Elementary school (grades K-5) · San Diego, CA

Fay Elementary

Federal NCES profile for Fay Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 26/100.

2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 063432005484
0/100100/10026/100
👥 S:T ratio
6
🌟 Gifted program
30
🎓 Counselors
66
📋 Attendance
0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

Fay Elementary earns 26/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median.

#122 of 179
elementary schools in San Diego · Resource Index
26
Resource Index · Lower
23.4:1
students per teacher
86.6%
free-lunch eligible

Fay Elementary has class sizes near the California median. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, Fay Elementary ranks #122 of 179 elementary schools in San Diego, CA.

School address

CCD year-over-year · 2022-23 → 2023-24

+21 students YoY

Fay Elementary held near 490 students from 2022-23 to 2023-24 (+21 headcount).

Teacher FTE lost 22.0 → 21.0 across the same CCD years.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data public-school universe (2022-23, 2023-24).

Steady CCD campus

+21 students YoY 063432005484 · San Diego, CA Elementary · MID · TRAD

514 enr · 23.4:1 · 86.6% lunch · RII 26

Nearest enrollment peer: Henry High (2,485 students)

Fay Elementary held near 490 students from 2022-23 to 2023-24 (+21 headcount). Teacher FTE lost 22.0 → 21.0 across the same CCD years. Read with this school → · District book → · California schools → · Find another →

Fay Elementary in the enrollment neighbourhood

Fall enrollment among this campus and nearest district peers

students

What this shows Fay Elementary reports 514 students on the CCD universe file.

Source U.S. Department of Education, NCES Common Core of Data (Public School Universe) As of 2024-25

How Fay Elementary compares

Fay Elementary held steady on CCD headcount: ratios and free-lunch share vs California and U.S. means.

Metric This school vs California California avg U.S. avg
Students per teacher 23.4:1 ▲ 9% 21.5:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 86.6% ▲ 56% 55.5% 51.7%
Enrollment 514 top 43% - -

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25

23.4:1
Leaner classes than 7% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
514
Bigger than 63% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.

Equity indicators methodology

Economic need
86.6%
free-lunch eligible - 56% above the California average of 55.5%
Well above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold, among the highest-need profiles in the state; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
23.4:1
students per teacher - 9% above state mean
Top 66% in California - lower ratio than 34% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
59.9%
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
$20,783
per pupil, district-wide - above California avg of $18,665
Somewhat above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 171 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 11 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.1 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.

Student demographics

Hispanic or Latino 60.7%
African American 24.3%
Asian 7.4%
Two or More 3.5%
White 2.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 1.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.6%

Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 60.7% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 56.5/100

Simpson diversity index - at 56.5, Fay Elementary is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.

Programs

District finance for San Diego Unified reports $20,783 per pupil (NCES F-33) - open the district page for the full revenue mix.

How Fay Elementary Compares to District-Mates

School Enrollment Economic Profile Student-Teacher Ratio
Henry High Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
Mira Mesa High Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
Hoover High Larger Lower economic need Lower S:T ratio
Scripps Ranch High Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
Point Loma High Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio

Comparisons are relative to Fay Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.

Other Schools in This District

San Diego Unified · 5 sibling schools

View district profile

Similar elementary schools in San Diego

6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.

Nationwide elementary schools with similar size or staffing

Out-of-state peers matched by enrollment and by student-teacher ratio, not the same-city or same-district lists above.

Frequently asked questions about Fay Elementary

How many students attend Fay Elementary?

Fay Elementary has 514 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in San Diego, CA. CCD year-over-year: 469 (2022-23) → 490 (2023-24), nearly flat (+21).

What is the student-teacher ratio at Fay Elementary?

The student-teacher ratio at Fay Elementary is 23.4:1, which is 9% higher than the California average of 21.5:1 and 49% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.

What percentage of students receive free lunch at Fay Elementary?

86.6% of students at Fay Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Fay Elementary?

The largest demographic group at Fay Elementary is Hispanic or Latino at 60.7% of enrollment, in San Diego, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 56.5/100.

What is the Resource Investment Index for Fay Elementary?

Fay Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 26/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, gifted-program reporting, counselor availability, chronic absenteeism. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).

How does Fay Elementary rank among elementary schools in San Diego?

By Resource Investment Index, Fay Elementary ranks #122 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.

What other schools are in San Diego Unified?

Besides Fay Elementary, San Diego Unified also operates Henry High (2,485 students), Mira Mesa High (2,187 students), and Hoover High (2,011 students). See the San Diego Unified district page for the complete list.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) CCD + Public School Universe (2024-25), CRDC (2021-22), F-33 District Finance Survey (FY 2022-23) · 2024-25 Data as of the 2024-25 school year. Coverage from U.S. Department of Education NCES Common Core of Data. Varies by entity type; administrative districts and certain charter networks may report only a subset of fields.

All federal data sources used on this page

Full source list and how we compute each figure: methodology page.

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