Enrollment
60
California · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · El Centro, CA
Mt. Signal Virtual Academy
Federal NCES profile for Mt. Signal Virtual Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 38/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 060801014563
👥 S:T ratio 20
📚 AP courses 10
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 93
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Mt. Signal Virtual Academy earns 38/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most California schools.
- #2 of 6
- high schools in El Centro · Resource Index
- 38
- Resource Index · Typical
- 20:1
- students per teacher
- 63.7%
- free-lunch eligible
Mt. Signal Virtual Academy has class sizes near the California median. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Mt. Signal Virtual Academy ranks #2 of 6 high schools in El Centro, CA.
School address
District: Central Union High · California
NCES ID 060801014563 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
3.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
20:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-7% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
63.7%
vs 55.5% California avg
+15% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Mt. Signal Virtual Academy compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Mt. Signal Virtual Academy
Mt. Signal Virtual Academy is a higher-need, small high school in El Centro, California, enrolling 60 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 20:1 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 63.7% lands close to the California typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
This is a small campus: fewer students than 93% of California schools, with 60 enrolled.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 91% of the 9,998 California schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Against 180 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #55.
Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (93% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 13/100).
No Advanced Placement courses are reported for this campus in the federal data.
Counselor coverage is strong, about 33 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Among El Centro's high schools, it stands alongside Central Union High (2,006 students): Mt. Signal Virtual Academy is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (20:1 vs 20.9:1).
Central Union High also operates Central Union High (2,006 students) and Southwest High (1,846 students) alongside Mt. Signal Virtual Academy.
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 Mt. Signal Virtual Academy compares
Mt. Signal Virtual 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 | 20:1 | ▼ 7% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 63.7% | ▲ 15% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 60 | top 93% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
20:1
Leaner classes than 16% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
60
Bigger than 6% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
63.7%
free-lunch eligible
- 15% 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
20:1
students per teacher
- 7% below state mean
Top 35% in California - lower ratio than 65% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Funding equity
$16,425
per pupil, district-wide
- below California avg of $16,509
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors1.8 FTE
Per 33 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
- 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 93.3%
White 3.3%
African American 1.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.7%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 93.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 12.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 12.8, Mt. Signal Virtual Academy is less mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
AP program Not offered
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Central Union High, which includes Mt. Signal Virtual Academy.
$16,425
Per student
-1%
vs California
Avg $16,509
-1%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 15.6%
State 74.3%
Federal 10.1%
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.
How Mt. Signal Virtual Academy Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Central Union High | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Southwest High | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Desert Oasis High (Continuation) | Larger | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Phoenix Rising High | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Mt. Signal Virtual Academy's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,006
- Students per teacher
- 20.9:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 1,846
- Students per teacher
- 20.1:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 138
- Students per teacher
- 15.3:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
- Enrollment
- 20
- Students per teacher
- 10:1
- Resource Index
- 55/100
Similar high schools in El Centro
5 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
Central Union High
Standard public school
2,006 students 20.9:1 students per teacher
Southwest High
Standard public school
1,846 students 20.1:1 students per teacher
Imperial Pathways Charter
Standard public school
246 students 35.1:1 students per teacher
Desert Oasis High (Continuation)
Alternative education program
138 students 15.3:1 students per teacher
Phoenix Rising High
Alternative education program
20 students 10:1 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 (~60 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~20:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Mt. Signal Virtual Academy's federal record.
- Compare Mt. Signal Virtual Academy against another school. Compare schools
- Central Union High'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 Mt. Signal Virtual Academy
How many students attend Mt. Signal Virtual Academy?
Mt. Signal Virtual Academy has 60 students enrolled. It is a high school in El Centro, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Mt. Signal Virtual Academy?
The student-teacher ratio at Mt. Signal Virtual Academy is 20:1, which is 7% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 27% 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 Mt. Signal Virtual Academy?
63.7% of students at Mt. Signal Virtual Academy are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Mt. Signal Virtual Academy?
The largest demographic group at Mt. Signal Virtual Academy is Hispanic or Latino at 93.3% of enrollment, in El Centro, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Mt. Signal Virtual Academy?
Mt. Signal Virtual Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 38/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Mt. Signal Virtual Academy rank among high schools in El Centro?
By Resource Investment Index, Mt. Signal Virtual Academy ranks #2 of 6 high schools in El Centro, 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 El Centro on the city page.
Is Mt. Signal Virtual Academy a good school?
Mt. Signal Virtual Academy earns 38/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median. 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 Central Union High?
Besides Mt. Signal Virtual Academy, Central Union High also operates Central Union High (2,006 students), Southwest High (1,846 students), and Desert Oasis High (Continuation) (138 students). See the Central Union High district page for the complete list.
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.