Enrollment
1,064
California · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Taft, CA
Taft Union High
Federal NCES profile for Taft Union High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 19/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 063873006511
👥 S:T ratio 24
📚 AP courses 10
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 29
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Taft Union High earns 19/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 73% of California schools.
- #2 of 8
- public schools in Taft · Resource Index
- 19
- Resource Index · Lower
- 19:1
- small classes for California
- 59.3%
- free-lunch eligible
Taft Union High has class sizes smaller than 73% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Taft Union High ranks #2 of 8 public schools in Taft, CA.
School address
District: Taft Union High · California
NCES ID 063873006511 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
56.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
19:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-12% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
59.3%
vs 55.5% California avg
+7% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Taft Union High compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Taft Union High
Taft Union High is a higher-need, large high school in Taft, California, enrolling 1,064 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 19:1 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 59.3% lands close to the California typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in California, bigger than 90% of state schools at 1,064 students.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 9,998 scored California schools.
Against 760 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #506.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (62%) and White (35%) (diversity index 49/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 2 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 355 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 42.4% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding Taft Union High spends $23,718 per pupil, 44% above the California average, a better-resourced district than most.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 4 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Among Taft's high schools, it stands alongside Buena Vista High (Continuation) (85 students): Taft Union High is larger than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (19:1 vs 17:1).
Its district, Taft Union High, also runs Buena Vista High (Continuation) (85 students).
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 Taft Union High compares
Taft Union High on the metrics families compare, against California and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs California | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 19:1 | ▼ 12% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 59.3% | ▲ 7% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 1,064 | top 10% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
19:1
Leaner classes than 20% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
1,064
Bigger than 92% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
59.3%
free-lunch eligible
- 7% 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
19:1
students per teacher
- 12% below state mean
Top 27% in California - lower ratio than 73% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
42.4%
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
$23,718
per pupil, district-wide
- above California avg of $16,509
Well above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting substantially higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 355 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 41 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.9 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 61.7%
White 35.4%
Two or More 1.2%
Asian 0.9%
African American 0.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 61.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 49.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 49.4, Taft Union High is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
AP courses offered 2
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Taft Union High, which includes Taft Union High.
$23,718
Per student
+44%
vs California
Avg $16,509
+43%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 33.9%
State 56.4%
Federal 9.6%
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.
How Taft Union High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buena Vista High (Continuation) | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Taft Union High's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 85
- Students per teacher
- 17:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
Similar high schools in Taft
1 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
Similar high 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 (~1,064 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~19:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Taft Union High's federal record.
- Compare Taft Union High against another school. Compare schools
- Taft Union High'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 Taft Union High
How many students attend Taft Union High?
Taft Union High has 1,064 students enrolled. It is a high school in Taft, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Taft Union High?
The student-teacher ratio at Taft Union High is 19:1, which is 12% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 21% 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 Taft Union High?
59.3% of students at Taft Union High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Taft Union High?
The largest demographic group at Taft Union High is Hispanic or Latino at 61.7% of enrollment, in Taft, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Taft Union High?
Taft Union High has a Resource Investment Index of 19/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Taft Union High rank among public schools in Taft?
By Resource Investment Index, Taft Union High ranks #2 of 8 public schools in Taft, 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 Taft on the city page.
Is Taft Union High a good school?
Taft Union High earns 19/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 73% 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 Taft Union High?
Besides Taft Union High, Taft Union High also operates Buena Vista High (Continuation) (85 students). See the Taft Union High 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.