Enrollment
1,746
California · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Vista, CA
Vista High
Federal NCES profile for Vista High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 43/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 064119006824
👥 S:T ratio 34
📚 AP courses 65
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 42
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Vista High earns 43/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 85% of California schools. It is also one of the largest schools in California.
- #5 of 6
- high schools in Vista · Resource Index
- 43
- Resource Index · Typical
- 16.6:1
- small classes for California
- 62.5%
- free-lunch eligible
Vista High has class sizes smaller than 85% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Vista High ranks #5 of 6 high schools in Vista, CA.
School address
District: Vista Unified · California
NCES ID 064119006824 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
105.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.6:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-23% 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
What stands out at Vista High
Vista High is a higher-need, large high school in Vista, California, enrolling 1,746 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 16.6:1, Vista High is leaner than roughly 85% of California schools and 23% under the state's 21.5:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 62.5% 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 95% of state schools at 1,746 students.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 9,998 scored California schools.
Against 358 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #106.
Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (86% of enrollment) (diversity index 26/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 13 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 291 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 1 expulsion at this campus for 2021-22.
Among Vista's high schools, it stands alongside Rancho Buena Vista High (1,949 students): Vista High is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (16.6:1 vs 21:1).
Vista Unified also operates Rancho Buena Vista High (1,949 students) and Mission Vista High (1,670 students) alongside Vista High.
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 Vista High compares
Vista 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 | 16.6:1 | ▼ 23% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 62.5% | ▲ 13% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 1,746 | top 5% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16.6:1
Leaner classes than 33% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
1,746
Bigger than 97% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
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
16.6:1
students per teacher
- 23% below state mean
Top 15% in California - lower ratio than 85% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Funding equity
$15,274
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
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
- 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 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.
Student-body diversity index 25.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 25.7, Vista High is less mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
AP courses offered 13
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Vista Unified, which includes Vista High.
$15,274
Per student
-7%
vs California
Avg $16,509
-8%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
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.
How Vista High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rancho Buena Vista High | Similar size | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Mission Vista High | Similar size | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Madison Middle | Smaller | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Roosevelt Middle | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Vista Magnet Middle School of Technology Science and Math | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Vista High's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,949
- Students per teacher
- 21:1
- Resource Index
- 21/100
- Enrollment
- 1,670
- Students per teacher
- 23.5:1
- Resource Index
- 28/100
- Enrollment
- 1,158
- Students per teacher
- 24.1:1
- Resource Index
- 14/100
- Enrollment
- 866
- Students per teacher
- 22.8:1
- Resource Index
- 16/100
- Enrollment
- 836
- Students per teacher
- 19.4:1
- Resource Index
- 23/100
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 students per teacher
Major General Raymond Murray High
Alternative education program
146 students 12.2:1 students per teacher
North County Trade Tech High
Standard public school
145 students 11.2:1 students per teacher
Vista Adult Transition Center
Special-education school
107 students 10.7:1 students per teacher
Alta Vista High (Continuation)
Alternative education program
90 students 15:1 students per teacher
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 (~1,746 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~16.6:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Vista High's federal record.
- Compare Vista High against another school. Compare schools
- Vista 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 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 16.6:1, which is 23% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 6% 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 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% of enrollment, in Vista, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Vista High?
Vista High has a Resource Investment Index of 43/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Vista High rank among high schools in Vista?
By Resource Investment Index, Vista High ranks #5 of 6 high schools in Vista, CA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all high schools in Vista on the city page.
Is Vista High a good school?
Vista High earns 43/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 85% of California schools. It is also one of the largest schools in California. 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 Vista Unified?
Besides Vista High, Vista Unified also operates Rancho Buena Vista High (1,949 students), Mission Vista High (1,670 students), and Madison Middle (1,158 students). See the Vista 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.