Enrollment
442
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · San Diego, CA
Darnall Charter
Federal NCES profile for Darnall Charter, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 21/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 060236401220Charter school
👥 S:T ratio 12
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 41
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Darnall Charter earns 21/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median.
- #159 of 179
- elementary schools in San Diego · Resource Index
- 21
- Resource Index · Lower
- 22.1:1
- students per teacher
- 71.9%
- free-lunch eligible
Darnall Charter has class sizes near the California median. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Darnall Charter ranks #159 of 179 elementary schools in San Diego, CA.
School address
District: Darnall Charter District · California
NCES ID 060236401220 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
20.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
22.1:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
+3% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
71.9%
vs 55.5% California avg
+30% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Darnall Charter compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Darnall Charter
Darnall Charter is a higher-need, mid-sized charter elementary school in San Diego, California, enrolling 442 students.
At 22.1:1, 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.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 71.9% of students eligible for free meals.
With 442 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 2,047 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #1,350.
Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (81% of enrollment) (diversity index 34/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 295 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 60.0% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 23.8% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among San Diego's elementary schools, it stands alongside Albert Einstein Academies (1,448 students): Darnall Charter is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (22.1:1 vs 24.1:1).
Darnall Charter District is a single-school charter district, so Darnall Charter 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 Darnall Charter compares
Darnall Charter on the metrics families compare, against California and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs California | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 22.1:1 | ▲ 3% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 71.9% | ▲ 30% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 442 | top 54% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
22.1:1
Leaner classes than 10% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
442
Bigger than 54% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
71.9%
free-lunch eligible
- 30% 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
22.1:1
students per teacher
- 3% above state mean
Top 54% in California - lower ratio than 46% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
60.0%
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
$15,662
per pupil, district-wide
- below California avg of $16,509
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.5 FTE
Per 295 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 19 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 4.3 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 80.8%
African American 8.6%
Asian 5.7%
Two or More 2.7%
White 1.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.7%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.5%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 80.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 33.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 33.6, Darnall Charter is less mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Darnall Charter District, which includes Darnall Charter.
$15,662
Per student
-5%
vs California
Avg $16,509
-6%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 50.8%
State 25.5%
Federal 23.8%
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 elementary schools in San Diego
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Albert Einstein Academies
Standard public school
1,448 students 24.1:1 students per teacher
Design 39 Campus
Standard public school
1,216 students 27:1 students per teacher
Nestor Language Academy Charter
Standard public school
1,079 students 25.7:1 students per teacher
Ocean View Hills
Standard public school
1,020 students 23.7:1 students per teacher
Language Academy
Standard public school
1,015 students 22.6:1 students per teacher
Del Sur Elementary
Standard public school
891 students 24.1:1 students per teacher
Similar elementary 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 (~442 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~22.1:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Darnall Charter's federal record.
- Compare Darnall Charter against another school. Compare schools
- Darnall Charter 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 Darnall Charter
How many students attend Darnall Charter?
Darnall Charter has 442 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in San Diego, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Darnall Charter?
The student-teacher ratio at Darnall Charter is 22.1:1, which is 3% higher than the California average of 21.5:1 and 41% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Darnall Charter?
71.9% of students at Darnall Charter are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Darnall Charter?
The largest demographic group at Darnall Charter is Hispanic or Latino at 80.8% of enrollment, in San Diego, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Darnall Charter?
Darnall Charter has a Resource Investment Index of 21/100 (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 Darnall Charter rank among elementary schools in San Diego?
By Resource Investment Index, Darnall Charter ranks #159 of 179 elementary schools in San Diego, CA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all elementary schools in San Diego on the city page.
Is Darnall Charter a good school?
Darnall Charter earns 21/100 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 Darnall Charter District?
None; Darnall Charter District is a single-school charter district, and Darnall Charter 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.