El Sausal Middle

El Sausal Middle, a roomy junior high in Salinas, California, operated by Salinas Union High, teaches 1,067 students, covering grades 7 through 8. Compared to the state average of about 659 students per school, that is 62% bigger than typical.

Salinas Union High comprises 12 schools with combined enrollment of 15,703 students; El Sausal Middle is among them.

Demographically, El Sausal Middle lists that the student body is overwhelmingly Hispanic (99%). By comparison, Monterey County as a whole is about 62% Hispanic, so the school skews noticeably more Hispanic than its surroundings.

On the resource side, On paper, El Sausal Middle has 48 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 22.2:1. The state averages around 20.7:1, so this campus is higher than the state norm typical. About 92% of enrolled students meet the income threshold for free or reduced-price lunch, often used as a Title I proxy. Set against Monterey County (around 76%), the school's rate is north of typical.

On a demographically-adjusted basis, El Sausal Middle sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 24.9%; this one delivers 29.4%.

In the surrounding community, census data for Monterey County shows median household earnings sit near $97,230, about 28% of the adult population holds a bachelor's degree or above, and roughly 10% of residents live below the federal poverty line. In all, Monterey County runs 153 public schools (combined enrollment of about 73,845 students), of which El Sausal Middle is one.

Los Padres Elementary is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.3 miles from this campus. Counting just inside five miles, 8 other public schools cluster around El Sausal Middle. Among the 9 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), El Sausal Middle ranks 2nd on composite proficiency, higher than the local average of 22.1%.

Geographically, the school is in a high-density area.

Looking at the recent track record. El Sausal Middle's enrollment has edged down 3% since 2018, when it stood at 1,102 (now 1,067).

In the discussion threads here, the feed for El Sausal Middle typically covers science fair prep, picture-day reminders, and bus-route questions. Contributors range from current parents to recent graduates and teachers.