Enrollment
3,328
California · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 060002911249
Vista Murrieta High — Murrieta, CA
Federal NCES profile for Vista Murrieta High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 34/100.
👥 Class size 2
📚 AP courses 95
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 11
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: Murrieta Valley 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)
142.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
24.6:1
vs 21.6:1 California avg
+14% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
30.7%
vs 55.5% California avg
-45% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Vista Murrieta 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 Murrieta High reports 3,328 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 142.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 24.6:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 14% 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 55% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 30.7% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 45% below the California average and 41% below the national baseline. The school offers 19 Advanced Placement courses, a stronger academic pipeline indicator than enrollment alone. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 444 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1.
On the finance side, the surrounding Murrieta Valley Unified spends $14,260 per pupil district-wide, below the California average of $18,039 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 33.5% from local sources (property taxes), 57.2% from the state, and 9.3% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 34/100 (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 Vista Murrieta 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 | 24.6:1 | ▲ 14% | 21.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 30.7% | ▼ 45% | 55.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 3,328 | top 100% | — | — |
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
30.7%
free-lunch eligible
— 45% below the California average of 55.5%
Below the 40% Title I threshold — federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
24.6:1
students per teacher
— 14% above state mean
Top 78% in California — lower ratio than 22% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Funding equity
$14,260
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
Counselors7.5 FTE
Per 444 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
22
in-school suspensions + 138 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 4.8 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 2 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 3,328 Top 100% in California — larger than 0% of 10,006 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 142.0
Students per teacher 24.6:1 +14% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 30.7% -45% vs state
NCES ID 060002911249
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 43.2%
White 28.6%
Asian 10.3%
Two or More 10.0%
African American 7.0%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 43.2% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 19
Counselors (FTE) 7.5
Students per counselor 444:1
Discipline & special education
In-school suspensions 22
Out-of-school suspensions 138
Expulsions 2
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Murrieta Valley Unified, which includes Vista Murrieta High.
$14,260
Per student
-21%
vs California
Avg $18,039
-27%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 33.5%
State 57.2%
Federal 9.3%
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
- 2,104
- Students per teacher
- 23.5:1
- Enrollment
- 2,066
- Students per teacher
- 22.9:1
- Enrollment
- 1,565
- Students per teacher
- 27.3:1
- Enrollment
- 1,451
- Students per teacher
- 26.8:1
- Enrollment
- 1,282
- Students per teacher
- 25.1:1
Similar high schools in Murrieta
3 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
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 Murrieta High
How many students attend Vista Murrieta High?
Vista Murrieta High has 3,328 students enrolled. It is a high school in Murrieta, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Vista Murrieta High?
The student-teacher ratio at Vista Murrieta High is 24.6:1, which is 14% higher than the California average of 21.6:1 and 55% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Vista Murrieta High?
30.7% of students at Vista Murrieta High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Vista Murrieta High?
The largest demographic group at Vista Murrieta High is Hispanic or Latino at 43.2%. The school serves a diverse student body in Murrieta, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Vista Murrieta High?
Vista Murrieta High has a Resource Investment Index of 34/100 (F) 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.