Enrollment
7
California · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Whitethorn, CA
Whale Gulch High
Federal NCES profile for Whale Gulch High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 32/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 060966510258
👥 S:T ratio 86
📚 AP courses 10
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Whale Gulch High earns 32/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 99% of California schools. It is also one of the smallest schools in California.
- #2 of 3
- public schools in Whitethorn · Resource Index
- 32
- Resource Index · Typical
- 3.5:1
- small classes for California
- 27.3%
- free-lunch eligible
Whale Gulch High has class sizes smaller than 99% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Whale Gulch High ranks #2 of 3 public schools in Whitethorn, CA.
School address
District: Leggett Valley Unified · California
NCES ID 060966510258 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
2.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
3.5:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-84% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
27.3%
vs 55.5% California avg
-51% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Whale Gulch High compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Whale Gulch High
Whale Gulch High is a small high school in Whitethorn, California, enrolling 7 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 3.5:1, Whale Gulch High is leaner than roughly 99% of California schools and 84% under the state's 21.5:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 27.3% of students eligible for free meals.
This is a small campus: fewer students than 99% of California schools, with 7 enrolled.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 9,998 scored California schools.
Its student body is led by White (57%) and Hispanic or Latino (14%) (diversity index 61/100).
No Advanced Placement courses are reported for this campus in the federal data.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 85.7% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding Leggett Valley Unified spends $25,750 per pupil, 56% above the California average, a better-resourced district than most.
Leggett Valley Unified also operates Leggett Valley Elementary (51 students) and Whale Gulch Elementary (36 students) alongside Whale Gulch 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 Whale Gulch High compares
Whale Gulch 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 | 3.5:1 | ▼ 84% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 27.3% | ▼ 51% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 7 | top 99% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
3.5:1
Leaner classes than 99% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
7
Bigger than 1% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
27.3%
free-lunch eligible
- 51% 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
3.5:1
students per teacher
- 84% below state mean
Top 1% in California - lower ratio than 99% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
85.7%
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
$25,750
per pupil, district-wide
- above California avg of $16,509
Well above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting substantially higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 14.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 14.3 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
White 57.1%
Hispanic or Latino 14.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 14.3%
Two or More 14.3%
Largest group: White at 57.1% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 61.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 61.3, Whale Gulch High is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
AP program Not offered
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Leggett Valley Unified, which includes Whale Gulch High.
$25,750
Per student
+56%
vs California
Avg $16,509
+55%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 15.6%
State 78.9%
Federal 5.4%
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 Whale Gulch High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leggett Valley Elementary | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Whale Gulch Elementary | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Leggett Valley High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Whale Gulch High's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 51
- Students per teacher
- 12.8:1
- Resource Index
- 26/100
- Enrollment
- 36
- Students per teacher
- 18:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
- Enrollment
- 17
- Students per teacher
- 5.7:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
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 (~7 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~3.5:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Whale Gulch High's federal record.
- Compare Whale Gulch High against another school. Compare schools
- Leggett 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 Whale Gulch High
How many students attend Whale Gulch High?
Whale Gulch High has 7 students enrolled. It is a high school in Whitethorn, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Whale Gulch High?
The student-teacher ratio at Whale Gulch High is 3.5:1, which is 84% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 78% lower 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 Whale Gulch High?
27.3% of students at Whale Gulch High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Whale Gulch High?
The largest demographic group at Whale Gulch High is White at 57.1% of enrollment, in Whitethorn, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 61.3/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Whale Gulch High?
Whale Gulch High has a Resource Investment Index of 32/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Whale Gulch High rank among public schools in Whitethorn?
By Resource Investment Index, Whale Gulch High ranks #2 of 3 public schools in Whitethorn, 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 Whitethorn on the city page.
Is Whale Gulch High a good school?
Whale Gulch High earns 32/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 99% of California schools. It is also one of the smallest 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 Leggett Valley Unified?
Besides Whale Gulch High, Leggett Valley Unified also operates Leggett Valley Elementary (51 students), Whale Gulch Elementary (36 students), and Leggett Valley High (17 students). See the Leggett 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.