Enrollment
69
California · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 063864007709
Options Secondary — Chula Vista, CA
Federal NCES profile for Options Secondary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 48/100.
👥 Class size 68
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 93
📋 Attendance 0
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
District: Sweetwater Union High · 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)
10.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
7.9:1
vs 21.6:1 California avg
-63% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
62.0%
vs 55.5% California avg
+12% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Options Secondary 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
Options Secondary reports 69 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 10.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 7.9:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 63% 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 15.9:1, it is 50% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 62.0% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 12% above the California average and 20% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 35 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 49.3% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Sweetwater Union High spends $16,144 per pupil district-wide, below the California average of $18,039 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 32.2% from local sources (property taxes), 58.4% from the state, and 9.4% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 48/100 (D), calculated from 4 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 Options Secondary 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 | 7.9:1 | ▼ 63% | 21.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 62.0% | ▲ 12% | 55.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 69 | top 8% | — | — |
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
62.0%
free-lunch eligible
— 12% 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
7.9:1
students per teacher
— 63% below state mean
Top 2% in California — lower ratio than 98% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
49.3%
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
$16,144
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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 35 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 3 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 4.3 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 69 Top 8% in California — larger than 92% of 10,006 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 10.0
Students per teacher 7.9:1 -63% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 62.0% +12% vs state
NCES ID 063864007709
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 59.4%
White 27.5%
Two or More 5.8%
Asian 4.3%
African American 2.9%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 59.4% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 4
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 35:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 49.3%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 3
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Sweetwater Union High, which includes Options Secondary.
$16,144
Per student
-11%
vs California
Avg $18,039
-17%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 32.2%
State 58.4%
Federal 9.4%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,557
- Students per teacher
- 25.3:1
- Enrollment
- 2,440
- Students per teacher
- 24.7:1
- Enrollment
- 2,290
- Students per teacher
- 24.8:1
- Enrollment
- 2,289
- Students per teacher
- 24.6:1
- Enrollment
- 1,960
- Students per teacher
- 23.5:1
Similar other schools in Chula Vista
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Mueller Charter (Robert L.)
Standard public school
1,542 students 22.3:1 students per teacher
Chula Vista Learning Community Charter
Standard public school
1,397 students 21:1 students per teacher
Hawking S.T.E.a.M. Charter
Standard public school
1,321 students 20.9:1 students per teacher
Pacific Springs Charter
Standard public school
489 students 30.2:1 students per teacher
Learning Choice Academy - Chula Vista
Standard public school
437 students 17.9:1 students per teacher
Sweetwater Secondary
Standard public school
372 students 36.9:1 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 Options Secondary
How many students attend Options Secondary?
Options Secondary has 69 students enrolled. It is a other school in Chula Vista, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Options Secondary?
The student-teacher ratio at Options Secondary is 7.9:1, which is 63% lower than the California average of 21.6:1 and 50% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Options Secondary?
62.0% of students at Options Secondary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Options Secondary?
The largest demographic group at Options Secondary is Hispanic or Latino at 59.4%. The school serves a diverse student body in Chula Vista, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Options Secondary?
Options Secondary has a Resource Investment Index of 48/100 (D) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.