Enrollment
178
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Chula Vista, CA
Howard Gardner Community Charter
Federal NCES profile for Howard Gardner Community Charter, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 31/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 060152012866Charter school
👥 S:T ratio 29
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 64
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Howard Gardner Community Charter earns 31/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 80% of California schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most California schools.
- #26 of 42
- elementary schools in Chula Vista · Resource Index
- 31
- Resource Index · Lower
- 17.8:1
- small classes for California
- 78.7%
- free-lunch eligible
Howard Gardner Community Charter has class sizes smaller than 80% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Howard Gardner Community Charter ranks #26 of 42 elementary schools in Chula Vista, CA.
School address
District: Howard Gardner Community Charter District · California
NCES ID 060152012866 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
10.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.8:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-17% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
78.7%
vs 55.5% California avg
+42% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Howard Gardner Community Charter compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Howard Gardner Community Charter
Howard Gardner Community Charter is a high-poverty, mid-sized charter elementary school in Chula Vista, California, enrolling 178 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 17.8:1 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 78.7% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 178 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 9,998 scored California schools.
Against 436 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #265.
Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (97% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 6/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 178 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 47.8% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding Howard Gardner Community Charter District spends $20,135 per pupil, 22% above the California average, a better-resourced district than most.
Its district draws 16.8% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Chula Vista's elementary schools, it stands alongside Feaster (Mae L.) Charter (1,095 students): Howard Gardner Community Charter is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (17.8:1 vs 19.6:1).
Howard Gardner Community Charter District is a single-school charter district, so Howard Gardner Community Charter 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 Howard Gardner Community Charter compares
Howard Gardner Community Charter on the metrics families compare, against California and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs California | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 17.8:1 | ▼ 17% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 78.7% | ▲ 42% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 178 | top 84% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
17.8:1
Leaner classes than 26% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
178
Bigger than 17% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
78.7%
free-lunch eligible
- 42% 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
17.8:1
students per teacher
- 17% below state mean
Top 20% in California - lower ratio than 80% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
47.8%
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
$20,135
per pupil, district-wide
- above California avg of $16,509
Well above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting substantially higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 178 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 97.2%
African American 2.2%
White 0.6%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 97.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 5.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 5.5, Howard Gardner Community Charter is less mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Howard Gardner Community Charter District, which includes Howard Gardner Community Charter.
$20,135
Per student
+22%
vs California
Avg $16,509
+21%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 31.8%
State 51.4%
Federal 16.8%
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 elementary schools in Chula Vista
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Feaster (Mae L.) Charter
Standard public school
1,095 students 19.6:1 students per teacher
Wolf Canyon Elementary
Standard public school
954 students 25.8:1 students per teacher
Discovery Charter
Standard public school
945 students 23.6:1 students per teacher
Arroyo Vista Charter
Standard public school
911 students 24.6:1 students per teacher
Camarena (Enrique S.) Elementary
Standard public school
889 students 21.7:1 students per teacher
Hedenkamp (Anne and William) Elementary
Standard public school
855 students 21.9:1 students per teacher
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.
Similar enrollment (~178 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Howard Gardner Community Charter's federal record.
- Compare Howard Gardner Community Charter against another school. Compare schools
- Howard Gardner Community Charter 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 Howard Gardner Community Charter
How many students attend Howard Gardner Community Charter?
Howard Gardner Community Charter has 178 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Chula Vista, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Howard Gardner Community Charter?
The student-teacher ratio at Howard Gardner Community Charter is 17.8:1, which is 17% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 13% 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 Howard Gardner Community Charter?
78.7% of students at Howard Gardner Community Charter are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Howard Gardner Community Charter?
The largest demographic group at Howard Gardner Community Charter is Hispanic or Latino at 97.2% of enrollment, in Chula Vista, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Howard Gardner Community Charter?
Howard Gardner Community Charter has a Resource Investment Index of 31/100 (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 Howard Gardner Community Charter rank among elementary schools in Chula Vista?
By Resource Investment Index, Howard Gardner Community Charter ranks #26 of 42 elementary schools in Chula Vista, 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 Chula Vista on the city page.
Is Howard Gardner Community Charter a good school?
Howard Gardner Community Charter earns 31/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 80% of California schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most 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 Howard Gardner Community Charter District?
None; Howard Gardner Community Charter District is a single-school charter district, and Howard Gardner Community Charter is its only campus.
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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.