Enrollment
21
California · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · El Cajon, CA
Reach Academy
Federal NCES profile for Reach Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 33/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 061623013677
👥 S:T ratio 58
📚 AP courses 10
🌟 Gifted program 30
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Reach Academy earns 33/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 95% of California schools. It is also one of the smallest schools in California.
- #4 of 9
- high schools in El Cajon · Resource Index
- 33
- Resource Index · Typical
- 10.5:1
- small classes for California
- 65.2%
- free-lunch eligible
Reach Academy has class sizes smaller than 95% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Reach Academy ranks #4 of 9 high schools in El Cajon, CA.
School address
District: Grossmont Union High · California
NCES ID 061623013677 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
2.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
10.5:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-51% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
65.2%
vs 55.5% California avg
+17% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Reach Academy compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Reach Academy
Reach Academy is a higher-need, small high school in El Cajon, California, enrolling 21 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 10.5:1, Reach Academy is leaner than roughly 95% of California schools and 51% under the state's 21.5:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 65.2% 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 97% of California schools, with 21 enrolled.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 9,998 scored California schools.
Against 105 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #48.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (43%) and African American (29%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 68/100).
No Advanced Placement courses are reported for this campus in the federal data.
Discipline events run high: 25 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 21 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
Among El Cajon's high schools, it stands alongside Granite Hills High (2,331 students): Reach Academy is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (10.5:1 vs 24:1).
Grossmont Union High also operates Granite Hills High (2,331 students) and Grossmont High (2,172 students) alongside Reach 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 Reach Academy compares
Reach 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 | 10.5:1 | ▼ 51% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 65.2% | ▲ 17% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 21 | top 97% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
10.5:1
Leaner classes than 86% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
21
Bigger than 3% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
65.2%
free-lunch eligible
- 17% 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
10.5:1
students per teacher
- 51% below state mean
Top 5% in California - lower ratio than 95% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Funding equity
$17,029
per pupil, district-wide
- above California avg of $16,509
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 24 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 4.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 119.0 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 42.9%
African American 28.6%
White 23.8%
Two or More 4.8%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 42.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 67.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 67.5, Reach Academy is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
AP program Not offered
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Grossmont Union High, which includes Reach Academy.
$17,029
Per student
+3%
vs California
Avg $16,509
+3%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 49.2%
State 38.6%
Federal 12.2%
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 Reach Academy Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Granite Hills High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Grossmont High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| El Capitan High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Valhalla High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| El Cajon Valley High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Reach Academy's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,331
- Students per teacher
- 24:1
- Resource Index
- 29/100
- Enrollment
- 2,172
- Students per teacher
- 24.4:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
- Enrollment
- 1,810
- Students per teacher
- 22.6:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
- Enrollment
- 1,728
- Students per teacher
- 22.2:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 1,701
- Students per teacher
- 22.4:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
Similar high schools in El Cajon
6 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
Granite Hills High
Standard public school
2,331 students 24:1 students per teacher
Valhalla High
Standard public school
1,728 students 22.2:1 students per teacher
El Cajon Valley High
Standard public school
1,701 students 22.4:1 students per teacher
Idea Center
Alternative education program
127 students 7.9:1 students per teacher
Merit Academy
Special-education school
68 students 11.3:1 students per teacher
Chaparral High
Alternative education program
45 students 6.4:1 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 (~21 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Reach Academy's federal record.
- Compare Reach Academy against another school. Compare schools
- Grossmont 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 Reach Academy
How many students attend Reach Academy?
Reach Academy has 21 students enrolled. It is a high school in El Cajon, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Reach Academy?
The student-teacher ratio at Reach Academy is 10.5:1, which is 51% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 33% lower 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 Reach Academy?
65.2% of students at Reach Academy are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Reach Academy?
The largest demographic group at Reach Academy is Hispanic or Latino at 42.9% of enrollment, in El Cajon, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 67.5/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Reach Academy?
Reach Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 33/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Reach Academy rank among high schools in El Cajon?
By Resource Investment Index, Reach Academy ranks #4 of 9 high schools in El Cajon, 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 Cajon on the city page.
Is Reach Academy a good school?
Reach Academy earns 33/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 95% of California schools. It is also one of the smallest 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 Grossmont Union High?
Besides Reach Academy, Grossmont Union High also operates Granite Hills High (2,331 students), Grossmont High (2,172 students), and El Capitan High (1,810 students). See the Grossmont 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.