Enrollment
50
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Salinas, CA
Wellington M. Smith Jr.
Federal NCES profile for Wellington M. Smith Jr., including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 32/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 069102109234
👥 S:T ratio 33
🌟 Gifted program 30
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Wellington M. Smith Jr. earns 32/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 85% of California schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most California schools.
- #5 of 7
- schools in Salinas · Resource Index
- 32
- Resource Index · Typical
- 16.7:1
- small classes for California
- 89.7%
- free-lunch eligible
Wellington M. Smith Jr. has class sizes smaller than 85% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Wellington M. Smith Jr. ranks #5 of 7 schools in Salinas, CA.
School address
District: Monterey County Office of Education · California
NCES ID 069102109234 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
3.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.7:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-22% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
89.7%
vs 55.5% California avg
+62% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Wellington M. Smith Jr. compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Wellington M. Smith Jr.
Wellington M. Smith Jr. is a high-poverty, small combined-grade school in Salinas, California, enrolling 50 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 16.7:1, Wellington M. Smith Jr. is leaner than roughly 85% of California schools and 22% under the state's 21.5:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Economic need is high: 89.7% of students qualify for free meals, 62% above the California average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
This is a small campus: fewer students than 94% of California schools, with 50 enrolled.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 9,998 scored California schools.
Among 118 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need California schools statewide, it ranks #85, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (98% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 4/100).
Its district draws 18.7% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Salinas's public schools, it stands alongside El Puente (326 students): Wellington M. Smith Jr. is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (16.7:1 vs 18.1:1).
Monterey County Office of Education also operates Monterey County Special Education (274 students) and Monterey County Home Charter (255 students) alongside Wellington M. Smith Jr..
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 Wellington M. Smith Jr. compares
Wellington M. Smith Jr. on the metrics families compare, against California and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs California | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 16.7:1 | ▼ 22% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 89.7% | ▲ 62% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 50 | top 94% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16.7:1
Leaner classes than 33% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
50
Bigger than 5% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
89.7%
free-lunch eligible
- 62% above the California average of 55.5%
Well above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold, among the highest-need profiles in the state; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
16.7:1
students per teacher
- 22% 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.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
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 98.0%
White 2.0%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 98.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 3.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 3.9, Wellington M. Smith Jr. is less mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
How Wellington M. Smith Jr. Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monterey County Special Education | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Monterey County Home Charter | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Salinas Community | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Wellington M. Smith Jr.'s own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 274
- Students per teacher
- 7:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 255
- Students per teacher
- 18.2:1
- Resource Index
- 50/100
- Enrollment
- 101
- Students per teacher
- 20.2:1
- Resource Index
- 25/100
Similar other schools in Salinas
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
El Puente
Alternative education program
326 students 18.1:1 students per teacher
Monterey County Special Education
Special-education school
274 students 7:1 students per teacher
Monterey County Home Charter
Standard public school
255 students 18.2:1 students per teacher
Salinas Community
Alternative education program
101 students 20.2:1 students per teacher
North Monterey County Center for Independent Study
Alternative education program
96 students 16:1 students per teacher
Carr Lake Community Day
Alternative education program
18 students 18:1 students per teacher
Similar other 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 (~50 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Wellington M. Smith Jr.'s federal record.
- Compare Wellington M. Smith Jr. against another school. Compare schools
- Monterey County Office of Education'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 Wellington M. Smith Jr.
How many students attend Wellington M. Smith Jr.?
Wellington M. Smith Jr. has 50 students enrolled. It is an alternative school in Salinas, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Wellington M. Smith Jr.?
The student-teacher ratio at Wellington M. Smith Jr. is 16.7:1, which is 22% 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 Wellington M. Smith Jr.?
89.7% of students at Wellington M. Smith Jr. are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Wellington M. Smith Jr.?
The largest demographic group at Wellington M. Smith Jr. is Hispanic or Latino at 98.0% of enrollment, in Salinas, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Wellington M. Smith Jr.?
Wellington M. Smith Jr. has a Resource Investment Index of 32/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 2 factors: student-teacher ratio. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology). Limited indicators were available, so the index reflects partial data.
How does Wellington M. Smith Jr. rank among schools in Salinas?
By Resource Investment Index, Wellington M. Smith Jr. ranks #5 of 7 schools in Salinas, CA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Salinas on the city page.
Is Wellington M. Smith Jr. a good school?
Wellington M. Smith Jr. earns 32/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 85% of California schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most California schools. 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 Monterey County Office of Education?
Besides Wellington M. Smith Jr., Monterey County Office of Education also operates Monterey County Special Education (274 students), Monterey County Home Charter (255 students), and Salinas Community (101 students). See the Monterey County Office of Education 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.