Enrollment
842
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Santa Ana, CA
Samueli Academy
Federal NCES profile for Samueli Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 29/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 060205113076Charter school
👥 S:T ratio 14
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 16
📋 Attendance 55
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Samueli Academy earns 29/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median.
- #7 of 8
- schools in Santa Ana · Resource Index
- 29
- Resource Index · Lower
- 21.6:1
- students per teacher
- 56.9%
- free-lunch eligible
Samueli Academy has class sizes near the California median. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Samueli Academy ranks #7 of 8 schools in Santa Ana, CA.
School address
District: Samueli Academy District · California
NCES ID 060205113076 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
39.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
21.6:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
+0% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
56.9%
vs 55.5% California avg
+3% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Samueli Academy compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Samueli Academy
Samueli Academy is a higher-need, mid-sized charter combined-grade school in Santa Ana, California, enrolling 842 students.
At 21.6:1, 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.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 56.9% lands close to the California typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 842 puts it in the larger third of California schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 9,998 scored California schools.
Against 1,193 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #391.
Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (83% of enrollment) (diversity index 31/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 421 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 18.1% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Among Santa Ana's public schools, it stands alongside Ocsa (2,346 students): Samueli Academy is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (21.6:1 vs 17.8:1).
Samueli Academy District is a single-school charter district, so Samueli Academy operates independently rather than alongside district-mates.
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 Samueli Academy compares
Samueli 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 | 21.6:1 | ▲ 0% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 56.9% | ▲ 3% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 842 | top 16% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
21.6:1
Leaner classes than 11% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
842
Bigger than 87% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
56.9%
free-lunch eligible
- 3% 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
21.6:1
students per teacher
- 0% above state mean
Top 49% in California - lower ratio than 51% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
18.1%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$14,306
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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 421 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
32
in-school suspensions + 26 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 3.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 6.9 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 82.7%
Asian 7.8%
White 5.1%
Two or More 3.2%
African American 1.1%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 82.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 30.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 30.6, Samueli Academy is less mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
AP courses offered 5
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Samueli Academy District, which includes Samueli Academy.
$14,306
Per student
-13%
vs California
Avg $16,509
-14%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 14.8%
State 78.7%
Federal 6.5%
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.
Similar other schools in Santa Ana
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Ocsa
Standard public school
2,346 students 17.8:1 students per teacher
Saddleback High
Standard public school
1,451 students 19.6:1 students per teacher
Magnolia Science Academy Santa Ana
Standard public school
524 students 16.9:1 students per teacher
Citrus Springs Charter
Standard public school
477 students 29.8:1 students per teacher
Vista Heritage Global Academy
Standard public school
369 students 20.5:1 students per teacher
Advanced Learning Academy
Standard public school
363 students 12.5:1 students per teacher
Similar other 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 (~842 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Samueli Academy's federal record.
- Compare Samueli Academy against another school. Compare schools
- Samueli Academy District'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 Samueli Academy
How many students attend Samueli Academy?
Samueli Academy has 842 students enrolled. It is a public school in Santa Ana, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Samueli Academy?
The student-teacher ratio at Samueli Academy is 21.6:1, which is 0% higher than the California average of 21.5:1 and 38% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Samueli Academy?
56.9% of students at Samueli Academy are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Samueli Academy?
The largest demographic group at Samueli Academy is Hispanic or Latino at 82.7% of enrollment, in Santa Ana, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Samueli Academy?
Samueli Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 29/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 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 Samueli Academy rank among schools in Santa Ana?
By Resource Investment Index, Samueli Academy ranks #7 of 8 schools in Santa Ana, CA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Santa Ana on the city page.
Is Samueli Academy a good school?
Samueli Academy earns 29/100 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 Samueli Academy District?
None; Samueli Academy District is a single-school charter district, and Samueli Academy is its only campus.
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.