Enrollment
2,423
California · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 060657011526 Charter school
Summit Charter Academy — Porterville, CA
Federal NCES profile for Summit Charter Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 34/100.
👥 Class size 8
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 57
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
Summit Charter Academy earns an F Resource Investment Index (34/100), with class sizes near the California median.
- F
- Resource Index · 34/100
- 22.9:1
- students per teacher
- 53.6%
- free-lunch eligible
- 2,423
- students enrolled
School address
District: Burton Elementary · 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)
104.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
22.9:1
vs 21.6:1 California avg
+6% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
53.6%
vs 55.5% California avg
-3% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Summit Charter 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
Summit Charter Academy reports 2,423 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 104.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 22.9:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 6% above the California state mean of 21.6:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 44% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 53.6% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 3% below the California average and 3% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 606 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 17.4% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Burton Elementary spends $15,998 per pupil district-wide, below the California average of $18,039 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 8.1% from local sources (property taxes), 77.2% from the state, and 14.8% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 34/100 (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 Summit Charter 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 | 22.9:1 | ▲ 6% | 21.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 53.6% | ▼ 3% | 55.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 2,423 | top 99% | — | — |
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)
23 smaller classes than 8% 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')
2,423 larger than 99% 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
53.6%
free-lunch eligible
— 3% below the California average of 55.5%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
22.9:1
students per teacher
— 6% above state mean
Top 60% in California — lower ratio than 40% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Engagement
17.4%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Between 10–20% — above the pre-pandemic baseline of ~15% nationally but within the current U.S. range.
Funding equity
$15,998
per pupil, district-wide
— below California avg of $18,039
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors4.0 FTE
Per 606 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 27 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.2 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 2,423 Top 99% in California — larger than 1% of 10,006 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 104.0
Students per teacher 22.9:1 +6% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 53.6% -3% vs state
NCES ID 060657011526
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 81.5%
White 11.5%
Two or More 4.3%
Asian 1.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.8%
African American 0.2%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 81.5% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 1
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 4.0
Students per counselor 606:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 17.4%
In-school suspensions 1
Out-of-school suspensions 27
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Burton Elementary, which includes Summit Charter Academy.
$15,998
Per student
-11%
vs California
Avg $18,039
-18%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 8.1%
State 77.2%
Federal 14.8%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 586
- Students per teacher
- 21.1:1
- Enrollment
- 499
- Students per teacher
- 24:1
- Enrollment
- 466
- Students per teacher
- 22.6:1
- Enrollment
- 437
- Students per teacher
- 24.7:1
- Enrollment
- 393
- Students per teacher
- 24:1
Similar other schools in Porterville
4 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Monarch River Academy
Standard public school
1,338 students 33.1:1 students per teacher
Butterfield Charter
Standard public school
504 students 25.6:1 students per teacher
Porterville Military Academy
Standard public school
255 students 20.6:1 students per teacher
Vine Street Community Day
Alternative education program
14 students 10:1 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 Summit Charter Academy
How many students attend Summit Charter Academy?
Summit Charter Academy has 2,423 students enrolled. It is a other school in Porterville, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Summit Charter Academy?
The student-teacher ratio at Summit Charter Academy is 22.9:1, which is 6% higher than the California average of 21.6:1 and 44% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Summit Charter Academy?
53.6% of students at Summit Charter Academy are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Summit Charter Academy?
The largest demographic group at Summit Charter Academy is Hispanic or Latino at 81.5%. The school serves a diverse student body in Porterville, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Summit Charter Academy?
Summit Charter Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 34/100 (F) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.