Enrollment
289
California · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 060229414433 Charter school
San Diego Mission Academy — San Diego, CA
Federal NCES profile for San Diego Mission Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 26/100.
👥 Class size 33
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 42
📋 Attendance 0
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
The verdict
San Diego Mission Academy earns an F Resource Investment Index (26/100), even as it posts class sizes smaller than 87% of California schools.
- F
- Resource Index · 26/100
- 16.8:1
- small classes for California
- 55.6%
- free-lunch eligible
- 289
- students enrolled
School address
District: San Diego Mission Academy District · California
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
9.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.8:1
vs 21.6:1 California avg
-22% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
55.6%
vs 55.5% California avg
+0% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How San Diego Mission Academy compares with California and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
San Diego Mission Academy reports 289 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 9.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 16.8:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 22% below the California state mean of 21.6:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.7:1, it is 7% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 55.6% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 0% above the California average and 7% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 289 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 52.6% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding San Diego Mission Academy District spends $18,685 per pupil district-wide, above the California average of $16,509 and above the national average of $16,593. Revenue comes 4.2% from local sources (property taxes), 83.8% from the state, and 12.0% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 26/100 (F), calculated from 4 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How San Diego Mission Academy compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against California state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs California | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 16.8:1 | ▼ 22% | 21.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 55.6% | ▲ 0% | 55.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 289 | top 25% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
Class size vs. every US school
Students per teacher (lower means more individual attention)
17 smaller classes than 32% of 92,598 US schools
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US schools. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education — NCES Common Core of Data · 2024-25
School size vs. every US school
Total enrollment — where this school sits by size (neither large nor small is 'better')
289 larger than 31% of 95,891 US schools
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US schools. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education — NCES Common Core of Data · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Economic need
55.6%
free-lunch eligible
— 0% 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
16.8:1
students per teacher
— 22% below state mean
Top 13% in California — lower ratio than 87% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
52.6%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$18,685
per pupil, district-wide
— above California avg of $16,509
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 289 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
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
Enrollment 289 Top 25% in California — larger than 75% of 10,006 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 9.0
Students per teacher 16.8:1 -22% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 55.6% +0% vs state
NCES ID 060229414433
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 49.1%
White 25.8%
Two or More 14.3%
African American 7.0%
Asian 2.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.4%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 49.1% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 289:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 52.6%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for San Diego Mission Academy District, which includes San Diego Mission Academy.
$18,685
Per student
+13%
vs California
Avg $16,509
+13%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 4.2%
State 83.8%
Federal 12.0%
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 San Diego
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
The O'farrell Charter
Standard public school
1,862 students 20.2:1 students per teacher
Logan Memorial Educational Campus
Standard public school
1,467 students 20.7:1 students per teacher
Charter School of San Diego
Standard public school
1,375 students 30.8:1 students per teacher
San Diego Scpa
Standard public school
1,297 students 23.2:1 students per teacher
Gompers Preparatory Academy
Standard public school
1,175 students 31.2:1 students per teacher
Launch Virtual Academy
Alternative education program
578 students 18:1 students per teacher
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about San Diego Mission Academy
How many students attend San Diego Mission Academy?
San Diego Mission Academy has 289 students enrolled. It is a other school in San Diego, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at San Diego Mission Academy?
The student-teacher ratio at San Diego Mission Academy is 16.8:1, which is 22% lower than the California average of 21.6:1 and 7% 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 San Diego Mission Academy?
55.6% of students at San Diego Mission Academy are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of San Diego Mission Academy?
The largest demographic group at San Diego Mission Academy is Hispanic or Latino at 49.1%. The school serves a diverse student body in San Diego, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for San Diego Mission Academy?
San Diego Mission Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 26/100 (F) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.
Is San Diego Mission Academy a good school?
San Diego Mission Academy earns an F Resource Investment Index (26/100), even as it posts class sizes smaller than 87% of California schools. The Resource Investment Index reflects staffing, counselor access, gifted programs, and attendance reported to NCES, not test scores or academic outcomes, so treat it as a resource snapshot rather than an overall rating.