Enrollment
768
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Riverside, CA
Wells Middle
Federal NCES profile for Wells Middle, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 33/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 060243000141
👥 S:T ratio 10
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 39
📋 Attendance 13
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Wells Middle earns 33/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most California schools.
- #4 of 11
- middle schools in Riverside · Resource Index
- 33
- Resource Index · Typical
- 22.6:1
- students per teacher
- 84.4%
- free-lunch eligible
Wells Middle has class sizes near the California median. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Wells Middle ranks #4 of 11 middle schools in Riverside, CA.
School address
District: Alvord Unified · California
NCES ID 060243000141 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
34.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
22.6:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
+5% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
84.4%
vs 55.5% California avg
+52% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Wells Middle compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Wells Middle
Wells Middle is a high-poverty, mid-sized middle school in Riverside, California, enrolling 768 students.
At 22.6:1, 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 is high: 84.4% of students qualify for free meals, 52% above the California average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
Enrollment of 768 puts it in the larger third of California schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 9,998 scored California schools.
Against 1,443 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #263.
Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (95% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 9/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 307 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 35.0% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 15.5% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 4 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Among Riverside's middle schools, it stands alongside Ysmael Villegas Middle (1,136 students): Wells Middle is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (22.6:1 vs 21:1).
Alvord Unified also operates Norte Vista High (1,804 students) and Hillcrest High (1,780 students) alongside Wells Middle.
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 Wells Middle compares
Wells Middle on the metrics families compare, against California and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs California | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 22.6:1 | ▲ 5% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 84.4% | ▲ 52% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 768 | top 19% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
22.6:1
Leaner classes than 9% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
768
Bigger than 84% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
84.4%
free-lunch eligible
- 52% 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
22.6:1
students per teacher
- 5% above state mean
Top 59% in California - lower ratio than 41% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
35.0%
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
$16,058
per pupil, district-wide
- below California avg of $16,509
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors2.5 FTE
Per 307 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 43 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 5.6 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 95.2%
White 2.0%
Asian 1.6%
African American 0.9%
Two or More 0.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 95.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 9.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 9.3, Wells Middle is less mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Alvord Unified, which includes Wells Middle.
$16,058
Per student
-3%
vs California
Avg $16,509
-3%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 19.5%
State 65.0%
Federal 15.5%
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 Wells Middle Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Norte Vista High | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Hillcrest High | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| La Sierra High | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Ysmael Villegas Middle | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Loma Vista Middle | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Wells Middle's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,804
- Students per teacher
- 18.4:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
- Enrollment
- 1,780
- Students per teacher
- 22.5:1
- Resource Index
- 29/100
- Enrollment
- 1,514
- Students per teacher
- 19.7:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
- Enrollment
- 1,136
- Students per teacher
- 21:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 1,027
- Students per teacher
- 22.3:1
- Resource Index
- 26/100
Similar middle schools in Riverside
6 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) serving the same city.
Ysmael Villegas Middle
Standard public school
1,136 students 21:1 students per teacher
Loma Vista Middle
Standard public school
1,027 students 22.3:1 students per teacher
Chemawa Middle
Standard public school
885 students 25.3:1 students per teacher
University Heights Middle
Standard public school
870 students 24.2:1 students per teacher
Frank Augustus Miller Middle
Standard public school
844 students 25.6:1 students per teacher
Matthew Gage Middle
Standard public school
840 students 21.5:1 students per teacher
Similar middle 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 (~768 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~22.6:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Wells Middle's federal record.
- Compare Wells Middle against another school. Compare schools
- Alvord 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 Wells Middle
How many students attend Wells Middle?
Wells Middle has 768 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Riverside, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Wells Middle?
The student-teacher ratio at Wells Middle is 22.6:1, which is 5% higher than the California average of 21.5:1 and 44% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Wells Middle?
84.4% of students at Wells Middle are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Wells Middle?
The largest demographic group at Wells Middle is Hispanic or Latino at 95.2% of enrollment, in Riverside, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Wells Middle?
Wells Middle has a Resource Investment Index of 33/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Wells Middle rank among middle schools in Riverside?
By Resource Investment Index, Wells Middle ranks #4 of 11 middle schools in Riverside, CA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all middle schools in Riverside on the city page.
Is Wells Middle a good school?
Wells Middle earns 33/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median. 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 Alvord Unified?
Besides Wells Middle, Alvord Unified also operates Norte Vista High (1,804 students), Hillcrest High (1,780 students), and La Sierra High (1,514 students). See the Alvord 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.