Enrollment
1,746
California · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 064119006824
Vista High — Vista, CA
Federal NCES profile for Vista High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 40/100.
👥 Class size 23
📚 AP courses 65
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 42
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: Vista 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)
105.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
19.3:1
vs 21.6:1 California avg
-11% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
62.5%
vs 55.5% California avg
+13% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Vista High 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
Vista High reports 1,746 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 105.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 19.3:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 11% below the California state mean of 21.6:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 21% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 62.5% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 13% above the California average and 21% above the national baseline. The school offers 13 Advanced Placement courses, a stronger academic pipeline indicator than enrollment alone. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 291 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1.
On the finance side, the surrounding Vista Unified spends $17,357 per pupil district-wide, below the California average of $18,039 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 36.1% from local sources (property taxes), 53.6% from the state, and 10.3% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 40/100 (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 Vista High 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 | 19.3:1 | ▼ 11% | 21.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 62.5% | ▲ 13% | 55.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 1,746 | top 95% | — | — |
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
62.5%
free-lunch eligible
— 13% 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
19.3:1
students per teacher
— 11% below state mean
Top 24% in California — lower ratio than 76% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Funding equity
$17,357
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
Counselors6.0 FTE
Per 291 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
32
in-school suspensions + 133 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 9.5 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 1 expulsion.
Overview
Enrollment 1,746 Top 95% in California — larger than 5% of 10,006 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 105.0
Students per teacher 19.3:1 -11% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 62.5% +13% vs state
NCES ID 064119006824
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 85.7%
White 8.5%
Two or More 2.7%
Asian 1.4%
African American 1.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 85.7% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 13
Counselors (FTE) 6.0
Students per counselor 291:1
Discipline & special education
In-school suspensions 32
Out-of-school suspensions 133
Expulsions 1
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Vista Unified, which includes Vista High.
$17,357
Per student
-4%
vs California
Avg $18,039
-11%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 36.1%
State 53.6%
Federal 10.3%
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
- 1,949
- Students per teacher
- 21.1:1
- Enrollment
- 1,670
- Students per teacher
- 23.1:1
- Enrollment
- 1,158
- Students per teacher
- 19.9:1
- Enrollment
- 866
- Students per teacher
- 20.5:1
- Enrollment
- 836
- Students per teacher
- 19:1
Similar high schools in Vista
5 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
Rancho Buena Vista High
Standard public school
1,949 students 21.1:1 students per teacher
Major General Raymond Murray High
Alternative education program
146 students 19.2:1 students per teacher
North County Trade Tech High
Standard public school
145 students 13.3:1 students per teacher
Vista Adult Transition Center
Special-education school
107 students 12.4:1 students per teacher
Alta Vista High (Continuation)
Alternative education program
90 students 22.7:1 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 Vista High
How many students attend Vista High?
Vista High has 1,746 students enrolled. It is a high school in Vista, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Vista High?
The student-teacher ratio at Vista High is 19.3:1, which is 11% lower than the California average of 21.6:1 and 21% higher than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Vista High?
62.5% of students at Vista High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Vista High?
The largest demographic group at Vista High is Hispanic or Latino at 85.7%. The school serves a diverse student body in Vista, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Vista High?
Vista High has a Resource Investment Index of 40/100 (D) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.