Elementary school (grades K-5) · Northridge, CA

Topeka Charter School for Advanced Studies

Federal NCES profile for Topeka Charter School for Advanced Studies, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 39/100.

2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 062271003402Charter school
0/100100/10039/100
👥 S:T ratio
0
🌟 Gifted program
70
📋 Attendance
47
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

Topeka Charter School for Advanced Studies earns 39/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 82% of California schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most California schools.

#4 of 10
elementary schools in Northridge · Resource Index
39
Resource Index · Typical
25.4:1
large classes for California
30.8%
free-lunch eligible

Topeka Charter School for Advanced Studies has class sizes larger than 82% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, Topeka Charter School for Advanced Studies ranks #4 of 10 elementary schools in Northridge, CA.

Enrollment

610

California · 2024-25 NCES data

Teachers (FTE)

24.0

Federal CCD staff survey

Students per teacher

25.4:1

vs 21.5:1 California avg

+18% vs state

Free-lunch eligible

30.8%

vs 55.5% California avg

-45% vs state

Student-teacher ratio in context

How Topeka Charter School for Advanced Studies compares with California and U.S. medians

Larger classes than state median

Source: NCES Common Core of Data As of 2024-25 federal staff survey Total enrollment ÷ full-time-equivalent classroom teachers

What stands out at Topeka Charter School for Advanced Studies

Topeka Charter School for Advanced Studies is a mid-sized charter elementary school in Northridge, California, enrolling 610 students.

Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 25.4:1 puts it in the larger third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.

Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 30.8% of students eligible for free meals.

Enrollment of 610 puts it in the larger third of California schools by headcount.

Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 9,998 scored California schools.

Against 1,426 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #330.

Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (37%) and White (29%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 73/100).

Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 21.1% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.

The surrounding Los Angeles Unified spends $21,940 per pupil, 33% above the California average, a better-resourced district than most.

Its district draws 19.2% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.

Among Northridge's elementary schools, it stands alongside Balboa Gifted/High Ability Magnet Elementary (650 students): Topeka Charter School for Advanced Studies is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (25.4:1 vs 24.1:1).

Los Angeles Unified also operates Grover Cleveland Charter High (2,719 students) and North Hollywood Senior High (2,444 students) alongside Topeka Charter School for Advanced Studies.

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 Topeka Charter School for Advanced Studies compares

Topeka Charter School for Advanced Studies on the metrics families compare, against California and U.S. means.

Metric This school vs California California avg U.S. avg
Students per teacher 25.4:1 ▲ 18% 21.5:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 30.8% ▼ 45% 55.5% 51.7%
Enrollment 610 top 31% - -

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25

25.4:1
Leaner classes than 5% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
610
Bigger than 74% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.

Equity indicators (what these measure)

Economic need
30.8%
free-lunch eligible - 45% 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
25.4:1
students per teacher - 18% above state mean
Top 82% in California - lower ratio than 18% of state schools
Well above 20:1, one of the more stretched staffing loads nationally relative to enrollment.
Engagement
21.1%
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
$21,940
per pupil, district-wide - above California avg of $16,509
Well above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting substantially higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
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

  • 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 36.6%
White 28.7%
Asian 17.2%
Two or More 13.9%
African American 3.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%

Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 36.6% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 73.4/100

Simpson diversity index - at 73.4, Topeka Charter School for Advanced Studies is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.

Programs

Gifted & talented Yes

Funding & spending

District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Los Angeles Unified, which includes Topeka Charter School for Advanced Studies.

$21,940
Per student
+33%
vs California
Avg $16,509
+32%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 26.3%
State 54.5%
Federal 19.2%

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 Topeka Charter School for Advanced Studies Compares to District-Mates

School Enrollment Economic Profile Student-Teacher Ratio
Grover Cleveland Charter High Larger Higher economic need Lower S:T ratio
North Hollywood Senior High Larger Higher economic need Lower S:T ratio
Phineas Banning Senior High Larger Higher economic need Lower S:T ratio
San Pedro Senior High Larger Higher economic need Lower S:T ratio
Venice Senior High Larger Higher economic need Similar S:T ratio

Comparisons are relative to Topeka Charter School for Advanced Studies's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.

Other Schools in This District

Los Angeles Unified · 5 sibling schools

View district profile

Similar elementary schools in Northridge

6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.

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.

Next steps

Verify locally before acting on Topeka Charter School for Advanced Studies's federal record.

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 Topeka Charter School for Advanced Studies

How many students attend Topeka Charter School for Advanced Studies?

Topeka Charter School for Advanced Studies has 610 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Northridge, CA.

What is the student-teacher ratio at Topeka Charter School for Advanced Studies?

The student-teacher ratio at Topeka Charter School for Advanced Studies is 25.4:1, which is 18% higher than the California average of 21.5:1 and 62% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.

What percentage of students receive free lunch at Topeka Charter School for Advanced Studies?

30.8% of students at Topeka Charter School for Advanced Studies are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Topeka Charter School for Advanced Studies?

The largest demographic group at Topeka Charter School for Advanced Studies is Hispanic or Latino at 36.6% of enrollment, in Northridge, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 73.4/100.

What is the Resource Investment Index for Topeka Charter School for Advanced Studies?

Topeka Charter School for Advanced Studies has a Resource Investment Index of 39/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).

How does Topeka Charter School for Advanced Studies rank among elementary schools in Northridge?

By Resource Investment Index, Topeka Charter School for Advanced Studies ranks #4 of 10 elementary schools in Northridge, 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 Northridge on the city page.

Is Topeka Charter School for Advanced Studies a good school?

Topeka Charter School for Advanced Studies earns 39/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 82% of California schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most 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 Los Angeles Unified?

Besides Topeka Charter School for Advanced Studies, Los Angeles Unified also operates Grover Cleveland Charter High (2,719 students), North Hollywood Senior High (2,444 students), and Phineas Banning Senior High (2,422 students). See the Los Angeles Unified district page for the complete list.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) CCD + Public School Universe (2024-25), CRDC (2021-22), F-33 District Finance Survey (FY 2021-22) · 2024-25 Data as of the 2024-25 school year. Coverage from U.S. Department of Education NCES Common Core of Data. Varies by entity type; administrative districts and certain charter networks may report only a subset of fields.

All federal data sources used on this page

Full source list and how we compute each figure: methodology page.

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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.