Enrollment
437
California · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · San Diego, CA
Trace
Federal NCES profile for Trace, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 22/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 063432011235
👥 S:T ratio 48
📚 AP courses 10
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 13
📋 Attendance 8
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Trace earns 22/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 93% of California schools.
- #28 of 41
- high schools in San Diego · Resource Index
- 22
- Resource Index · Lower
- 12.9:1
- small classes for California
- 69.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Trace has class sizes smaller than 93% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Trace ranks #28 of 41 high schools in San Diego, CA.
School address
District: San Diego Unified · California
NCES ID 063432011235 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
34.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.9:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-40% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
69.0%
vs 55.5% California avg
+24% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Trace compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Trace
Trace is a higher-need, mid-sized high school in San Diego, California, enrolling 437 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 12.9:1, Trace is leaner than roughly 93% of California schools and 40% under the state's 21.5:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 69.0% of students eligible for free meals.
With 437 students, its enrollment sits close to the California median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 9,998 scored California schools.
Against 2,019 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #1,008.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (61%) and African American (14%) (diversity index 59/100).
No Advanced Placement courses are reported for this campus in the federal data.
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 437 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 36.6% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Among San Diego's high schools, it stands alongside Del Norte High (2,557 students): Trace is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (12.9:1 vs 26.9:1).
San Diego Unified also operates Henry High (2,485 students) and Mira Mesa High (2,187 students) alongside Trace.
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 Trace compares
Trace on the metrics families compare, against California and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs California | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 12.9:1 | ▼ 40% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 69.0% | ▲ 24% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 437 | top 55% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.9:1
Leaner classes than 68% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
437
Bigger than 53% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
69.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 24% 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
12.9:1
students per teacher
- 40% below state mean
Top 7% in California - lower ratio than 93% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
36.6%
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
$18,665
per pupil, district-wide
- above California avg of $16,509
Somewhat above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 437 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
- 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 60.6%
African American 13.5%
White 11.7%
Asian 8.9%
Two or More 4.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 60.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 59.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 59.1, Trace is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
AP program Not offered
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for San Diego Unified, which includes Trace.
$18,665
Per student
+13%
vs California
Avg $16,509
+12%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 60.5%
State 25.1%
Federal 14.4%
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 Trace Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Henry High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Mira Mesa High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Hoover High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Scripps Ranch High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Point Loma High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Trace's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,485
- Students per teacher
- 25.9:1
- Resource Index
- 21/100
- Enrollment
- 2,187
- Students per teacher
- 24.9:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 2,011
- Students per teacher
- 20.5:1
- Resource Index
- 12/100
- Enrollment
- 1,890
- Students per teacher
- 27:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 1,724
- Students per teacher
- 26.1:1
- Resource Index
- 24/100
Similar high schools in San Diego
6 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
Del Norte High
Standard public school
2,557 students 26.9:1 students per teacher
Torrey Pines High
Standard public school
2,536 students 24.9:1 students per teacher
Henry High
Standard public school
2,485 students 25.9:1 students per teacher
Rancho Bernardo High
Standard public school
2,210 students 24.8:1 students per teacher
Mira Mesa High
Standard public school
2,187 students 24.9:1 students per teacher
Canyon Crest Academy
Standard public school
2,147 students 25.3:1 students per teacher
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 (~437 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Trace's federal record.
- Compare Trace against another school. Compare schools
- San Diego Unified'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 Trace
How many students attend Trace?
Trace has 437 students enrolled. It is a high school in San Diego, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Trace?
The student-teacher ratio at Trace is 12.9:1, which is 40% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 18% lower 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 Trace?
69.0% of students at Trace are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Trace?
The largest demographic group at Trace is Hispanic or Latino at 60.6% of enrollment, in San Diego, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 59.1/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Trace?
Trace has a Resource Investment Index of 22/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Trace rank among high schools in San Diego?
By Resource Investment Index, Trace ranks #28 of 41 high schools in San Diego, CA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all high schools in San Diego on the city page.
Is Trace a good school?
Trace earns 22/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 93% 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 San Diego Unified?
Besides Trace, San Diego Unified also operates Henry High (2,485 students), Mira Mesa High (2,187 students), and Hoover High (2,011 students). See the San Diego Unified 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.