Enrollment
4,051
California · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Downey, CA
Downey High
Federal NCES profile for Downey High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 46/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 061146001264
👥 S:T ratio 7
📚 AP courses 90
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 19
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Downey High earns 46/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median. It is also one of the largest schools in California.
- #1 of 3
- high schools in Downey · Resource Index
- 46
- Resource Index · Typical
- 23.3:1
- students per teacher
- 54.1%
- free-lunch eligible
Downey High has class sizes near the California median. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Downey High ranks #1 of 3 high schools in Downey, CA.
School address
District: Downey Unified · California
NCES ID 061146001264 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
174.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
23.3:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
+8% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
54.1%
vs 55.5% California avg
-3% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Downey High compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Downey High
Downey High is a higher-need, large high school in Downey, California, enrolling 4,051 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 23.3:1 puts it in the larger third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 54.1% lands close to the California typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in California, bigger than 99% of state schools at 4,051 students.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 9,998 scored California schools.
Against 40 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #13.
Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (89% of enrollment) (diversity index 21/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 18 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 405 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 1 expulsion at this campus for 2021-22.
Among Downey's high schools, it stands alongside Warren (Earl) High (3,609 students): Downey High is larger than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (23.3:1 vs 24.9:1).
Downey Unified also operates Warren (Earl) High (3,609 students) and Stauffer (Mary R.) Middle (1,329 students) alongside Downey 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 Downey High compares
Downey 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 | 23.3:1 | ▲ 8% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 54.1% | ▼ 3% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 4,051 | top 1% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
23.3:1
Leaner classes than 8% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
4,051
Bigger than 99% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
54.1%
free-lunch eligible
- 3% below the California average of 55.5%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
23.3:1
students per teacher
- 8% above state mean
Top 65% in California - lower ratio than 35% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Funding equity
$15,382
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
Counselors10.0 FTE
Per 405 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 162 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 4.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 1 expulsion.
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
Hispanic or Latino 88.6%
White 4.5%
Asian 3.0%
African American 2.8%
Two or More 0.6%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.3%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 88.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 21.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 21.1, Downey High is less mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
AP courses offered 18
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Downey Unified, which includes Downey High.
$15,382
Per student
-7%
vs California
Avg $16,509
-7%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 20.5%
State 67.1%
Federal 12.4%
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 Downey High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Warren (Earl) High | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Stauffer (Mary R.) Middle | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Doty (Wendy Lopour) Middle | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Griffiths (Gordon) Middle | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Sussman (Edward a.) Middle | Smaller | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Downey High's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 3,609
- Students per teacher
- 24.9:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
- Enrollment
- 1,329
- Students per teacher
- 24.2:1
- Resource Index
- 25/100
- Enrollment
- 1,304
- Students per teacher
- 26.1:1
- Resource Index
- 27/100
- Enrollment
- 1,264
- Students per teacher
- 25.3:1
- Resource Index
- 28/100
- Enrollment
- 1,240
- Students per teacher
- 26.4:1
- Resource Index
- 22/100
Similar high schools in Downey
2 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.
Similar enrollment (~4,051 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~23.3:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Downey High's federal record.
- Compare Downey High against another school. Compare schools
- Downey 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 Downey High
How many students attend Downey High?
Downey High has 4,051 students enrolled. It is a high school in Downey, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Downey High?
The student-teacher ratio at Downey High is 23.3:1, which is 8% higher than the California average of 21.5:1 and 48% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Downey High?
54.1% of students at Downey High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Downey High?
The largest demographic group at Downey High is Hispanic or Latino at 88.6% of enrollment, in Downey, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Downey High?
Downey High has a Resource Investment Index of 46/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Downey High rank among high schools in Downey?
By Resource Investment Index, Downey High ranks #1 of 3 high schools in Downey, 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 Downey on the city page.
Is Downey High a good school?
Downey High earns 46/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median. 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 Downey Unified?
Besides Downey High, Downey Unified also operates Warren (Earl) High (3,609 students), Stauffer (Mary R.) Middle (1,329 students), and Doty (Wendy Lopour) Middle (1,304 students). See the Downey 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.