Enrollment
464
California · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 060238711393 Charter school
Magnolia Science Academy San Diego — San Diego, CA
Federal NCES profile for Magnolia Science Academy San Diego, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 24/100.
👥 Class size 0
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 43
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
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)
16.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
26.4:1
vs 21.6:1 California avg
+22% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
30.6%
vs 55.5% California avg
-45% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Magnolia Science Academy San Diego 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
Magnolia Science Academy San Diego reports 464 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 16.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 26.4:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 22% 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 66% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 30.6% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 45% below the California average and 41% below the national baseline. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 22.8% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Magnolia Science Academy San Diego District spends $11,758 per pupil district-wide, below the California average of $18,039 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 64.0% from local sources (property taxes), 23.0% from the state, and 13.1% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 24/100 (F), 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 Magnolia Science Academy San Diego 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 | 26.4:1 | ▲ 22% | 21.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 30.6% | ▼ 45% | 55.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 464 | top 50% | — | — |
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
30.6%
free-lunch eligible
— 45% 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
26.4:1
students per teacher
— 22% above state mean
Top 91% in California — lower ratio than 9% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Engagement
22.8%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$11,758
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
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 13 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 464 Top 50% in California — larger than 50% of 10,006 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 16.0
Students per teacher 26.4:1 +22% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 30.6% -45% vs state
NCES ID 060238711393
Student demographics
White 36.9%
Hispanic or Latino 33.8%
Two or More 13.4%
Asian 11.4%
African American 3.7%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.9%
Largest group: White at 36.9% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 22.8%
In-school suspensions 1
Out-of-school suspensions 13
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Magnolia Science Academy San Diego District, which includes Magnolia Science Academy San Diego.
$11,758
Per student
-35%
vs California
Avg $18,039
-40%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 64.0%
State 23.0%
Federal 13.1%
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 middle schools in San Diego
6 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) serving the same city.
Oak Valley Middle
Standard public school
1,503 students 24.8:1 students per teacher
Bernardo Heights Middle
Standard public school
1,487 students 23.2:1 students per teacher
Marshall Middle
Standard public school
1,390 students 25.8:1 students per teacher
Mesa Verde Middle
Standard public school
1,178 students 25.4:1 students per teacher
Black Mountain Middle
Standard public school
1,077 students 24:1 students per teacher
Lewis Middle
Standard public school
1,013 students 24.3:1 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 Magnolia Science Academy San Diego
How many students attend Magnolia Science Academy San Diego?
Magnolia Science Academy San Diego has 464 students enrolled. It is a middle school in San Diego, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Magnolia Science Academy San Diego?
The student-teacher ratio at Magnolia Science Academy San Diego is 26.4:1, which is 22% higher than the California average of 21.6:1 and 66% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Magnolia Science Academy San Diego?
30.6% of students at Magnolia Science Academy San Diego are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Magnolia Science Academy San Diego?
The largest demographic group at Magnolia Science Academy San Diego is White at 36.9%. The school serves a diverse student body in San Diego, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Magnolia Science Academy San Diego?
Magnolia Science Academy San Diego has a Resource Investment Index of 24/100 (F) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.