21.7:1 | ▲ 0% | 21.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 91.6% | ▲ 65% | 55.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 747 | top 80% | — | — |
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
91.6%
free-lunch eligible
— 65% 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
21.7:1
students per teacher
— 0% above state mean
Top 46% in California — lower ratio than 54% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Engagement
30.9%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$22,750
per pupil, district-wide
— above California avg of $18,039
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 747 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 162 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 21.7 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 7 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 747 Top 80% in California — larger than 20% of 10,006 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 37.0
Students per teacher 21.7:1 +0% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 91.6% +65% vs state
NCES ID 062958014085
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 75.2%
African American 17.4%
White 3.3%
Two or More 2.4%
Asian 0.7%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 75.2% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 747:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 30.9%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 162
Expulsions 7
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Palmdale Elementary, which includes Space Aeronautics Gateway to Exploration Magnet Academy.
$22,750
Per student
+26%
vs California
Avg $18,039
+17%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,027
- Students per teacher
- 27.1:1
- Enrollment
- 989
- Students per teacher
- 21.4:1
- Enrollment
- 952
- Students per teacher
- 23.8:1
- Enrollment
- 948
- Students per teacher
- 22.1:1
- Enrollment
- 945
- Students per teacher
- 23.8:1
Similar middle schools in Palmdale
5 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) serving the same city.
Hillview Middle
Standard public school
1,100 students 22.7:1 students per teacher
David G. Millen Law and Government Magnet Academy
Standard public school
952 students 23.8:1 students per teacher
Desert Willow Fine Arts Sci and Tech Magnet Acad
Standard public school
948 students 22.1:1 students per teacher
Cactus Medical Health and Technology Magnet Academy
Standard public school
822 students 21.6:1 students per teacher
Shadow Hills Engineering and Design Magnet Academy
Standard public school
813 students 20.3:1 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 Space Aeronautics Gateway to Exploration Magnet Academy
How many students attend Space Aeronautics Gateway to Exploration Magnet Academy?
Space Aeronautics Gateway to Exploration Magnet Academy has 747 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Palmdale, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Space Aeronautics Gateway to Exploration Magnet Academy?
The student-teacher ratio at Space Aeronautics Gateway to Exploration Magnet Academy is 21.7:1, which is 0% higher than the California average of 21.6:1 and 36% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Space Aeronautics Gateway to Exploration Magnet Academy?
91.6% of students at Space Aeronautics Gateway to Exploration Magnet Academy are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Space Aeronautics Gateway to Exploration Magnet Academy?
The largest demographic group at Space Aeronautics Gateway to Exploration Magnet Academy is Hispanic or Latino at 75.2%. The school serves a diverse student body in Palmdale, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Space Aeronautics Gateway to Exploration Magnet Academy?
Space Aeronautics Gateway to Exploration Magnet Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 26/100 (F) 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.