Enrollment
520
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Fresno, CA
Big Picture Educational Academy
Federal NCES profile for Big Picture Educational Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 26/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 060182912427Charter school
👥 S:T ratio 26
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 48
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Big Picture Educational Academy earns 26/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 75% of California schools.
- #19 of 21
- schools in Fresno · Resource Index
- 26
- Resource Index · Lower
- 18.6:1
- small classes for California
- 57.5%
- free-lunch eligible
Big Picture Educational Academy has class sizes smaller than 75% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Big Picture Educational Academy ranks #19 of 21 schools in Fresno, CA.
School address
District: Big Picture Educational Academy District · California
NCES ID 060182912427 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
28.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18.6:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-13% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
57.5%
vs 55.5% California avg
+4% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Big Picture Educational Academy compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Big Picture Educational Academy
Big Picture Educational Academy is a higher-need, mid-sized charter combined-grade school in Fresno, California, enrolling 520 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 18.6:1 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 57.5% lands close to the California typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
With 520 students, its enrollment sits close to the California median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 9,998 scored California schools.
Against 1,769 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #820.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (74%) and African American (14%) (diversity index 43/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 260 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 91.0% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 15.8% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Fresno's public schools, it stands alongside Yosemite Valley Charter (3,065 students): Big Picture Educational Academy is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (18.6:1 vs 36.5:1).
Big Picture Educational Academy District is a single-school charter district, so Big Picture Educational Academy operates independently rather than alongside district-mates.
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 Big Picture Educational Academy compares
Big Picture Educational Academy on the metrics families compare, against California and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs California | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 18.6:1 | ▼ 13% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 57.5% | ▲ 4% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 520 | top 42% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
18.6:1
Leaner classes than 22% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
520
Bigger than 64% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
57.5%
free-lunch eligible
- 4% 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
18.6:1
students per teacher
- 13% below state mean
Top 25% in California - lower ratio than 75% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
91.0%
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
$17,112
per pupil, district-wide
- above California avg of $16,509
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 260 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 7 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.3 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
Hispanic or Latino 74.0%
African American 14.1%
White 6.9%
Two or More 3.7%
Asian 1.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 74.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 42.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 42.6, Big Picture Educational Academy is less mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Big Picture Educational Academy District, which includes Big Picture Educational Academy.
$17,112
Per student
+4%
vs California
Avg $16,509
+3%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 11.9%
State 72.3%
Federal 15.8%
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 Fresno
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Yosemite Valley Charter
Standard public school
3,065 students 36.5:1 students per teacher
Crescent View West Public Charter
Standard public school
1,703 students 30.4:1 students per teacher
Crescent View South Ii
Standard public school
1,260 students 28.6:1 students per teacher
J. E. Young Academic Center
Alternative education program
976 students 12.5:1 students per teacher
Fresno County Special Education
Special-education school
597 students 8.4:1 students per teacher
Carter G. Woodson Public Charter
Standard public school
364 students 16.5:1 students per teacher
Similar other 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 (~520 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~18.6:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Big Picture Educational Academy's federal record.
- Compare Big Picture Educational Academy against another school. Compare schools
- Big Picture Educational Academy District'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 Big Picture Educational Academy
How many students attend Big Picture Educational Academy?
Big Picture Educational Academy has 520 students enrolled. It is a public school in Fresno, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Big Picture Educational Academy?
The student-teacher ratio at Big Picture Educational Academy is 18.6:1, which is 13% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 18% 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 Big Picture Educational Academy?
57.5% of students at Big Picture Educational Academy are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Big Picture Educational Academy?
The largest demographic group at Big Picture Educational Academy is Hispanic or Latino at 74.0% of enrollment, in Fresno, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Big Picture Educational Academy?
Big Picture Educational Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 26/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Big Picture Educational Academy rank among schools in Fresno?
By Resource Investment Index, Big Picture Educational Academy ranks #19 of 21 schools in Fresno, CA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Fresno on the city page.
Is Big Picture Educational Academy a good school?
Big Picture Educational Academy earns 26/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 75% of California schools. 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 Big Picture Educational Academy District?
None; Big Picture Educational Academy District is a single-school charter district, and Big Picture Educational Academy is its only campus.
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.