Enrollment
815
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Rosamond, CA
Tropico Middle
Federal NCES profile for Tropico Middle, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 9/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 063762006375
👥 S:T ratio 4
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Tropico Middle earns 9/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 71% of California schools.
- #5 of 6
- public schools in Rosamond · Resource Index
- 9
- Resource Index · Lower
- 24:1
- large classes for California
- 66.4%
- free-lunch eligible
Tropico Middle has class sizes larger than 71% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Tropico Middle ranks #5 of 6 public schools in Rosamond, CA.
School address
District: Southern Kern Unified · California
NCES ID 063762006375 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
34.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
24:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
+12% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
66.4%
vs 55.5% California avg
+20% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Tropico Middle compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Tropico Middle
Tropico Middle is a higher-need, mid-sized middle school in Rosamond, California, enrolling 815 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 24:1 puts it in the larger third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 66.4% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 815 puts it in the larger third of California schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 99% of the 9,998 California schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.
Among 1,478 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need California schools statewide, it ranks #1,399, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (67%) and White (18%) (diversity index 51/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 815 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 41.0% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Southern Kern Unified also operates Westpark Elementary (952 students) and Rosamond High Early College Campus (927 students) alongside Tropico 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 Tropico Middle compares
Tropico 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 | 24:1 | ▲ 12% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 66.4% | ▲ 20% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 815 | top 17% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
24:1
Leaner classes than 6% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
815
Bigger than 86% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
66.4%
free-lunch eligible
- 20% 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
24:1
students per teacher
- 12% above state mean
Top 71% in California - lower ratio than 29% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
41.0%
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
$13,937
per pupil, district-wide
- below California avg of $16,509
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 815 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
25
in-school suspensions + 66 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 3.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 11.2 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
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 66.6%
White 18.4%
African American 8.7%
Two or More 4.3%
Asian 1.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 66.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 51.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 51.3, Tropico Middle is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Southern Kern Unified, which includes Tropico Middle.
$13,937
Per student
-16%
vs California
Avg $16,509
-16%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 21.2%
State 67.2%
Federal 11.6%
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 Tropico Middle Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Westpark Elementary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Rosamond High Early College Campus | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Rosamond Elementary | Similar size | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Abraham Lincoln Alternative | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Rare Earth High (Continuation) | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Tropico Middle's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 952
- Students per teacher
- 24.4:1
- Resource Index
- 17/100
- Enrollment
- 927
- Students per teacher
- 23.8:1
- Resource Index
- 19/100
- Enrollment
- 822
- Students per teacher
- 21.1:1
- Resource Index
- 15/100
- Enrollment
- 71
- Students per teacher
- 23.7:1
- Resource Index
- 9/100
- Enrollment
- 49
- Students per teacher
- 12.3:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
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 (~815 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~24:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Tropico Middle's federal record.
- Compare Tropico Middle against another school. Compare schools
- Southern Kern 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 Tropico Middle
How many students attend Tropico Middle?
Tropico Middle has 815 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Rosamond, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Tropico Middle?
The student-teacher ratio at Tropico Middle is 24:1, which is 12% higher than the California average of 21.5:1 and 53% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Tropico Middle?
66.4% of students at Tropico Middle are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Tropico Middle?
The largest demographic group at Tropico Middle is Hispanic or Latino at 66.6% of enrollment, in Rosamond, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 51.3/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Tropico Middle?
Tropico Middle has a Resource Investment Index of 9/100 (lower 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 Tropico Middle rank among public schools in Rosamond?
By Resource Investment Index, Tropico Middle ranks #5 of 6 public schools in Rosamond, 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 Rosamond on the city page.
Is Tropico Middle a good school?
Tropico Middle earns 9/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 71% 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 Southern Kern Unified?
Besides Tropico Middle, Southern Kern Unified also operates Westpark Elementary (952 students), Rosamond High Early College Campus (927 students), and Rosamond Elementary (822 students). See the Southern Kern 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.