Enrollment
305
California · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 060149313752 Charter school
Downtown Charter Academy — Oakland, CA
Federal NCES profile for Downtown Charter Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 42/100.
👥 Class size 6
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 89
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
District: Downtown Charter Academy District · California
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
11.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
23.5:1
vs 21.6:1 California avg
+9% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
69.9%
vs 55.5% California avg
+26% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Downtown Charter Academy compares with California and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
Downtown Charter Academy reports 305 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 11.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 23.5:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 9% above the California state mean of 21.6:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 48% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 69.9% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 26% above the California average and 35% above the national baseline. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 4.3% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Downtown Charter Academy District spends $16,970 per pupil district-wide, below the California average of $18,039 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 20.6% from local sources (property taxes), 64.9% from the state, and 14.5% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 42/100 (D), calculated from 3 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Downtown Charter Academy compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against California state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs California | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 23.5:1 | ▲ 9% | 21.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 69.9% | ▲ 26% | 55.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 305 | top 27% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Economic need
69.9%
free-lunch eligible
— 26% 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
23.5:1
students per teacher
— 9% above state mean
Top 67% in California — lower ratio than 33% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Engagement
4.3%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 10% — strong attendance relative to the post-pandemic national landscape.
Funding equity
$16,970
per pupil, district-wide
— below California avg of $18,039
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
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
Enrollment 305 Top 27% in California — larger than 73% of 10,006 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 11.0
Students per teacher 23.5:1 +9% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 69.9% +26% vs state
NCES ID 060149313752
Student demographics
Asian 76.1%
Hispanic or Latino 13.1%
African American 7.9%
Two or More 2.0%
White 0.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Largest group: Asian at 76.1% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 4.3%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Downtown Charter Academy District, which includes Downtown Charter Academy.
$16,970
Per student
-6%
vs California
Avg $18,039
-13%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 20.6%
State 64.9%
Federal 14.5%
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 middle schools in Oakland
6 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) serving the same city.
Edna Brewer Middle
Standard public school
785 students 19:1 students per teacher
Elmhurst United Middle
Standard public school
729 students 17.4:1 students per teacher
Montera Middle
Standard public school
695 students 15.7:1 students per teacher
Roosevelt Middle
Standard public school
512 students 17.4:1 students per teacher
Claremont Middle
Standard public school
487 students 17.4:1 students per teacher
Frick United Academy of Language Middle
Standard public school
392 students 14.5:1 students per teacher
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about Downtown Charter Academy
How many students attend Downtown Charter Academy?
Downtown Charter Academy has 305 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Oakland, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Downtown Charter Academy?
The student-teacher ratio at Downtown Charter Academy is 23.5:1, which is 9% higher than the California average of 21.6:1 and 48% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Downtown Charter Academy?
69.9% of students at Downtown Charter Academy are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Downtown Charter Academy?
The largest demographic group at Downtown Charter Academy is Asian at 76.1%. The school serves a diverse student body in Oakland, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Downtown Charter Academy?
Downtown Charter Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 42/100 (D) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.