Enrollment
224
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · La Mesa, CA
Jcs - Manzanita
Federal NCES profile for Jcs - Manzanita, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 27/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 060184114353Charter school
👥 S:T ratio 25
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 52
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Jcs - Manzanita earns 27/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 75% of California schools.
- #8 of 17
- public schools in La Mesa · Resource Index
- 27
- Resource Index · Lower
- 18.7:1
- small classes for California
- 47.8%
- free-lunch eligible
Jcs - Manzanita has class sizes smaller than 75% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Jcs - Manzanita ranks #8 of 17 public schools in La Mesa, CA.
School address
District: Jcs - Manzanita District · California
NCES ID 060184114353 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
12.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18.7:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-13% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
47.8%
vs 55.5% California avg
-14% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Jcs - Manzanita compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Jcs - Manzanita
Jcs - Manzanita is a mid-sized charter combined-grade school in La Mesa, California, enrolling 224 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 18.7:1 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 47.8% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 224 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 513 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #341.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (51%) and White (35%) (diversity index 61/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 1120 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 19.2% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
The surrounding Jcs - Manzanita District spends $13,042 per pupil, 21% below the California average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Among La Mesa's public schools, it stands alongside The Learning Choice Academy - East County (466 students): Jcs - Manzanita is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (18.7:1 vs 19.4:1).
Jcs - Manzanita District is a single-school charter district, so Jcs - Manzanita 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 Jcs - Manzanita compares
Jcs - Manzanita on the metrics families compare, against California and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs California | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 18.7:1 | ▼ 13% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 47.8% | ▼ 14% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 224 | top 81% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
18.7:1
Leaner classes than 21% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
224
Bigger than 22% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
47.8%
free-lunch eligible
- 14% below the California average of 55.5%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
18.7:1
students per teacher
- 13% below state mean
Top 25% in California - lower ratio than 75% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
19.2%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$13,042
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
Counselors0.2 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
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 51.3%
White 34.8%
Two or More 8.5%
African American 2.7%
Asian 2.7%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 51.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 60.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 60.7, Jcs - Manzanita is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Jcs - Manzanita District, which includes Jcs - Manzanita.
$13,042
Per student
-21%
vs California
Avg $16,509
-21%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 28.8%
State 56.3%
Federal 14.9%
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 other schools in La Mesa
1 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Similar other 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 (~224 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~18.7:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Jcs - Manzanita's federal record.
- Compare Jcs - Manzanita against another school. Compare schools
- Jcs - Manzanita 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 Jcs - Manzanita
How many students attend Jcs - Manzanita?
Jcs - Manzanita has 224 students enrolled. It is a public school in La Mesa, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Jcs - Manzanita?
The student-teacher ratio at Jcs - Manzanita is 18.7:1, which is 13% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 19% 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 Jcs - Manzanita?
47.8% of students at Jcs - Manzanita are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Jcs - Manzanita?
The largest demographic group at Jcs - Manzanita is Hispanic or Latino at 51.3% of enrollment, in La Mesa, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 60.7/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Jcs - Manzanita?
Jcs - Manzanita has a Resource Investment Index of 27/100 (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 Jcs - Manzanita rank among public schools in La Mesa?
By Resource Investment Index, Jcs - Manzanita ranks #8 of 17 public schools in La Mesa, CA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in La Mesa on the city page.
Is Jcs - Manzanita a good school?
Jcs - Manzanita earns 27/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 75% 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 Jcs - Manzanita District?
None; Jcs - Manzanita District is a single-school charter district, and Jcs - Manzanita 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.