Gustine High

Gustine High is one of the close-knit four-year high schools in Gustine, California, operated by Gustine Unified, with 531 students on its rolls from grades 9 through 12. By comparison, California's public schools average about 838 students each, so Gustine High sits 37% smaller than that benchmark.

Gustine High is one of 5 schools operated by Gustine Unified, a district that educates 1,627 students overall.

For racial and ethnic makeup, Gustine High shows that nearly all students (84%) are Hispanic. The remainder is composed of 10% White, 3% multiracial. The wider county runs roughly 63% Hispanic, putting the school's mix considerably more Hispanic than the area baseline.

In terms of school funding signals, Staff filings list 27 full-time-equivalent teachers, which works out to roughly 19.5:1 students per teacher. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 18.2:1, putting Gustine High higher than the state norm the norm. Around 79% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, which schools and policymakers use as a rough income-mix signal.

With demographic context factored in, Gustine High sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 32.1%; this one delivers 24.2%.

Zooming out to the county, census data for Merced County shows median household earnings sit near $65,510, roughly 15% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and roughly 16% of residents live below the federal poverty line. In all, Merced County runs 117 public schools (combined enrollment of about 59,456 students), of which Gustine High is one.

The closest other public school is Pioneer High (Continuation), roughly 0.0 miles away. Counting just inside five miles, 8 other public schools cluster around Gustine High. Among the 6 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), Gustine High ranks 2nd on composite proficiency, above the local average of 20.3%.

Gustine High operates from a small-town location.

Over the past 7-year window. Over the past 7-year window, the student count contracted 11%: 595 students in 2018 compared to 531 in 2025. Over the same period, the White share edged down from 20% to 10%. The student-to-teacher ratio fell from 21.2:1 in 2018 to 19.5:1 today.

On the community side, members of the Gustine High community share and discuss science fair prep, picture-day reminders, and bus-route questions. Posting is open to anyone connected to the school.