Enrollment
127
California · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · El Cajon, CA
Idea Center
Federal NCES profile for Idea Center, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 38/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 061623013915
👥 S:T ratio 68
📚 AP courses 5
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 87
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Idea Center earns 38/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 97% of California schools.
- #3 of 9
- high schools in El Cajon · Resource Index
- 38
- Resource Index · Typical
- 7.9:1
- small classes for California
- 36.4%
- free-lunch eligible
Idea Center has class sizes smaller than 97% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Idea Center ranks #3 of 9 high schools in El Cajon, CA.
School address
District: Grossmont Union High · California
NCES ID 061623013915 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
16.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
7.9:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-63% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
36.4%
vs 55.5% California avg
-34% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Idea Center compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Idea Center
Idea Center is a small high school in El Cajon, California, enrolling 127 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 7.9:1, Idea Center is leaner than roughly 97% of California schools and 63% 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 36.4% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 127 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 9,998 scored California schools.
Against 203 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #38.
Its student body is led by White (48%) and Hispanic or Latino (41%) (diversity index 60/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 1 Advanced Placement course.
Counselor coverage is strong, about 64 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 84.3% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Discipline events run high: 34 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 127 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
Among El Cajon's high schools, it stands alongside Granite Hills High (2,331 students): Idea Center is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (7.9:1 vs 24:1).
Grossmont Union High also operates Granite Hills High (2,331 students) and Grossmont High (2,172 students) alongside Idea Center.
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 Idea Center compares
Idea Center on the metrics families compare, against California and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs California | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 7.9:1 | ▼ 63% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 36.4% | ▼ 34% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 127 | top 88% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
7.9:1
Leaner classes than 95% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
127
Bigger than 12% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
36.4%
free-lunch eligible
- 34% 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
7.9:1
students per teacher
- 63% below state mean
Top 3% in California - lower ratio than 97% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
84.3%
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
$17,029
per pupil, district-wide
- above California avg of $16,509
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 64 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 34 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 26.8 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
White 48.0%
Hispanic or Latino 40.8%
Two or More 6.4%
African American 2.4%
Asian 1.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.8%
Largest group: White at 48.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 59.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 59.8, Idea Center is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
AP courses offered 1
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Grossmont Union High, which includes Idea Center.
$17,029
Per student
+3%
vs California
Avg $16,509
+3%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 49.2%
State 38.6%
Federal 12.2%
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 Idea Center Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Granite Hills High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Grossmont High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| El Capitan High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Valhalla High | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| El Cajon Valley High | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Idea Center's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,331
- Students per teacher
- 24:1
- Resource Index
- 29/100
- Enrollment
- 2,172
- Students per teacher
- 24.4:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
- Enrollment
- 1,810
- Students per teacher
- 22.6:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
- Enrollment
- 1,728
- Students per teacher
- 22.2:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 1,701
- Students per teacher
- 22.4:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
Similar high schools in El Cajon
6 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
Granite Hills High
Standard public school
2,331 students 24:1 students per teacher
Valhalla High
Standard public school
1,728 students 22.2:1 students per teacher
El Cajon Valley High
Standard public school
1,701 students 22.4:1 students per teacher
Merit Academy
Special-education school
68 students 11.3:1 students per teacher
Chaparral High
Alternative education program
45 students 6.4:1 students per teacher
Grossmont Middle College High
Alternative education program
37 students 18.5:1 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 (~127 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~7.9:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Idea Center's federal record.
- Compare Idea Center against another school. Compare schools
- Grossmont Union High'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 Idea Center
How many students attend Idea Center?
Idea Center has 127 students enrolled. It is a high school in El Cajon, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Idea Center?
The student-teacher ratio at Idea Center is 7.9:1, which is 63% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 50% lower 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 Idea Center?
36.4% of students at Idea Center are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Idea Center?
The largest demographic group at Idea Center is White at 48.0% of enrollment, in El Cajon, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 59.8/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Idea Center?
Idea Center has a Resource Investment Index of 38/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Idea Center rank among high schools in El Cajon?
By Resource Investment Index, Idea Center ranks #3 of 9 high schools in El Cajon, 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 El Cajon on the city page.
Is Idea Center a good school?
Idea Center earns 38/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 97% 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 Grossmont Union High?
Besides Idea Center, Grossmont Union High also operates Granite Hills High (2,331 students), Grossmont High (2,172 students), and El Capitan High (1,810 students). See the Grossmont Union High district page for the complete list.
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.