Enrollment
1,216
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · San Diego, CA
Design 39 Campus
Federal NCES profile for Design 39 Campus, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 22/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 063153013729
👥 S:T ratio 0
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 59
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Design 39 Campus earns 22/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 89% of California schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most California schools.
- #151 of 179
- elementary schools in San Diego · Resource Index
- 22
- Resource Index · Lower
- 27:1
- large classes for California
- 6.4%
- free-lunch eligible
Design 39 Campus has class sizes larger than 89% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Design 39 Campus ranks #151 of 179 elementary schools in San Diego, CA.
School address
District: Poway Unified · California
NCES ID 063153013729 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
45.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
27:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
+26% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
6.4%
vs 55.5% California avg
-88% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Design 39 Campus compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Design 39 Campus
Design 39 Campus is a lower-poverty, large elementary school in San Diego, California, enrolling 1,216 students.
Class loads run heavy: 27:1 is larger than about 89% of California schools and 26% above the 21.5:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 6.4% free-meal eligibility runs 88% below the California average.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in California, bigger than 92% of state schools at 1,216 students.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 9,998 scored California schools.
Among 244 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need California schools statewide, it ranks #234, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by Asian (48%) and White (29%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 66/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 608 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
16.3% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Among San Diego's elementary schools, it stands alongside Albert Einstein Academies (1,448 students): Design 39 Campus is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (27:1 vs 24.1:1).
Poway Unified also operates Del Norte High (2,557 students) and Rancho Bernardo High (2,210 students) alongside Design 39 Campus.
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 Design 39 Campus compares
Design 39 Campus on the metrics families compare, against California and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs California | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 27:1 | ▲ 26% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 6.4% | ▼ 88% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 1,216 | top 8% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
27:1
Leaner classes than 3% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
1,216
Bigger than 94% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
6.4%
free-lunch eligible
- 88% 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
27:1
students per teacher
- 26% 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
16.3%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 608 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 14 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.2 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 47.7%
White 29.4%
Two or More 12.0%
Hispanic or Latino 9.7%
African American 1.1%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: Asian at 47.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 66.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 66.2, Design 39 Campus is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Poway Unified, which includes Design 39 Campus.
$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 Design 39 Campus Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Del Norte High | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Rancho Bernardo High | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Westview High | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Poway High | Larger | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Mt. Carmel High | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Design 39 Campus's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,557
- Students per teacher
- 26.9:1
- Resource Index
- 25/100
- Enrollment
- 2,210
- Students per teacher
- 24.8:1
- Resource Index
- 24/100
- Enrollment
- 2,116
- Students per teacher
- 23.5:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
- Enrollment
- 2,101
- Students per teacher
- 23.1:1
- Resource Index
- 23/100
- Enrollment
- 1,800
- Students per teacher
- 22.5:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
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
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
Westwood Elementary
Standard public school
832 students 21.3:1 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 (~1,216 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~27:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Design 39 Campus's federal record.
- Compare Design 39 Campus against another school. Compare schools
- Poway 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 Design 39 Campus
How many students attend Design 39 Campus?
Design 39 Campus has 1,216 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in San Diego, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Design 39 Campus?
The student-teacher ratio at Design 39 Campus is 27:1, which is 26% higher than the California average of 21.5:1 and 72% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Design 39 Campus?
6.4% of students at Design 39 Campus are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Design 39 Campus?
The largest demographic group at Design 39 Campus is Asian at 47.7% of enrollment, in San Diego, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 66.2/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Design 39 Campus?
Design 39 Campus has a Resource Investment Index of 22/100 (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 Design 39 Campus rank among elementary schools in San Diego?
By Resource Investment Index, Design 39 Campus ranks #151 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 Design 39 Campus a good school?
Design 39 Campus earns 22/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 89% of California schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most 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 Poway Unified?
Besides Design 39 Campus, Poway Unified also operates Del Norte High (2,557 students), Rancho Bernardo High (2,210 students), and Westview High (2,116 students). See the Poway 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.