Enrollment
177
California · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 060232311139 Charter school
Learning Choice Academy — San Diego, CA
Federal NCES profile for Learning Choice Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 44/100.
👥 Class size 38
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 65
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 →
The verdict
Learning Choice Academy earns a D Resource Investment Index (44/100), even as it posts class sizes smaller than 91% of California schools.
- D
- Resource Index · 44/100
- 15.5:1
- small classes for California
- 28.2%
- free-lunch eligible
- 177
- students enrolled
School address
District: Learning Choice Academy District · 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)
11.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.5:1
vs 21.6:1 California avg
-28% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
28.2%
vs 55.5% California avg
-49% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Learning Choice 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
Learning Choice Academy reports 177 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 11.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 15.5:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 28% below the California state mean of 21.6:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.7:1, it is 1% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 28.2% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 49% below the California average and 46% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 177 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1.
On the finance side, the surrounding Learning Choice Academy District spends $16,686 per pupil district-wide, above the California average of $16,509 and above the national average of $16,593. Revenue comes 46.2% from local sources (property taxes), 21.3% from the state, and 32.5% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 44/100 (D), calculated from 3 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 Learning Choice 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 | 15.5:1 | ▼ 28% | 21.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 28.2% | ▼ 49% | 55.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 177 | top 16% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
Class size vs. every US school
Students per teacher (lower means more individual attention)
16 smaller classes than 44% of 92,598 US schools
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US schools. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education — NCES Common Core of Data · 2024-25
School size vs. every US school
Total enrollment — where this school sits by size (neither large nor small is 'better')
177 larger than 17% of 95,891 US schools
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US schools. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education — NCES Common Core of Data · 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
28.2%
free-lunch eligible
— 49% 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
15.5:1
students per teacher
— 28% below state mean
Top 9% in California — lower ratio than 91% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Funding equity
$16,686
per pupil, district-wide
— above California avg of $16,509
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 177 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
Enrollment 177 Top 16% in California — larger than 84% of 10,006 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 11.0
Students per teacher 15.5:1 -28% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 28.2% -49% vs state
NCES ID 060232311139
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 33.9%
White 29.9%
Two or More 12.4%
African American 10.7%
Asian 9.0%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 2.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.1%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 33.9% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 177:1
Discipline & special education
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Learning Choice Academy District, which includes Learning Choice Academy.
$16,686
Per student
+1%
vs California
Avg $16,509
+1%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 46.2%
State 21.3%
Federal 32.5%
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.
Similar other schools in San Diego
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
The O'farrell Charter
Standard public school
1,862 students 20.2:1 students per teacher
Logan Memorial Educational Campus
Standard public school
1,467 students 20.7:1 students per teacher
Charter School of San Diego
Standard public school
1,375 students 30.8:1 students per teacher
San Diego Scpa
Standard public school
1,297 students 23.2:1 students per teacher
Gompers Preparatory Academy
Standard public school
1,175 students 31.2:1 students per teacher
Launch Virtual Academy
Alternative education program
578 students 18:1 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.
Before you act on this record
Treat this page as the federal baseline — then verify locally.
- Compare Learning Choice Academy side-by-side with another school you're considering on the same NCES measures. Compare schools
- Read the district context — spending per pupil, staffing, and equity ranking are district-level decisions that shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment windows, programs, and boundaries with the school directly — federal data lags the current school year. Choosing guide
Figures are the school's reported federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) — coverage varies by entity type, and PlainSchools does not rate or rank schools.
Frequently asked questions about Learning Choice Academy
How many students attend Learning Choice Academy?
Learning Choice Academy has 177 students enrolled. It is a other school in San Diego, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Learning Choice Academy?
The student-teacher ratio at Learning Choice Academy is 15.5:1, which is 28% lower than the California average of 21.6:1 and 1% 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 Learning Choice Academy?
28.2% of students at Learning Choice Academy are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Learning Choice Academy?
The largest demographic group at Learning Choice Academy is Hispanic or Latino at 33.9%. The school serves a diverse student body in San Diego, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Learning Choice Academy?
Learning Choice Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 44/100 (D) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.
Is Learning Choice Academy a good school?
Learning Choice Academy earns a D Resource Investment Index (44/100), even as it posts class sizes smaller than 91% of California schools. The Resource Investment Index reflects staffing, counselor access, gifted programs, and attendance reported to NCES, not test scores or academic outcomes, so treat it as a resource snapshot rather than an overall rating.