Enrollment
2,215
California · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Watsonville, CA
Watsonville High
Federal NCES profile for Watsonville High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 36/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 062949004555
👥 S:T ratio 13
📚 AP courses 50
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 26
📋 Attendance 23
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Watsonville High earns 36/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median. It is also one of the largest schools in California.
- #3 of 4
- high schools in Watsonville · Resource Index
- 36
- Resource Index · Typical
- 21.7:1
- students per teacher
- 80.1%
- free-lunch eligible
Watsonville High has class sizes near the California median. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Watsonville High ranks #3 of 4 high schools in Watsonville, CA.
School address
District: Pajaro Valley Unified · California
NCES ID 062949004555 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
102.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
21.7:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
+1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
80.1%
vs 55.5% California avg
+44% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Watsonville High compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Watsonville High
Watsonville High is a high-poverty, large high school in Watsonville, California, enrolling 2,215 students.
At 21.7:1, 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 80.1% of students eligible for free meals.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in California, bigger than 98% of state schools at 2,215 students.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 9,998 scored California schools.
Against 183 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #80.
Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (97% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 7/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 10 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 369 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 31.0% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The federal civil-rights collection also records 4 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Among Watsonville's high schools, it stands alongside Pajaro Valley High (1,293 students): Watsonville High is larger than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (21.7:1 vs 19.9:1).
Pajaro Valley Unified also operates Pajaro Valley High (1,293 students) and Aptos High (1,274 students) alongside Watsonville 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 Watsonville High compares
Watsonville 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 | 21.7:1 | ▲ 1% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 80.1% | ▲ 44% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 2,215 | top 2% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
21.7:1
Leaner classes than 11% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
2,215
Bigger than 99% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
80.1%
free-lunch eligible
- 44% 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
21.7:1
students per teacher
- 1% above state mean
Top 50% in California - lower ratio than 50% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
31.0%
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
$17,011
per pupil, district-wide
- above California avg of $16,509
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors6.0 FTE
Per 369 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
17
in-school suspensions + 51 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.1 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 4 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 96.5%
White 2.3%
Asian 0.7%
African American 0.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Two or More 0.1%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 96.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 6.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 6.8, Watsonville High is less mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
AP courses offered 10
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Pajaro Valley Unified, which includes Watsonville High.
$17,011
Per student
+3%
vs California
Avg $16,509
+3%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 30.6%
State 56.5%
Federal 12.9%
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 Watsonville High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pajaro Valley High | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Aptos High | Smaller | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Alianza Charter | Smaller | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Rolling Hills Middle | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Aptos Junior High | Smaller | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Watsonville High's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,293
- Students per teacher
- 19.9:1
- Resource Index
- 26/100
- Enrollment
- 1,274
- Students per teacher
- 19.6:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
- Enrollment
- 626
- Students per teacher
- 22.4:1
- Resource Index
- 18/100
- Enrollment
- 588
- Students per teacher
- 21:1
- Resource Index
- 22/100
- Enrollment
- 587
- Students per teacher
- 22.6:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
Similar high schools in Watsonville
3 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 (~2,215 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~21.7:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Watsonville High's federal record.
- Compare Watsonville High against another school. Compare schools
- Pajaro Valley 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 Watsonville High
How many students attend Watsonville High?
Watsonville High has 2,215 students enrolled. It is a high school in Watsonville, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Watsonville High?
The student-teacher ratio at Watsonville High is 21.7:1, which is 1% higher than the California average of 21.5:1 and 38% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Watsonville High?
80.1% of students at Watsonville High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Watsonville High?
The largest demographic group at Watsonville High is Hispanic or Latino at 96.5% of enrollment, in Watsonville, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Watsonville High?
Watsonville High has a Resource Investment Index of 36/100 (typical 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 Watsonville High rank among high schools in Watsonville?
By Resource Investment Index, Watsonville High ranks #3 of 4 high schools in Watsonville, 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 Watsonville on the city page.
Is Watsonville High a good school?
Watsonville High earns 36/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median. 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 Pajaro Valley Unified?
Besides Watsonville High, Pajaro Valley Unified also operates Pajaro Valley High (1,293 students), Aptos High (1,274 students), and Alianza Charter (626 students). See the Pajaro Valley 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.