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

Golden Hill K-8

Federal NCES profile for Golden Hill K-8, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 25/100.

2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 063432011157
0/100100/10025/100
👥 S:T ratio
16
🌟 Gifted program
30
🎓 Counselors
54
📋 Attendance
0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

Golden Hill K-8 earns 25/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median.

#130 of 179
elementary schools in San Diego · Resource Index
25
Resource Index · Lower
21.1:1
students per teacher
63.4%
free-lunch eligible

Golden Hill K-8 has class sizes near the California median. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, Golden Hill K-8 ranks #130 of 179 elementary schools in San Diego, CA.

School address

Enrollment

464

California · 2024-25 NCES data

Teachers (FTE)

22.0

Federal CCD staff survey

Students per teacher

21.1:1

vs 21.5:1 California avg

-2% vs state

Free-lunch eligible

63.4%

vs 55.5% California avg

+14% vs state

Student-teacher ratio in context

How Golden Hill K-8 compares with California and U.S. medians

At or below state median

Source: NCES Common Core of Data As of 2024-25 federal staff survey Total enrollment ÷ full-time-equivalent classroom teachers

What stands out at Golden Hill K-8

Golden Hill K-8 is a higher-need, mid-sized elementary school in San Diego, California, enrolling 464 students.

At 21.1:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the California median, within a few percentage points of the 21.5:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.

Its free-meal eligibility rate of 63.4% lands close to the California typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.

With 464 students, its enrollment sits close to the California median campus size.

Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 9,998 scored California schools.

Against 1,938 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #942.

Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (75%) and White (16%) (diversity index 41/100).

Counselor coverage is strong, about 232 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.

Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 43.5% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).

Among San Diego's elementary schools, it stands alongside Albert Einstein Academies (1,448 students): Golden Hill K-8 is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (21.1:1 vs 24.1:1).

San Diego Unified also operates Henry High (2,485 students) and Mira Mesa High (2,187 students) alongside Golden Hill K-8.

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 Golden Hill K-8 compares

Golden Hill K-8 on the metrics families compare, against California and U.S. means.

Metric This school vs California California avg U.S. avg
Students per teacher 21.1:1 ▼ 2% 21.5:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 63.4% ▲ 14% 55.5% 51.7%
Enrollment 464 top 50% - -

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

21.1:1
Leaner classes than 13% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
464
Bigger than 57% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.

Equity indicators (what these measure)

Economic need
63.4%
free-lunch eligible - 14% 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
21.1:1
students per teacher - 2% below state mean
Top 44% in California - lower ratio than 56% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
43.5%
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
$18,665
per pupil, district-wide - above California avg of $16,509
Somewhat above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 232 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

Hispanic or Latino 74.6%
White 15.5%
Two or More 7.1%
African American 1.5%
Asian 0.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%

Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 74.6% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 41.4/100

Simpson diversity index - at 41.4, Golden Hill K-8 is less mixed than the California school average of 46.0.

Programs

Funding & spending

District-wide per-pupil expenditure for San Diego Unified, which includes Golden Hill K-8.

$18,665
Per student
+13%
vs California
Avg $16,509
+12%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 60.5%
State 25.1%
Federal 14.4%

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 Golden Hill K-8 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 Higher economic need Similar 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 Golden Hill K-8'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.

Similar elementary 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.

Next steps

Verify locally before acting on Golden Hill K-8's federal record.

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 Golden Hill K-8

How many students attend Golden Hill K-8?

Golden Hill K-8 has 464 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in San Diego, CA.

What is the student-teacher ratio at Golden Hill K-8?

The student-teacher ratio at Golden Hill K-8 is 21.1:1, which is 2% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 34% 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 Golden Hill K-8?

63.4% of students at Golden Hill K-8 are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Golden Hill K-8?

The largest demographic group at Golden Hill K-8 is Hispanic or Latino at 74.6% of enrollment, in San Diego, CA.

What is the Resource Investment Index for Golden Hill K-8?

Golden Hill K-8 has a Resource Investment Index of 25/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).

How does Golden Hill K-8 rank among elementary schools in San Diego?

By Resource Investment Index, Golden Hill K-8 ranks #130 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.

Is Golden Hill K-8 a good school?

Golden Hill K-8 earns 25/100 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 Diego Unified?

Besides Golden Hill K-8, 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 2021-22) · 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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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.