Enrollment
582
California · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Waterford, CA
Waterford High
Federal NCES profile for Waterford High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 18/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 060006308657
👥 S:T ratio 17
📚 AP courses 40
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 3
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Waterford High earns 18/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median.
- #7 of 8
- public schools in Waterford · Resource Index
- 18
- Resource Index · Lower
- 20.8:1
- students per teacher
- 69.3%
- free-lunch eligible
Waterford High has class sizes near the California median. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Waterford High ranks #7 of 8 public schools in Waterford, CA.
School address
District: Waterford Unified · California
NCES ID 060006308657 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
28.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
20.8:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-3% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
69.3%
vs 55.5% California avg
+25% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Waterford High compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Waterford High
Waterford High is a higher-need, mid-sized high school in Waterford, California, enrolling 582 students.
At 20.8:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the California median, within a few percentage points of the 21.5:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 69.3% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 582 puts it in the larger third of California schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 95% of the 9,998 California schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.
Among 2,129 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need California schools statewide, it ranks #1,864, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (69%) and White (25%) (diversity index 46/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 8 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 485 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 46.6% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The federal civil-rights collection also records 5 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Among Waterford's high schools, it stands alongside Sentinel High (14 students): Waterford High is larger than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (20.8:1 vs 7:1).
Waterford Unified also operates Richard M. Moon Primary (510 students) and Lucille Whitehead Intermediate (355 students) alongside Waterford 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 Waterford High compares
Waterford 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 | 20.8:1 | ▼ 3% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 69.3% | ▲ 25% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 582 | top 34% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
20.8:1
Leaner classes than 13% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
582
Bigger than 71% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
69.3%
free-lunch eligible
- 25% 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
20.8:1
students per teacher
- 3% below state mean
Top 42% in California - lower ratio than 58% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
46.6%
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
$17,234
per pupil, district-wide
- above California avg of $16,509
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors1.2 FTE
Per 485 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 52 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 8.9 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 5 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 69.3%
White 24.7%
Asian 2.4%
Two or More 2.1%
African American 1.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 69.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 45.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 45.8, Waterford High is about as mixed as the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
AP courses offered 8
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Waterford Unified, which includes Waterford High.
$17,234
Per student
+4%
vs California
Avg $16,509
+4%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 24.1%
State 63.3%
Federal 12.6%
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 Waterford High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Richard M. Moon Primary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Lucille Whitehead Intermediate | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Waterford Junior | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Sentinel High | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Waterford High's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 510
- Students per teacher
- 23.2:1
- Resource Index
- 15/100
- Enrollment
- 355
- Students per teacher
- 22.2:1
- Resource Index
- 10/100
- Enrollment
- 260
- Students per teacher
- 21.7:1
- Resource Index
- 16/100
- Enrollment
- 14
- Students per teacher
- 7:1
- Resource Index
- 63/100
Similar high schools in Waterford
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 (~582 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~20.8:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Waterford High's federal record.
- Compare Waterford High against another school. Compare schools
- Waterford 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 Waterford High
How many students attend Waterford High?
Waterford High has 582 students enrolled. It is a high school in Waterford, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Waterford High?
The student-teacher ratio at Waterford High is 20.8:1, which is 3% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 32% 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 Waterford High?
69.3% of students at Waterford High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Waterford High?
The largest demographic group at Waterford High is Hispanic or Latino at 69.3% of enrollment, in Waterford, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Waterford High?
Waterford High has a Resource Investment Index of 18/100 (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 Waterford High rank among public schools in Waterford?
By Resource Investment Index, Waterford High ranks #7 of 8 public schools in Waterford, 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 Waterford on the city page.
Is Waterford High a good school?
Waterford High earns 18/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median. 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 Waterford Unified?
Besides Waterford High, Waterford Unified also operates Richard M. Moon Primary (510 students), Lucille Whitehead Intermediate (355 students), and Waterford Junior (260 students). See the Waterford 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.