Enrollment
1,621
California · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Santee, CA
Santana High
Federal NCES profile for Santana High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 40/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 061623002026
👥 S:T ratio 0
📚 AP courses 60
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 36
📋 Attendance 33
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Santana High earns 40/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 81% of California schools.
- #4 of 12
- public schools in Santee · Resource Index
- 40
- Resource Index · Typical
- 25.3:1
- large classes for California
- 28.7%
- free-lunch eligible
Santana High has class sizes larger than 81% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Santana High ranks #4 of 12 public schools in Santee, CA.
School address
District: Grossmont Union High · California
NCES ID 061623002026 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
64.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
25.3:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
+18% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
28.7%
vs 55.5% California avg
-48% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Santana High compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Santana High
Santana High is a large high school in Santee, California, enrolling 1,621 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 25.3:1 puts it in the larger third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 28.7% of students eligible for free meals.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in California, bigger than 94% of state schools at 1,621 students.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 9,998 scored California schools.
Against 354 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #145.
Its student body is led by White (54%) and Hispanic or Latino (33%) (diversity index 60/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 12 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 318 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 26.8% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The federal civil-rights collection also records 1 expulsion at this campus for 2021-22.
Among Santee's high schools, it stands alongside West Hills High (1,624 students): Santana High is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (25.3:1 vs 25.4:1).
Grossmont Union High also operates Granite Hills High (2,331 students) and Grossmont High (2,172 students) alongside Santana High.
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 Santana High compares
Santana High on the metrics families compare, against California and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs California | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 25.3:1 | ▲ 18% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 28.7% | ▼ 48% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 1,621 | top 6% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
25.3:1
Leaner classes than 5% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
1,621
Bigger than 97% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
28.7%
free-lunch eligible
- 48% below the California average of 55.5%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
25.3:1
students per teacher
- 18% above state mean
Top 81% in California - lower ratio than 19% of state schools
Well above 20:1, one of the more stretched staffing loads nationally relative to enrollment.
Engagement
26.8%
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
$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
Counselors5.1 FTE
Per 318 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
7
in-school suspensions + 55 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.8 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 1 expulsion.
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 53.5%
Hispanic or Latino 32.6%
Two or More 7.6%
Asian 4.2%
African American 1.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: White at 53.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 60.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 60.0, Santana High is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
AP courses offered 12
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Grossmont Union High, which includes Santana High.
$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 Santana High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Granite Hills High | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Grossmont High | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| El Capitan High | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Valhalla High | Similar size | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| El Cajon Valley High | Similar size | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Santana High'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 Santee
1 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
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 (~1,621 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~25.3:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Santana High's federal record.
- Compare Santana High 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 Santana High
How many students attend Santana High?
Santana High has 1,621 students enrolled. It is a high school in Santee, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Santana High?
The student-teacher ratio at Santana High is 25.3:1, which is 18% higher than the California average of 21.5:1 and 61% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Santana High?
28.7% of students at Santana High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Santana High?
The largest demographic group at Santana High is White at 53.5% of enrollment, in Santee, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 60.0/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Santana High?
Santana High has a Resource Investment Index of 40/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 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 Santana High rank among public schools in Santee?
By Resource Investment Index, Santana High ranks #4 of 12 public schools in Santee, 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 Santee on the city page.
Is Santana High a good school?
Santana High earns 40/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 81% 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 Grossmont Union High?
Besides Santana High, 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.