Enrollment
1,238
California · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · San Francisco, CA
Balboa High
Federal NCES profile for Balboa High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 35/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 063441005587
👥 S:T ratio 15
📚 AP courses 55
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 36
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Balboa High earns 35/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median.
- #16 of 21
- high schools in San Francisco · Resource Index
- 35
- Resource Index · Typical
- 21.3:1
- students per teacher
- 56.6%
- free-lunch eligible
Balboa High has class sizes near the California median. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Balboa High ranks #16 of 21 high schools in San Francisco, CA.
School address
District: San Francisco Unified · California
NCES ID 063441005587 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
58.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
21.3:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
56.6%
vs 55.5% California avg
+2% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Balboa High compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Balboa High
Balboa High is a higher-need, large high school in San Francisco, California, enrolling 1,238 students.
At 21.3:1, 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.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 56.6% lands close to the California typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in California, bigger than 92% of state schools at 1,238 students.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 9,998 scored California schools.
Against 566 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #207.
Its student body is led by Asian (49%) and Hispanic or Latino (35%) (diversity index 63/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 11 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 607 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 25.6% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding San Francisco Unified spends $23,654 per pupil, 43% above the California average, a better-resourced district than most.
Among San Francisco's high schools, it stands alongside Five Keys Independence Hs (Sf Sheriff's) (3,447 students): Balboa High is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (21.3:1 vs 61.6:1).
San Francisco Unified also operates Lowell High (2,571 students) and Lincoln (Abraham) High (2,074 students) alongside Balboa 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 Balboa High compares
Balboa 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 | 21.3:1 | ▼ 1% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 56.6% | ▲ 2% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 1,238 | top 8% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
21.3:1
Leaner classes than 12% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
1,238
Bigger than 94% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
56.6%
free-lunch eligible
- 2% 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
21.3:1
students per teacher
- 1% below state mean
Top 46% in California - lower ratio than 54% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
25.6%
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
$23,654
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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 607 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 20 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.6 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
Asian 49.4%
Hispanic or Latino 34.6%
African American 5.7%
Two or More 5.4%
White 3.6%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 1.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Largest group: Asian at 49.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 62.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 62.9, Balboa High is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
AP courses offered 11
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for San Francisco Unified, which includes Balboa High.
$23,654
Per student
+43%
vs California
Avg $16,509
+43%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 56.8%
State 31.2%
Federal 12.0%
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 Balboa High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lowell High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Lincoln (Abraham) High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Washington (George) High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Galileo High | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Giannini (a.P.) Middle | Similar size | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Balboa High's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,571
- Students per teacher
- 23.4:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 2,074
- Students per teacher
- 23.8:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 2,068
- Students per teacher
- 24:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 1,750
- Students per teacher
- 20.8:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 1,183
- Students per teacher
- 25.7:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
Similar high schools in San Francisco
6 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
Five Keys Independence Hs (Sf Sheriff's)
Standard public school
3,447 students 61.6:1 students per teacher
Lowell High
Standard public school
2,571 students 23.4:1 students per teacher
Lincoln (Abraham) High
Standard public school
2,074 students 23.8:1 students per teacher
Washington (George) High
Standard public school
2,068 students 24:1 students per teacher
Galileo High
Standard public school
1,750 students 20.8:1 students per teacher
Burton (Phillip and Sala) Academic High
Standard public school
1,047 students 20.1:1 students per teacher
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 (~1,238 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~21.3:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Balboa High's federal record.
- Compare Balboa High against another school. Compare schools
- San Francisco 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 Balboa High
How many students attend Balboa High?
Balboa High has 1,238 students enrolled. It is a high school in San Francisco, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Balboa High?
The student-teacher ratio at Balboa High is 21.3:1, which is 1% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 36% higher 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 Balboa High?
56.6% of students at Balboa High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Balboa High?
The largest demographic group at Balboa High is Asian at 49.4% of enrollment, in San Francisco, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 62.9/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Balboa High?
Balboa High has a Resource Investment Index of 35/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Balboa High rank among high schools in San Francisco?
By Resource Investment Index, Balboa High ranks #16 of 21 high schools in San Francisco, CA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all high schools in San Francisco on the city page.
Is Balboa High a good school?
Balboa High earns 35/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median. 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 San Francisco Unified?
Besides Balboa High, San Francisco Unified also operates Lowell High (2,571 students), Lincoln (Abraham) High (2,074 students), and Washington (George) High (2,068 students). See the San Francisco 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.