Enrollment
30
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Dana Point, CA
Richard Henry Dana Exceptional Needs
Federal NCES profile for Richard Henry Dana Exceptional Needs, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 35/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 060744008543
👥 S:T ratio 76
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Richard Henry Dana Exceptional Needs earns 35/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 98% of California schools. It is also one of the smallest schools in California.
- #1 of 3
- public schools in Dana Point · Resource Index
- 35
- Resource Index · Typical
- 6:1
- small classes for California
- 20.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Richard Henry Dana Exceptional Needs has class sizes smaller than 98% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Richard Henry Dana Exceptional Needs ranks #1 of 3 public schools in Dana Point, CA.
School address
District: Capistrano Unified · California
NCES ID 060744008543 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
5.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
6:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-72% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
20.0%
vs 55.5% California avg
-64% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Richard Henry Dana Exceptional Needs compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Richard Henry Dana Exceptional Needs
Richard Henry Dana Exceptional Needs is a lower-poverty, small elementary school in Dana Point, California, enrolling 30 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 6:1, Richard Henry Dana Exceptional Needs is leaner than roughly 98% of California schools and 72% under the state's 21.5:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 20.0% free-meal eligibility runs 64% below the California average.
This is a small campus: fewer students than 96% of California schools, with 30 enrolled.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 9,998 scored California schools.
Against 39 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #26.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 90.0% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Among Dana Point's elementary schools, it stands alongside Richard Henry Dana Elementary (461 students): Richard Henry Dana Exceptional Needs is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (6:1 vs 41.9:1).
Capistrano Unified also operates San Clemente High (2,740 students) and San Juan Hills High (2,641 students) alongside Richard Henry Dana Exceptional Needs.
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 Richard Henry Dana Exceptional Needs compares
Richard Henry Dana Exceptional Needs on the metrics families compare, against California and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs California | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 6:1 | ▼ 72% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 20.0% | ▼ 64% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 30 | top 96% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
6:1
Leaner classes than 98% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
30
Bigger than 4% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
20.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 64% 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
6:1
students per teacher
- 72% below state mean
Top 2% in California - lower ratio than 98% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
90.0%
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
$14,421
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
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 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.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Capistrano Unified, which includes Richard Henry Dana Exceptional Needs.
$14,421
Per student
-13%
vs California
Avg $16,509
-13%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 61.2%
State 31.0%
Federal 7.7%
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 Richard Henry Dana Exceptional Needs Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Clemente High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| San Juan Hills High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Aliso Niguel High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Tesoro High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Capistrano Valley High | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Richard Henry Dana Exceptional Needs's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,740
- Students per teacher
- 21.9:1
- Resource Index
- 28/100
- Enrollment
- 2,641
- Students per teacher
- 21.5:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 2,563
- Students per teacher
- 22.5:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 2,030
- Students per teacher
- 22.1:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
- Enrollment
- 1,991
- Students per teacher
- 21.9:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
Similar elementary schools in Dana Point
1 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.
Similar enrollment (~30 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~6:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Richard Henry Dana Exceptional Needs's federal record.
- Compare Richard Henry Dana Exceptional Needs against another school. Compare schools
- Capistrano 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 Richard Henry Dana Exceptional Needs
How many students attend Richard Henry Dana Exceptional Needs?
Richard Henry Dana Exceptional Needs has 30 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Dana Point, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Richard Henry Dana Exceptional Needs?
The student-teacher ratio at Richard Henry Dana Exceptional Needs is 6:1, which is 72% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 62% 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 Richard Henry Dana Exceptional Needs?
20.0% of students at Richard Henry Dana Exceptional Needs are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Richard Henry Dana Exceptional Needs?
Richard Henry Dana Exceptional Needs has a Resource Investment Index of 35/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Richard Henry Dana Exceptional Needs rank among public schools in Dana Point?
By Resource Investment Index, Richard Henry Dana Exceptional Needs ranks #1 of 3 public schools in Dana Point, 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 Dana Point on the city page.
Is Richard Henry Dana Exceptional Needs a good school?
Richard Henry Dana Exceptional Needs earns 35/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 98% 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 Capistrano Unified?
Besides Richard Henry Dana Exceptional Needs, Capistrano Unified also operates San Clemente High (2,740 students), San Juan Hills High (2,641 students), and Aliso Niguel High (2,563 students). See the Capistrano 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.