High school (grades 9-12) · San Diego, CA

Del Norte High

Federal NCES profile for Del Norte High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 40/100.

2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 063153012216
0/100100/10040/100
👥 S:T ratio
0
📚 AP courses
100
🌟 Gifted program
30
🎓 Counselors
0
📋 Attendance
69
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

Del Norte High earns 40/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 89% of California schools. It is also one of the largest schools in California.

#28 of 41
high schools in San Diego · Resource Index
40
Resource Index · Typical
26.9:1
large classes for California
9.6%
free-lunch eligible

Del Norte High has class sizes larger than 89% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, Del Norte High ranks #28 of 41 high schools in San Diego, CA.

School address

Enrollment

2,557

California · 2024-25 NCES data

Teachers (FTE)

95.0

Federal CCD staff survey

Students per teacher

26.9:1

vs 21.5:1 California avg

+25% vs state

Free-lunch eligible

9.6%

vs 55.5% California avg

-83% vs state

Student-teacher ratio in context

How Del Norte High compares with California and U.S. medians

Larger classes than state median

Source: NCES Common Core of Data As of 2024-25 federal staff survey Total enrollment ÷ full-time-equivalent classroom teachers

What stands out at Del Norte High

Del Norte High is a lower-poverty, large high school in San Diego, California, enrolling 2,557 students.

Class loads run heavy: 26.9:1 is larger than about 89% of California schools and 25% above the 21.5:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.

Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 9.6% free-meal eligibility runs 83% below the California average.

By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in California, bigger than 99% of state schools at 2,557 students.

Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 9,998 scored California schools.

Among 133 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need California schools statewide, it ranks #116, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.

Its student body is led by Asian (45%) and White (36%) (diversity index 66/100).

On the academic-pipeline side it reports 20 Advanced Placement courses.

Counselor access is stretched at roughly 639 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.

12.3% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.

Among San Diego's high schools, it stands alongside Torrey Pines High (2,536 students): Del Norte High is larger than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (26.9:1 vs 24.9:1).

Poway Unified also operates Rancho Bernardo High (2,210 students) and Westview High (2,116 students) alongside Del Norte 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 Del Norte High compares

Del Norte 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 26.9:1 ▲ 25% 21.5:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 9.6% ▼ 83% 55.5% 51.7%
Enrollment 2,557 top 1% - -

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25

26.9:1
Leaner classes than 3% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
2,557
Bigger than 99% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.

Equity indicators (what these measure)

Economic need
9.6%
free-lunch eligible - 83% 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
26.9:1
students per teacher - 25% above state mean
Top 89% in California - lower ratio than 11% of state schools
Well above 20:1, one of the more stretched staffing loads nationally relative to enrollment.
Engagement
12.3%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 10-15% range, above the pre-pandemic national baseline but within the broader post-pandemic picture.
Funding equity
$13,960
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
Counselors4.0 FTE
Per 639 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
2
in-school suspensions + 20 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.9 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 44.5%
White 35.6%
Two or More 10.0%
Hispanic or Latino 8.6%
African American 1.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%

Largest group: Asian at 44.5% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 65.8/100

Simpson diversity index - at 65.8, Del Norte High is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.

Programs

AP courses offered 20

Funding & spending

District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Poway Unified, which includes Del Norte High.

$13,960
Per student
-15%
vs California
Avg $16,509
-16%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 54.2%
State 39.4%
Federal 6.4%

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 Norte High Compares to District-Mates

School Enrollment Economic Profile Student-Teacher Ratio
Rancho Bernardo High Similar size Similar economic need Lower S:T ratio
Westview High Similar size Similar economic need Lower S:T ratio
Poway High Similar size Higher economic need Lower S:T ratio
Mt. Carmel High Smaller Similar economic need Lower S:T ratio
Oak Valley Middle Smaller Similar economic need Lower S:T ratio

Comparisons are relative to Del Norte High's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.

Other Schools in This District

Poway Unified · 5 sibling schools

View district profile

Similar high schools in San Diego

6 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.

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.

Next steps

Verify locally before acting on Del Norte High's federal record.

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 Norte High

How many students attend Del Norte High?

Del Norte High has 2,557 students enrolled. It is a high school in San Diego, CA.

What is the student-teacher ratio at Del Norte High?

The student-teacher ratio at Del Norte High is 26.9:1, which is 25% higher than the California average of 21.5:1 and 71% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.

What percentage of students receive free lunch at Del Norte High?

9.6% of students at Del Norte High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Del Norte High?

The largest demographic group at Del Norte High is Asian at 44.5% of enrollment, in San Diego, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 65.8/100.

What is the Resource Investment Index for Del Norte High?

Del Norte High has a Resource Investment Index of 40/100 (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 Del Norte High rank among high schools in San Diego?

By Resource Investment Index, Del Norte High ranks #28 of 41 high 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 high schools in San Diego on the city page.

Is Del Norte High a good school?

Del Norte High earns 40/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 89% of California schools. It is also one of the largest schools in California. 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 Poway Unified?

Besides Del Norte High, Poway Unified also operates Rancho Bernardo High (2,210 students), Westview High (2,116 students), and Poway High (2,101 students). See the Poway Unified district page for the complete list.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) CCD + Public School Universe (2024-25), CRDC (2021-22), F-33 District Finance Survey (FY 2021-22) · 2024-25 Data as of the 2024-25 school year. Coverage from U.S. Department of Education NCES Common Core of Data. Varies by entity type; administrative districts and certain charter networks may report only a subset of fields.

All federal data sources used on this page

Full source list and how we compute each figure: methodology page.

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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.