Enrollment
101
California · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · San Marcos, CA
Foothills High
Federal NCES profile for Foothills High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 33/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 063488009629
👥 S:T ratio 19
📚 AP courses 10
🌟 Gifted program 70
📋 Attendance 33
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Foothills High earns 33/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median.
- #3 of 5
- high schools in San Marcos · Resource Index
- 33
- Resource Index · Typical
- 20.2:1
- students per teacher
- 41.1%
- free-lunch eligible
Foothills High has class sizes near the California median. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Foothills High ranks #3 of 5 high schools in San Marcos, CA.
School address
District: San Marcos Unified · California
NCES ID 063488009629 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
5.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
20.2:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-6% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
41.1%
vs 55.5% California avg
-26% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Foothills High compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Foothills High
Foothills High is a small high school in San Marcos, California, enrolling 101 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 20.2:1 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 41.1% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 101 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 9,998 scored California schools.
Against 211 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #64.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (60%) and White (32%) (diversity index 53/100).
No Advanced Placement courses are reported for this campus in the federal data.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 26.7% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Among San Marcos's high schools, it stands alongside San Marcos High (3,067 students): Foothills High is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (20.2:1 vs 24.5:1).
San Marcos Unified also operates San Marcos High (3,067 students) and Mission Hills High (2,751 students) alongside Foothills 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 Foothills High compares
Foothills 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 | 20.2:1 | ▼ 6% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 41.1% | ▼ 26% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 101 | top 90% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
20.2:1
Leaner classes than 15% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
101
Bigger than 10% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
41.1%
free-lunch eligible
- 26% 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
20.2:1
students per teacher
- 6% below state mean
Top 36% in California - lower ratio than 64% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
26.7%
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
$13,965
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
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
- 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 60.4%
White 31.7%
Two or More 4.0%
African American 2.0%
Asian 2.0%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 60.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 53.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 53.2, Foothills High is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
AP program Not offered
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for San Marcos Unified, which includes Foothills High.
$13,965
Per student
-15%
vs California
Avg $16,509
-16%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 36.7%
State 52.8%
Federal 10.5%
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.
How Foothills High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Marcos High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Mission Hills High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| San Elijo Middle | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Woodland Park Middle | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Double Peak | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Foothills High's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 3,067
- Students per teacher
- 24.5:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 2,751
- Students per teacher
- 25.7:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
- Enrollment
- 1,395
- Students per teacher
- 23.6:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 1,184
- Students per teacher
- 21.9:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
- Enrollment
- 1,171
- Students per teacher
- 21.7:1
- Resource Index
- 29/100
Similar high schools in San Marcos
4 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
San Marcos High
Standard public school
3,067 students 24.5:1 students per teacher
Mission Hills High
Standard public school
2,751 students 25.7:1 students per teacher
High Tech High North County
Standard public school
409 students 20.4:1 students per teacher
Twin Oaks High
Alternative education program
192 students 9.6:1 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 (~101 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~20.2:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Foothills High's federal record.
- Compare Foothills High against another school. Compare schools
- San Marcos 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 Foothills High
How many students attend Foothills High?
Foothills High has 101 students enrolled. It is a high school in San Marcos, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Foothills High?
The student-teacher ratio at Foothills High is 20.2:1, which is 6% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 29% higher than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Foothills High?
41.1% of students at Foothills High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Foothills High?
The largest demographic group at Foothills High is Hispanic or Latino at 60.4% of enrollment, in San Marcos, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 53.2/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Foothills High?
Foothills High has a Resource Investment Index of 33/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Foothills High rank among high schools in San Marcos?
By Resource Investment Index, Foothills High ranks #3 of 5 high schools in San Marcos, 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 San Marcos on the city page.
Is Foothills High a good school?
Foothills High earns 33/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median. 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 San Marcos Unified?
Besides Foothills High, San Marcos Unified also operates San Marcos High (3,067 students), Mission Hills High (2,751 students), and San Elijo Middle (1,395 students). See the San Marcos 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.