Enrollment
312
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · San Diego, CA
Pacific Beach Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Pacific Beach 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 063432005531
👥 S:T ratio 11
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 38
📋 Attendance 42
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Pacific Beach 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
- 22.3:1
- students per teacher
- 20.7%
- free-lunch eligible
Pacific Beach Elementary has class sizes near the California median. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Pacific Beach Elementary ranks #20 of 179 elementary schools in San Diego, CA.
School address
District: San Diego Unified · California
NCES ID 063432005531 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
14.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
22.3:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
+4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
20.7%
vs 55.5% California avg
-63% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Pacific Beach Elementary compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Pacific Beach Elementary
Pacific Beach Elementary is a mid-sized elementary school in San Diego, California, enrolling 312 students.
At 22.3:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the California median, within a few percentage points of the 21.5:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 20.7% free-meal eligibility runs 63% below the California average.
Enrollment of 312 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 593 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #151.
Its student body is led by White (64%) and Hispanic or Latino (23%) (diversity index 53/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 312 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 23.4% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Among San Diego's elementary schools, it stands alongside Albert Einstein Academies (1,448 students): Pacific Beach Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (22.3:1 vs 24.1:1).
San Diego Unified also operates Henry High (2,485 students) and Mira Mesa High (2,187 students) alongside Pacific Beach 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 Pacific Beach Elementary compares
Pacific Beach 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 | 22.3:1 | ▲ 4% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 20.7% | ▼ 63% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 312 | top 73% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
22.3:1
Leaner classes than 10% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
312
Bigger than 34% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
20.7%
free-lunch eligible
- 63% below the California average of 55.5%
Below the 40% Title I threshold, among the lower-need profiles in the state; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
22.3:1
students per teacher
- 4% above state mean
Top 56% in California - lower ratio than 44% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
23.4%
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 312 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 2 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.0 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
White 64.0%
Hispanic or Latino 22.8%
Two or More 11.3%
Asian 1.6%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.3%
Largest group: White at 64.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 52.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 52.5, Pacific Beach Elementary is more 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 Pacific Beach 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 Pacific Beach Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Henry High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Mira Mesa High | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Hoover High | Larger | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Scripps Ranch High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Point Loma High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Pacific Beach Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,485
- Students per teacher
- 25.9:1
- Resource Index
- 21/100
- Enrollment
- 2,187
- Students per teacher
- 24.9:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 2,011
- Students per teacher
- 20.5:1
- Resource Index
- 12/100
- Enrollment
- 1,890
- Students per teacher
- 27:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 1,724
- Students per teacher
- 26.1:1
- Resource Index
- 24/100
Similar elementary schools in San Diego
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Albert Einstein Academies
Standard public school
1,448 students 24.1:1 students per teacher
Design 39 Campus
Standard public school
1,216 students 27:1 students per teacher
Nestor Language Academy Charter
Standard public school
1,079 students 25.7:1 students per teacher
Ocean View Hills
Standard public school
1,020 students 23.7:1 students per teacher
Language Academy
Standard public school
1,015 students 22.6:1 students per teacher
Del Sur Elementary
Standard public school
891 students 24.1:1 students per teacher
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.
Similar enrollment (~312 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~22.3:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Pacific Beach Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Pacific Beach Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- San Diego Unified'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 Pacific Beach Elementary
How many students attend Pacific Beach Elementary?
Pacific Beach Elementary has 312 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in San Diego, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Pacific Beach Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Pacific Beach Elementary is 22.3:1, which is 4% higher than the California average of 21.5:1 and 42% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Pacific Beach Elementary?
20.7% of students at Pacific Beach Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Pacific Beach Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Pacific Beach Elementary is White at 64.0% of enrollment, in San Diego, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 52.5/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Pacific Beach Elementary?
Pacific Beach 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 Pacific Beach Elementary rank among elementary schools in San Diego?
By Resource Investment Index, Pacific Beach 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 Pacific Beach Elementary a good school?
Pacific Beach 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 Pacific Beach 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.
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.