Enrollment
435
California · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 060234114220 Charter school
High Tech High Mesa — San Diego, CA
Federal NCES profile for High Tech High Mesa, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 23/100.
👥 Class size 13
📚 AP courses 10
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 13
📋 Attendance 47
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: High Tech High Mesa 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)
20.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
21.7:1
vs 21.6:1 California avg
+0% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
28.8%
vs 55.5% California avg
-48% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How High Tech High Mesa 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
High Tech High Mesa reports 435 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 20.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 21.7:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 0% 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 36% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 28.8% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 48% below the California average and 44% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 435 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 21.4% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding High Tech High Mesa District spends $11,092 per pupil district-wide, below the California average of $18,039 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 9.0% from local sources (property taxes), 88.1% from the state, and 3.0% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 23/100 (F), calculated from 5 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 High Tech High Mesa 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 | 21.7:1 | ▲ 0% | 21.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 28.8% | ▼ 48% | 55.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 435 | top 45% | — | — |
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
28.8%
free-lunch eligible
— 48% 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
21.7:1
students per teacher
— 0% above state mean
Top 46% in California — lower ratio than 54% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Engagement
21.4%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$11,092
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 435 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: 2.5 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 435 Top 45% in California — larger than 55% of 10,006 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 20.0
Students per teacher 21.7:1 +0% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 28.8% -48% vs state
NCES ID 060234114220
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 38.9%
White 37.9%
Asian 14.7%
African American 3.7%
Two or More 3.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.5%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 38.9% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP program Not offered
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 435:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 21.4%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 11
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for High Tech High Mesa District, which includes High Tech High Mesa.
$11,092
Per student
-39%
vs California
Avg $18,039
-43%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 9.0%
State 88.1%
Federal 3.0%
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 26.6:1 students per teacher
Torrey Pines High
Standard public school
2,536 students 25.6:1 students per teacher
Henry High
Standard public school
2,485 students 27.2:1 students per teacher
Rancho Bernardo High
Standard public school
2,210 students 26:1 students per teacher
Mira Mesa High
Standard public school
2,187 students 25.2:1 students per teacher
Canyon Crest Academy
Standard public school
2,147 students 27.5:1 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 High Tech High Mesa
How many students attend High Tech High Mesa?
High Tech High Mesa has 435 students enrolled. It is a high school in San Diego, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at High Tech High Mesa?
The student-teacher ratio at High Tech High Mesa is 21.7:1, which is 0% higher than the California average of 21.6:1 and 36% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at High Tech High Mesa?
28.8% of students at High Tech High Mesa are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of High Tech High Mesa?
The largest demographic group at High Tech High Mesa is Hispanic or Latino at 38.9%. The school serves a diverse student body in San Diego, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for High Tech High Mesa?
High Tech High Mesa has a Resource Investment Index of 23/100 (F) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.