Enrollment
396
California · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 060146814198 Charter school
America'S Finest Charter — San Diego, CA
Federal NCES profile for America'S Finest Charter, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 22/100.
👥 Class size 39
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 21
📋 Attendance 0
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
District: America'S Finest Charter District · California
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
29.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.3:1
vs 21.6:1 California avg
-29% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
87.8%
vs 55.5% California avg
+58% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How America'S Finest Charter compares with California and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
America'S Finest Charter reports 396 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 29.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 15.3:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 29% below the California state mean of 21.6:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 4% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 87.8% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 58% above the California average and 69% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 396 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 51.0% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding America'S Finest Charter District spends $16,453 per pupil district-wide, below the California average of $18,039 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 45.7% from local sources (property taxes), 33.9% from the state, and 20.3% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 22/100 (F), calculated from 4 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How America'S Finest Charter compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against California state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs California | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 15.3:1 | ▼ 29% | 21.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 87.8% | ▲ 58% | 55.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 396 | top 39% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Economic need
87.8%
free-lunch eligible
— 58% above the California average of 55.5%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
15.3:1
students per teacher
— 29% below state mean
Top 9% in California — lower ratio than 91% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
51.0%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$16,453
per pupil, district-wide
— below California avg of $18,039
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 396 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 21 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 5.3 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 396 Top 39% in California — larger than 61% of 10,006 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 29.0
Students per teacher 15.3:1 -29% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 87.8% +58% vs state
NCES ID 060146814198
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 76.5%
African American 14.4%
Asian 3.0%
White 2.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 1.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.0%
Two or More 1.0%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 76.5% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 1
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 396:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 51.0%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 21
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for America'S Finest Charter District, which includes America'S Finest Charter.
$16,453
Per student
-9%
vs California
Avg $18,039
-16%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 45.7%
State 33.9%
Federal 20.3%
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.
Similar other schools in San Diego
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
The O'Farrell Charter
Standard public school
1,862 students 20.2:1 students per teacher
Logan Memorial Educational Campus
Standard public school
1,467 students 20.7:1 students per teacher
Charter School of San Diego
Standard public school
1,375 students 30.8:1 students per teacher
San Diego Scpa
Standard public school
1,297 students 23.2:1 students per teacher
Gompers Preparatory Academy
Standard public school
1,175 students 31.2:1 students per teacher
Launch Virtual Academy
Alternative education program
578 students 18:1 students per teacher
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about America'S Finest Charter
How many students attend America'S Finest Charter?
America'S Finest Charter has 396 students enrolled. It is a other school in San Diego, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at America'S Finest Charter?
The student-teacher ratio at America'S Finest Charter is 15.3:1, which is 29% lower than the California average of 21.6:1 and 4% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at America'S Finest Charter?
87.8% of students at America'S Finest Charter are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of America'S Finest Charter?
The largest demographic group at America'S Finest Charter is Hispanic or Latino at 76.5%. The school serves a diverse student body in San Diego, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for America'S Finest Charter?
America'S Finest Charter has a Resource Investment Index of 22/100 (F) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.