Enrollment
1,059
California · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 062025002432
La Mesa Arts Academy — La Mesa, CA
Federal NCES profile for La Mesa Arts Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 21/100.
👥 Class size 2
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 50
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: La Mesa-Spring Valley · 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)
43.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
24.5:1
vs 21.6:1 California avg
+13% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
27.9%
vs 55.5% California avg
-50% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How La Mesa Arts Academy 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
La Mesa Arts Academy reports 1,059 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 43.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 24.5:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 13% 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 54% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 27.9% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 50% below the California average and 46% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 1059 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 19.9% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding La Mesa-Spring Valley spends $16,211 per pupil district-wide, below the California average of $18,039 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 30.8% from local sources (property taxes), 50.7% from the state, and 18.5% 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 La Mesa Arts Academy 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 | 24.5:1 | ▲ 13% | 21.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 27.9% | ▼ 50% | 55.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 1,059 | top 90% | — | — |
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
27.9%
free-lunch eligible
— 50% 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
24.5:1
students per teacher
— 13% above state mean
Top 77% in California — lower ratio than 23% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Engagement
19.9%
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
$16,211
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 1059 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
7
in-school suspensions + 17 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.3 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 1,059 Top 90% in California — larger than 10% of 10,006 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 43.0
Students per teacher 24.5:1 +13% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 27.9% -50% vs state
NCES ID 062025002432
Student demographics
White 38.8%
Hispanic or Latino 38.5%
Two or More 10.6%
Asian 6.2%
African American 5.7%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: White at 38.8% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 1059:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 19.9%
In-school suspensions 7
Out-of-school suspensions 17
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for La Mesa-Spring Valley, which includes La Mesa Arts Academy.
$16,211
Per student
-10%
vs California
Avg $18,039
-17%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 30.8%
State 50.7%
Federal 18.5%
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
- 897
- Students per teacher
- 21.6:1
- Enrollment
- 800
- Students per teacher
- 22.4:1
- Enrollment
- 608
- Students per teacher
- 27:1
- Enrollment
- 597
- Students per teacher
- 17.1:1
- Enrollment
- 540
- Students per teacher
- 27.5:1
Similar elementary schools in La Mesa
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Murdock Elementary
Standard public school
608 students 27:1 students per teacher
Avocado Elementary
Standard public school
573 students 24.2:1 students per teacher
Murray Manor Elementary
Standard public school
530 students 26.5:1 students per teacher
Vista La Mesa Academy
Standard public school
518 students 24.6:1 students per teacher
Lemon Avenue Elementary
Standard public school
502 students 27.7:1 students per teacher
La Mesa Dale Elementary
Standard public school
460 students 27.6:1 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 La Mesa Arts Academy
How many students attend La Mesa Arts Academy?
La Mesa Arts Academy has 1,059 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in La Mesa, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at La Mesa Arts Academy?
The student-teacher ratio at La Mesa Arts Academy is 24.5:1, which is 13% higher than the California average of 21.6:1 and 54% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at La Mesa Arts Academy?
27.9% of students at La Mesa Arts Academy are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of La Mesa Arts Academy?
The largest demographic group at La Mesa Arts Academy is White at 38.8%. The school serves a diverse student body in La Mesa, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for La Mesa Arts Academy?
La Mesa Arts Academy 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.