Enrollment
293
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Del Mar, CA
Del Mar Heights Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Del Mar Heights Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 43/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 061074001189
👥 S:T ratio 38
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 62
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Del Mar Heights Elementary earns 43/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 88% of California schools.
- 43
- Resource Index · Typical
- 15.4:1
- small classes for California
- 7.4%
- free-lunch eligible
- 293
- students enrolled
Del Mar Heights Elementary has class sizes smaller than 88% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Del Mar Union Elementary · California
NCES ID 061074001189 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
19.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.4:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-28% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
7.4%
vs 55.5% California avg
-87% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Del Mar Heights Elementary compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Del Mar Heights Elementary
Del Mar Heights Elementary is a lower-poverty, mid-sized elementary school in Del Mar, California, enrolling 293 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 15.4:1, Del Mar Heights Elementary is leaner than roughly 88% of California schools and 28% under the state's 21.5:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 7.4% free-meal eligibility runs 87% below the California average.
Enrollment of 293 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 9,998 scored California schools.
Against 276 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #77.
Its student body is led by White (59%) and Two or More (14%) (diversity index 60/100).
15.4% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Among Del Mar's elementary schools, it stands alongside Del Mar Hills Elementary (224 students): Del Mar Heights Elementary is larger than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (15.4:1 vs 14:1).
Del Mar Union Elementary also operates Carmel Del Mar Elementary (562 students) and Sage Canyon (457 students) alongside Del Mar Heights Elementary.
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 Del Mar Heights Elementary compares
Del Mar Heights Elementary on the metrics families compare, against California and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs California | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 15.4:1 | ▼ 28% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 7.4% | ▼ 87% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 293 | top 75% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
15.4:1
Leaner classes than 43% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
293
Bigger than 31% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
7.4%
free-lunch eligible
- 87% below the California average of 55.5%
Below the 40% Title I threshold, among the lower-need profiles in the state; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
15.4:1
students per teacher
- 28% below state mean
Top 12% in California - lower ratio than 88% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
15.4%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$18,416
per pupil, district-wide
- above California avg of $16,509
Somewhat above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 1 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.3 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
White 58.7%
Two or More 14.3%
Asian 13.7%
Hispanic or Latino 12.3%
African American 1.0%
Largest group: White at 58.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 60.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 60.1, Del Mar Heights Elementary is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Del Mar Union Elementary, which includes Del Mar Heights Elementary.
$18,416
Per student
+12%
vs California
Avg $16,509
+11%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 84.4%
State 13.1%
Federal 2.5%
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 Del Mar Heights Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carmel Del Mar Elementary | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Sage Canyon | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Ocean Air | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Torrey Hills | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Sycamore Ridge | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Del Mar Heights Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 562
- Students per teacher
- 21.6:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
- Enrollment
- 457
- Students per teacher
- 19:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 450
- Students per teacher
- 18.8:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 389
- Students per teacher
- 16.2:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
- Enrollment
- 386
- Students per teacher
- 16.1:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
Similar elementary schools in Del Mar
1 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
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 (~293 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Del Mar Heights Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Del Mar Heights Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Del Mar Union Elementary'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 Del Mar Heights Elementary
How many students attend Del Mar Heights Elementary?
Del Mar Heights Elementary has 293 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Del Mar, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Del Mar Heights Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Del Mar Heights Elementary is 15.4:1, which is 28% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 2% lower 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 Del Mar Heights Elementary?
7.4% of students at Del Mar Heights Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Del Mar Heights Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Del Mar Heights Elementary is White at 58.7% of enrollment, in Del Mar, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 60.1/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Del Mar Heights Elementary?
Del Mar Heights Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 43/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
Is Del Mar Heights Elementary a good school?
Del Mar Heights Elementary earns 43/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 88% 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 Del Mar Union Elementary?
Besides Del Mar Heights Elementary, Del Mar Union Elementary also operates Carmel Del Mar Elementary (562 students), Sage Canyon (457 students), and Ocean Air (450 students). See the Del Mar Union Elementary 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.