Enrollment
225
California · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · San Jose, CA
Luis Valdez Leadership Academy
Federal NCES profile for Luis Valdez Leadership Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 34/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 060203813815Charter school
👥 S:T ratio 44
📚 AP courses 40
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 55
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Luis Valdez Leadership Academy earns 34/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 91% of California schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most California schools.
- #12 of 42
- high schools in San Jose · Resource Index
- 34
- Resource Index · Typical
- 14.1:1
- small classes for California
- 67.8%
- free-lunch eligible
Luis Valdez Leadership Academy has class sizes smaller than 91% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Luis Valdez Leadership Academy ranks #12 of 42 high schools in San Jose, CA.
School address
District: Luis Valdez Leadership Academy District · California
NCES ID 060203813815 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
16.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.1:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-34% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
67.8%
vs 55.5% California avg
+22% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Luis Valdez Leadership Academy compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Luis Valdez Leadership Academy
Luis Valdez Leadership Academy is a higher-need, mid-sized charter high school in San Jose, California, enrolling 225 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 14.1:1, Luis Valdez Leadership Academy is leaner than roughly 91% of California schools and 34% under the state's 21.5:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 67.8% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 225 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 680 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #332.
Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (100% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 0/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 8 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage is strong, about 225 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 49.8% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Among San Jose's high schools, it stands alongside Evergreen Valley High (2,703 students): Luis Valdez Leadership Academy is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (14.1:1 vs 23.7:1).
Luis Valdez Leadership Academy District is a single-school charter district, so Luis Valdez Leadership Academy 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 Luis Valdez Leadership Academy compares
Luis Valdez Leadership Academy on the metrics families compare, against California and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs California | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 14.1:1 | ▼ 34% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 67.8% | ▲ 22% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 225 | top 81% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14.1:1
Leaner classes than 56% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
225
Bigger than 22% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
67.8%
free-lunch eligible
- 22% 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
14.1:1
students per teacher
- 34% below state mean
Top 9% in California - lower ratio than 91% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
49.8%
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
$13,993
per pupil, district-wide
- below California avg of $16,509
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 225 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
3
in-school suspensions + 13 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 7.1 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 100.0%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 100.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 0.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 0.0, Luis Valdez Leadership Academy is less mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
AP courses offered 8
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Luis Valdez Leadership Academy District, which includes Luis Valdez Leadership Academy.
$13,993
Per student
-15%
vs California
Avg $16,509
-16%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 25.2%
State 66.6%
Federal 8.2%
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.
Similar high schools in San Jose
6 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
Evergreen Valley High
Standard public school
2,703 students 23.7:1 students per teacher
Independence High
Standard public school
2,289 students 20.1:1 students per teacher
Silver Creek High
Standard public school
2,139 students 22.8:1 students per teacher
Santa Teresa High
Standard public school
2,134 students 22:1 students per teacher
Piedmont Hills High
Standard public school
1,918 students 22.8:1 students per teacher
Leigh High
Standard public school
1,884 students 25.8:1 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 (~225 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~14.1:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Luis Valdez Leadership Academy's federal record.
- Compare Luis Valdez Leadership Academy against another school. Compare schools
- Luis Valdez Leadership Academy 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 Luis Valdez Leadership Academy
How many students attend Luis Valdez Leadership Academy?
Luis Valdez Leadership Academy has 225 students enrolled. It is a high school in San Jose, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Luis Valdez Leadership Academy?
The student-teacher ratio at Luis Valdez Leadership Academy is 14.1:1, which is 34% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 10% 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 Luis Valdez Leadership Academy?
67.8% of students at Luis Valdez Leadership Academy are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Luis Valdez Leadership Academy?
The largest demographic group at Luis Valdez Leadership Academy is Hispanic or Latino at 100.0% of enrollment, in San Jose, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Luis Valdez Leadership Academy?
Luis Valdez Leadership Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 34/100 (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 Luis Valdez Leadership Academy rank among high schools in San Jose?
By Resource Investment Index, Luis Valdez Leadership Academy ranks #12 of 42 high schools in San Jose, 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 San Jose on the city page.
Is Luis Valdez Leadership Academy a good school?
Luis Valdez Leadership Academy earns 34/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 91% 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 Luis Valdez Leadership Academy District?
None; Luis Valdez Leadership Academy District is a single-school charter district, and Luis Valdez Leadership Academy 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.