Enrollment
661
California · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 063153001204
Highland Ranch Elementary — San Diego, CA
Federal NCES profile for Highland Ranch Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 21/100.
👥 Class size 0
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 55
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: Poway Unified · 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)
25.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
25.2:1
vs 21.6:1 California avg
+17% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
12.9%
vs 55.5% California avg
-77% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Highland Ranch Elementary 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
Highland Ranch Elementary reports 661 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 25.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 25.2:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 17% 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 58% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 12.9% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 77% below the California average and 75% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 661 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 17.9% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Poway Unified spends $15,877 per pupil district-wide, below the California average of $18,039 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 54.2% from local sources (property taxes), 39.4% from the state, and 6.4% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 21/100 (F), calculated from 4 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 Highland Ranch Elementary 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 | 25.2:1 | ▲ 17% | 21.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 12.9% | ▼ 77% | 55.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 661 | top 74% | — | — |
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
12.9%
free-lunch eligible
— 77% 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
25.2:1
students per teacher
— 17% above state mean
Top 84% in California — lower ratio than 16% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Engagement
17.9%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Between 10–20% — above the pre-pandemic baseline of ~15% nationally but within the current U.S. range.
Funding equity
$15,877
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 661 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 2 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.3 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 661 Top 74% in California — larger than 26% of 10,006 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 25.0
Students per teacher 25.2:1 +17% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 12.9% -77% vs state
NCES ID 063153001204
Student demographics
Asian 39.8%
White 29.4%
Hispanic or Latino 15.5%
Two or More 12.3%
African American 2.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: Asian at 39.8% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 661:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 17.9%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 2
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Poway Unified, which includes Highland Ranch Elementary.
$15,877
Per student
-12%
vs California
Avg $18,039
-19%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 54.2%
State 39.4%
Federal 6.4%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,557
- Students per teacher
- 26.6:1
- Enrollment
- 2,210
- Students per teacher
- 26:1
- Enrollment
- 2,116
- Students per teacher
- 25.1:1
- Enrollment
- 2,101
- Students per teacher
- 24.5:1
- Enrollment
- 1,800
- Students per teacher
- 23.3:1
Similar elementary schools in San Diego
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Albert Einstein Academies
Standard public school
1,448 students 24:1 students per teacher
Design 39 Campus
Standard public school
1,216 students 27.2:1 students per teacher
Nestor Language Academy Charter
Standard public school
1,079 students 24.7:1 students per teacher
Ocean View Hills
Standard public school
1,020 students 22.4:1 students per teacher
Language Academy
Standard public school
1,015 students 21.9:1 students per teacher
Del Sur Elementary
Standard public school
891 students 26.2:1 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 Highland Ranch Elementary
How many students attend Highland Ranch Elementary?
Highland Ranch Elementary has 661 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in San Diego, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Highland Ranch Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Highland Ranch Elementary is 25.2:1, which is 17% higher than the California average of 21.6:1 and 58% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Highland Ranch Elementary?
12.9% of students at Highland Ranch Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Highland Ranch Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Highland Ranch Elementary is Asian at 39.8%. The school serves a diverse student body in San Diego, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Highland Ranch Elementary?
Highland Ranch Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 21/100 (F) based on 4 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.