Elementary school (grades K-5) · San Diego, CA

Normal Heights Elementary

Federal NCES profile for Normal Heights Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 40/100.

2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 063432011765
0/100100/10040/100
👥 S:T ratio
8
🌟 Gifted program
70
🎓 Counselors
82
📋 Attendance
0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

Normal Heights Elementary earns 40/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median.

#20 of 179
elementary schools in San Diego · Resource Index
40
Resource Index · Typical
22.9:1
students per teacher
72.1%
free-lunch eligible

Normal Heights Elementary has class sizes near the California median. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, Normal Heights Elementary ranks #20 of 179 elementary schools in San Diego, CA.

School address

Enrollment

275

California · 2024-25 NCES data

Teachers (FTE)

12.0

Federal CCD staff survey

Students per teacher

22.9:1

vs 21.5:1 California avg

+7% vs state

Free-lunch eligible

72.1%

vs 55.5% California avg

+30% vs state

Student-teacher ratio in context

How Normal Heights Elementary compares with California and U.S. medians

Slightly above state median

Source: NCES Common Core of Data As of 2024-25 federal staff survey Total enrollment ÷ full-time-equivalent classroom teachers

What stands out at Normal Heights Elementary

Normal Heights Elementary is a higher-need, mid-sized elementary school in San Diego, California, enrolling 275 students.

Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 22.9:1 puts it in the larger third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.

Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 72.1% of students eligible for free meals.

Enrollment of 275 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by headcount.

Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 9,998 scored California schools.

Against 1,035 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #166.

Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (76%) and African American (13%) (diversity index 40/100).

Counselor coverage is strong, about 92 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.

Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 54.5% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).

Among San Diego's elementary schools, it stands alongside Albert Einstein Academies (1,448 students): Normal Heights Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (22.9:1 vs 24.1:1).

San Diego Unified also operates Henry High (2,485 students) and Mira Mesa High (2,187 students) alongside Normal Heights Elementary.

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 Normal Heights Elementary compares

Normal Heights Elementary on the metrics families compare, against California and U.S. means.

Metric This school vs California California avg U.S. avg
Students per teacher 22.9:1 ▲ 7% 21.5:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 72.1% ▲ 30% 55.5% 51.7%
Enrollment 275 top 76% - -

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25

22.9:1
Leaner classes than 8% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
275
Bigger than 29% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.

Equity indicators (what these measure)

Economic need
72.1%
free-lunch eligible - 30% 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
22.9:1
students per teacher - 7% above state mean
Top 61% in California - lower ratio than 39% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
54.5%
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
$18,665
per pupil, district-wide - above California avg of $16,509
Somewhat above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 92 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 1 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.4 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 76.4%
African American 12.7%
Two or More 4.4%
White 3.3%
Asian 3.3%

Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 76.4% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 39.6/100

Simpson diversity index - at 39.6, Normal Heights Elementary is less mixed than the California school average of 46.0.

Programs

Gifted & talented Yes

Funding & spending

District-wide per-pupil expenditure for San Diego Unified, which includes Normal Heights Elementary.

$18,665
Per student
+13%
vs California
Avg $16,509
+12%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 60.5%
State 25.1%
Federal 14.4%

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 Normal Heights Elementary Compares to District-Mates

School Enrollment Economic Profile Student-Teacher Ratio
Henry High Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
Mira Mesa High Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
Hoover High Larger Similar economic need Lower S:T ratio
Scripps Ranch High Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
Point Loma High Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio

Comparisons are relative to Normal Heights Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.

Other Schools in This District

San Diego Unified · 5 sibling schools

View district profile

Similar elementary schools in San Diego

6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.

Similar elementary 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.

Next steps

Verify locally before acting on Normal Heights Elementary's federal record.

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 Normal Heights Elementary

How many students attend Normal Heights Elementary?

Normal Heights Elementary has 275 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in San Diego, CA.

What is the student-teacher ratio at Normal Heights Elementary?

The student-teacher ratio at Normal Heights Elementary is 22.9:1, which is 7% higher than the California average of 21.5:1 and 46% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.

What percentage of students receive free lunch at Normal Heights Elementary?

72.1% of students at Normal Heights Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Normal Heights Elementary?

The largest demographic group at Normal Heights Elementary is Hispanic or Latino at 76.4% of enrollment, in San Diego, CA.

What is the Resource Investment Index for Normal Heights Elementary?

Normal Heights Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 40/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).

How does Normal Heights Elementary rank among elementary schools in San Diego?

By Resource Investment Index, Normal Heights Elementary ranks #20 of 179 elementary schools in San Diego, CA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all elementary schools in San Diego on the city page.

Is Normal Heights Elementary a good school?

Normal Heights Elementary earns 40/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median. 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 San Diego Unified?

Besides Normal Heights Elementary, San Diego Unified also operates Henry High (2,485 students), Mira Mesa High (2,187 students), and Hoover High (2,011 students). See the San Diego Unified district page for the complete list.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) CCD + Public School Universe (2024-25), CRDC (2021-22), F-33 District Finance Survey (FY 2021-22) · 2024-25 Data as of the 2024-25 school year. Coverage from U.S. Department of Education NCES Common Core of Data. Varies by entity type; administrative districts and certain charter networks may report only a subset of fields.

All federal data sources used on this page

Full source list and how we compute each figure: methodology page.

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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.