Enrollment
2,101
California · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Poway, CA
Poway High
Federal NCES profile for Poway High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 38/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 063153004893
👥 S:T ratio 8
📚 AP courses 100
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 16
📋 Attendance 39
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Poway High earns 38/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median. It is also one of the largest schools in California.
- #11 of 13
- public schools in Poway · Resource Index
- 38
- Resource Index · Typical
- 23.1:1
- students per teacher
- 21.3%
- free-lunch eligible
Poway High has class sizes near the California median. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Poway High ranks #11 of 13 public schools in Poway, CA.
School address
District: Poway Unified · California
NCES ID 063153004893 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
91.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
23.1:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
+7% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
21.3%
vs 55.5% California avg
-62% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Poway High compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Poway High
Poway High is a large high school in Poway, California, enrolling 2,101 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 23.1:1 puts it in the larger third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 21.3% free-meal eligibility runs 62% below the California average.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in California, bigger than 97% of state schools at 2,101 students.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 9,998 scored California schools.
Among 264 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need California schools statewide, it ranks #240, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (51%) and Hispanic or Latino (30%) (diversity index 64/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 20 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 420 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 24.5% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 1 expulsion at this campus for 2021-22.
Among Poway's high schools, it stands alongside Abraxas Continuation High (216 students): Poway High is larger than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (23.1:1 vs 11.4:1).
Poway Unified also operates Del Norte High (2,557 students) and Rancho Bernardo High (2,210 students) alongside Poway High.
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 Poway High compares
Poway High on the metrics families compare, against California and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs California | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 23.1:1 | ▲ 7% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 21.3% | ▼ 62% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 2,101 | top 3% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
23.1:1
Leaner classes than 8% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
2,101
Bigger than 98% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
21.3%
free-lunch eligible
- 62% 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
23.1:1
students per teacher
- 7% above state mean
Top 63% in California - lower ratio than 37% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
24.5%
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
$13,960
per pupil, district-wide
- below California avg of $16,509
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors5.0 FTE
Per 420 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
2
in-school suspensions + 37 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.9 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 1 expulsion.
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 50.8%
Hispanic or Latino 29.9%
Two or More 10.8%
Asian 7.1%
African American 1.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: White at 50.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 63.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 63.6, Poway High is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
AP courses offered 20
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Poway Unified, which includes Poway High.
$13,960
Per student
-15%
vs California
Avg $16,509
-16%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 54.2%
State 39.4%
Federal 6.4%
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 Poway High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Del Norte High | Similar size | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Rancho Bernardo High | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Westview High | Similar size | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Mt. Carmel High | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Oak Valley Middle | Smaller | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Poway High's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,557
- Students per teacher
- 26.9:1
- Resource Index
- 25/100
- Enrollment
- 2,210
- Students per teacher
- 24.8:1
- Resource Index
- 24/100
- Enrollment
- 2,116
- Students per teacher
- 23.5:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
- Enrollment
- 1,800
- Students per teacher
- 22.5:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
- Enrollment
- 1,503
- Students per teacher
- 24.6:1
- Resource Index
- 27/100
Similar high schools in Poway
1 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
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 (~2,101 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~23.1:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Poway High's federal record.
- Compare Poway High against another school. Compare schools
- Poway 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 Poway High
How many students attend Poway High?
Poway High has 2,101 students enrolled. It is a high school in Poway, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Poway High?
The student-teacher ratio at Poway High is 23.1:1, which is 7% higher than the California average of 21.5:1 and 47% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Poway High?
21.3% of students at Poway High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Poway High?
The largest demographic group at Poway High is White at 50.8% of enrollment, in Poway, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 63.6/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Poway High?
Poway High has a Resource Investment Index of 38/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Poway High rank among public schools in Poway?
By Resource Investment Index, Poway High ranks #11 of 13 public schools in Poway, CA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Poway on the city page.
Is Poway High a good school?
Poway High earns 38/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median. It is also one of the largest schools in California. 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 Poway Unified?
Besides Poway High, Poway Unified also operates Del Norte High (2,557 students), Rancho Bernardo High (2,210 students), and Westview High (2,116 students). See the Poway 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.