Enrollment
567
California · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Redwood City, CA
Design Tech High
Federal NCES profile for Design Tech High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 37/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 060232413774Charter school
👥 S:T ratio 1
📚 AP courses 10
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 72
📋 Attendance 70
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Design Tech High earns 37/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 77% of California schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most California schools.
- #1 of 5
- high schools in Redwood City · Resource Index
- 37
- Resource Index · Typical
- 24.7:1
- large classes for California
- 6.1%
- free-lunch eligible
Design Tech High has class sizes larger than 77% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Design Tech High ranks #1 of 5 high schools in Redwood City, CA.
School address
District: Design Tech High District · California
NCES ID 060232413774 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
23.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
24.7:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
+15% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
6.1%
vs 55.5% California avg
-89% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Design Tech High compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Design Tech High
Design Tech High is a lower-poverty, mid-sized charter high school in Redwood City, California, enrolling 567 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 24.7:1 puts it in the larger third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 6.1% free-meal eligibility runs 89% below the California average.
With 567 students, its enrollment sits close to the California median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 9,998 scored California schools.
Against 719 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #168.
Its student body is led by White (41%) and Asian (25%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 72/100).
No Advanced Placement courses are reported for this campus in the federal data.
Counselor coverage is strong, about 142 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
12.0% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Among Redwood City's high schools, it stands alongside Sequoia High (1,854 students): Design Tech High is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (24.7:1 vs 17.3:1).
Design Tech High District is a single-school charter district, so Design Tech High 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 Design Tech High compares
Design Tech 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 | 24.7:1 | ▲ 15% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 6.1% | ▼ 89% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 567 | top 36% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
24.7:1
Leaner classes than 5% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
567
Bigger than 69% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
6.1%
free-lunch eligible
- 89% 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
24.7:1
students per teacher
- 15% above state mean
Top 77% in California - lower ratio than 23% of state schools
Well above 20:1, one of the more stretched staffing loads nationally relative to enrollment.
Engagement
12.0%
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
$18,226
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
Counselors4.0 FTE
Per 142 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
2
in-school suspensions + 12 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.5 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 41.2%
Asian 24.9%
Two or More 17.6%
Hispanic or Latino 14.6%
African American 1.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.5%
Largest group: White at 41.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 71.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 71.6, Design Tech High is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
AP program Not offered
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Design Tech High District, which includes Design Tech High.
$18,226
Per student
+10%
vs California
Avg $16,509
+10%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 92.3%
State 5.2%
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.
Similar high schools in Redwood City
4 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
Sequoia High
Standard public school
1,854 students 17.3:1 students per teacher
Summit Preparatory Charter High
Standard public school
293 students 17.2:1 students per teacher
Everest Public High
Standard public school
224 students 17.2:1 students per teacher
Redwood High
Alternative education program
175 students 25:1 students per teacher
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.
Similar enrollment (~567 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~24.7:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Design Tech High's federal record.
- Compare Design Tech High against another school. Compare schools
- Design Tech High 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 Design Tech High
How many students attend Design Tech High?
Design Tech High has 567 students enrolled. It is a high school in Redwood City, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Design Tech High?
The student-teacher ratio at Design Tech High is 24.7:1, which is 15% higher than the California average of 21.5:1 and 57% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Design Tech High?
6.1% of students at Design Tech High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Design Tech High?
The largest demographic group at Design Tech High is White at 41.2% of enrollment, in Redwood City, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 71.6/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Design Tech High?
Design Tech High has a Resource Investment Index of 37/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Design Tech High rank among high schools in Redwood City?
By Resource Investment Index, Design Tech High ranks #1 of 5 high schools in Redwood City, 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 Redwood City on the city page.
Is Design Tech High a good school?
Design Tech High earns 37/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 77% 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 Design Tech High District?
None; Design Tech High District is a single-school charter district, and Design Tech High 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.