Enrollment
408
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · El Cajon, CA
Diego Valley East Public Charter
Federal NCES profile for Diego Valley East Public Charter, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 12/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 060238614301Charter school
👥 S:T ratio 0
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 18
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Diego Valley East Public Charter earns 12/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 95% of California schools.
- #4 of 4
- schools in El Cajon · Resource Index
- 12
- Resource Index · Lower
- 29.1:1
- large classes for California
- 77.6%
- free-lunch eligible
Diego Valley East Public Charter has class sizes larger than 95% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Diego Valley East Public Charter ranks #4 of 4 schools in El Cajon, CA.
School address
District: Diego Valley East Public Charter District · California
NCES ID 060238614301 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
14.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
29.1:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
+35% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
77.6%
vs 55.5% California avg
+40% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Diego Valley East Public Charter compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Diego Valley East Public Charter
Diego Valley East Public Charter is a high-poverty, mid-sized charter combined-grade school in El Cajon, California, enrolling 408 students.
Class loads run heavy: 29.1:1 is larger than about 95% of California schools and 35% above the 21.5:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 77.6% of students eligible for free meals.
With 408 students, its enrollment sits close to the California median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 95% of the 9,998 California schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.
Among 1,948 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need California schools statewide, it ranks #1,766, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (44%) and Hispanic or Latino (42%) (diversity index 63/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 408 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 80.4% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Among El Cajon's public schools, it stands alongside Literacy First Charter (2,160 students): Diego Valley East Public Charter is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (29.1:1 vs 23.5:1).
Diego Valley East Public Charter District is a single-school charter district, so Diego Valley East Public 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 Diego Valley East Public Charter compares
Diego Valley East Public 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 | 29.1:1 | ▲ 35% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 77.6% | ▲ 40% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 408 | top 59% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
29.1:1
Leaner classes than 2% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
408
Bigger than 49% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
77.6%
free-lunch eligible
- 40% 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
29.1:1
students per teacher
- 35% above state mean
Top 95% in California - lower ratio than 5% of state schools
Well above 20:1, one of the more stretched staffing loads nationally relative to enrollment.
Engagement
80.4%
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
$14,709
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 408 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 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 43.5%
Hispanic or Latino 41.8%
African American 5.7%
Two or More 4.9%
Asian 2.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.7%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: White at 43.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 63.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 63.0, Diego Valley East Public Charter is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
AP courses offered 2
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Diego Valley East Public Charter District, which includes Diego Valley East Public Charter.
$14,709
Per student
-11%
vs California
Avg $16,509
-11%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 11.2%
State 80.0%
Federal 8.8%
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 other schools in El Cajon
3 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Similar other 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 (~408 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~29.1:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Diego Valley East Public Charter's federal record.
- Compare Diego Valley East Public Charter against another school. Compare schools
- Diego Valley East Public 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 Diego Valley East Public Charter
How many students attend Diego Valley East Public Charter?
Diego Valley East Public Charter has 408 students enrolled. It is a public school in El Cajon, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Diego Valley East Public Charter?
The student-teacher ratio at Diego Valley East Public Charter is 29.1:1, which is 35% higher than the California average of 21.5:1 and 85% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Diego Valley East Public Charter?
77.6% of students at Diego Valley East Public Charter are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Diego Valley East Public Charter?
The largest demographic group at Diego Valley East Public Charter is White at 43.5% of enrollment, in El Cajon, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 63.0/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Diego Valley East Public Charter?
Diego Valley East Public Charter has a Resource Investment Index of 12/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 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 Diego Valley East Public Charter rank among schools in El Cajon?
By Resource Investment Index, Diego Valley East Public Charter ranks #4 of 4 schools in El Cajon, CA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in El Cajon on the city page.
Is Diego Valley East Public Charter a good school?
Diego Valley East Public Charter earns 12/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 95% 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 Diego Valley East Public Charter District?
None; Diego Valley East Public Charter District is a single-school charter district, and Diego Valley East Public Charter is its only campus.
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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.