Enrollment
457
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · San Diego, CA
Sage Canyon
Federal NCES profile for Sage Canyon, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 36/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 061074008591
👥 S:T ratio 24
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 9
📋 Attendance 82
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Sage Canyon earns 36/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 73% of California schools.
- #43 of 179
- elementary schools in San Diego · Resource Index
- 36
- Resource Index · Typical
- 19:1
- small classes for California
- 2.6%
- free-lunch eligible
Sage Canyon has class sizes smaller than 73% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Sage Canyon ranks #43 of 179 elementary schools in San Diego, CA.
School address
District: Del Mar Union Elementary · California
NCES ID 061074008591 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
24.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
19:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-12% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
2.6%
vs 55.5% California avg
-95% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Sage Canyon compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Sage Canyon
Sage Canyon is a lower-poverty, mid-sized elementary school in San Diego, California, enrolling 457 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 19:1 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 2.6% free-meal eligibility runs 95% below the California average.
With 457 students, its enrollment sits close to the California median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 9,998 scored California schools.
Against 511 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #292.
Its student body is led by White (46%) and Asian (34%) (diversity index 65/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 457 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance holds up well here: only 7.2% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
Among San Diego's elementary schools, it stands alongside Albert Einstein Academies (1,448 students): Sage Canyon is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (19:1 vs 24.1:1).
Del Mar Union Elementary also operates Carmel Del Mar Elementary (562 students) and Ocean Air (450 students) alongside Sage Canyon.
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 Sage Canyon compares
Sage Canyon on the metrics families compare, against California and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs California | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 19:1 | ▼ 12% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 2.6% | ▼ 95% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 457 | top 52% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
19:1
Leaner classes than 20% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
457
Bigger than 56% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
2.6%
free-lunch eligible
- 95% 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
19:1
students per teacher
- 12% below state mean
Top 27% in California - lower ratio than 73% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
7.2%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 5-10% range, close to the pre-pandemic national baseline.
Funding equity
$18,416
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 457 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 1 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.2 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 46.3%
Asian 33.8%
Hispanic or Latino 9.9%
Two or More 9.9%
African American 0.2%
Largest group: White at 46.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 65.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 65.2, Sage Canyon is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Del Mar Union Elementary, which includes Sage Canyon.
$18,416
Per student
+12%
vs California
Avg $16,509
+11%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 84.4%
State 13.1%
Federal 2.5%
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 Sage Canyon Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carmel Del Mar Elementary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Ocean Air | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Torrey Hills | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Sycamore Ridge | Similar size | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Pacific Sky | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Sage Canyon's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 562
- Students per teacher
- 21.6:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
- Enrollment
- 450
- Students per teacher
- 18.8:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 389
- Students per teacher
- 16.2:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
- Enrollment
- 386
- Students per teacher
- 16.1:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 368
- Students per teacher
- 23:1
- Resource Index
- 8/100
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 (~457 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~19:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Sage Canyon's federal record.
- Compare Sage Canyon against another school. Compare schools
- Del Mar Union Elementary'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 Sage Canyon
How many students attend Sage Canyon?
Sage Canyon has 457 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in San Diego, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Sage Canyon?
The student-teacher ratio at Sage Canyon is 19:1, which is 12% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 21% higher 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 Sage Canyon?
2.6% of students at Sage Canyon are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Sage Canyon?
The largest demographic group at Sage Canyon is White at 46.3% of enrollment, in San Diego, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 65.2/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Sage Canyon?
Sage Canyon has a Resource Investment Index of 36/100 (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 Sage Canyon rank among elementary schools in San Diego?
By Resource Investment Index, Sage Canyon ranks #43 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 Sage Canyon a good school?
Sage Canyon earns 36/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 73% of California schools. 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 Del Mar Union Elementary?
Besides Sage Canyon, Del Mar Union Elementary also operates Carmel Del Mar Elementary (562 students), Ocean Air (450 students), and Torrey Hills (389 students). See the Del Mar Union Elementary 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.