Enrollment
355
California · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · San Diego, CA
High Tech High Media Arts
Federal NCES profile for High Tech High Media Arts, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 21/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 060151511386Charter school
👥 S:T ratio 36
📚 AP courses 10
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 29
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
High Tech High Media Arts earns 21/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 86% of California schools.
- #31 of 41
- high schools in San Diego · Resource Index
- 21
- Resource Index · Lower
- 16.1:1
- small classes for California
- 33.2%
- free-lunch eligible
High Tech High Media Arts has class sizes smaller than 86% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, High Tech High Media Arts ranks #31 of 41 high schools in San Diego, CA.
School address
District: High Tech High Media Arts District · California
NCES ID 060151511386 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
22.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.1:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-25% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
33.2%
vs 55.5% California avg
-40% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How High Tech High Media Arts compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at High Tech High Media Arts
High Tech High Media Arts is a mid-sized charter high school in San Diego, California, enrolling 355 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 16.1:1, High Tech High Media Arts is leaner than roughly 86% of California schools and 25% under the state's 21.5:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 33.2% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 355 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 9,998 scored California schools.
Among 918 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need California schools statewide, it ranks #691, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (61%) and White (22%) (diversity index 58/100).
No Advanced Placement courses are reported for this campus in the federal data.
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 355 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 40.3% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding High Tech High Media Arts District spends $12,294 per pupil, 26% below the California average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Among San Diego's high schools, it stands alongside Del Norte High (2,557 students): High Tech High Media Arts is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (16.1:1 vs 26.9:1).
High Tech High Media Arts District is a single-school charter district, so High Tech High Media Arts operates independently rather than alongside district-mates.
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 High Tech High Media Arts compares
High Tech High Media Arts on the metrics families compare, against California and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs California | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 16.1:1 | ▼ 25% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 33.2% | ▼ 40% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 355 | top 67% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16.1:1
Leaner classes than 37% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
355
Bigger than 40% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
33.2%
free-lunch eligible
- 40% below the California average of 55.5%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
16.1:1
students per teacher
- 25% below state mean
Top 14% in California - lower ratio than 86% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
40.3%
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
$12,294
per pupil, district-wide
- below California avg of $16,509
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 355 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 17 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 4.8 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 60.6%
White 22.3%
African American 6.3%
Asian 6.0%
Two or More 2.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.7%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 1.1%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 60.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 57.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 57.5, High Tech High Media Arts is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
AP program Not offered
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for High Tech High Media Arts District, which includes High Tech High Media Arts.
$12,294
Per student
-26%
vs California
Avg $16,509
-26%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 55.6%
State 38.6%
Federal 5.8%
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 high schools in San Diego
6 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
Del Norte High
Standard public school
2,557 students 26.9:1 students per teacher
Torrey Pines High
Standard public school
2,536 students 24.9:1 students per teacher
Henry High
Standard public school
2,485 students 25.9:1 students per teacher
Rancho Bernardo High
Standard public school
2,210 students 24.8:1 students per teacher
Mira Mesa High
Standard public school
2,187 students 24.9:1 students per teacher
Canyon Crest Academy
Standard public school
2,147 students 25.3:1 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 (~355 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on High Tech High Media Arts's federal record.
- Compare High Tech High Media Arts against another school. Compare schools
- High Tech High Media Arts District'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 High Tech High Media Arts
How many students attend High Tech High Media Arts?
High Tech High Media Arts has 355 students enrolled. It is a high school in San Diego, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at High Tech High Media Arts?
The student-teacher ratio at High Tech High Media Arts is 16.1:1, which is 25% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 3% 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 High Tech High Media Arts?
33.2% of students at High Tech High Media Arts are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of High Tech High Media Arts?
The largest demographic group at High Tech High Media Arts is Hispanic or Latino at 60.6% of enrollment, in San Diego, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 57.5/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for High Tech High Media Arts?
High Tech High Media Arts has a Resource Investment Index of 21/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does High Tech High Media Arts rank among high schools in San Diego?
By Resource Investment Index, High Tech High Media Arts ranks #31 of 41 high 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 high schools in San Diego on the city page.
Is High Tech High Media Arts a good school?
High Tech High Media Arts earns 21/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 86% of California schools. 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 High Tech High Media Arts District?
None; High Tech High Media Arts District is a single-school charter district, and High Tech High Media Arts is its only campus.
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.