Enrollment
330
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · San Diego, CA
Urban Discovery Academy Charter
Federal NCES profile for Urban Discovery Academy Charter, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 22/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 060155112318Charter school
👥 S:T ratio 37
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Urban Discovery Academy Charter earns 22/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 87% of California schools.
- #23 of 27
- schools in San Diego · Resource Index
- 22
- Resource Index · Lower
- 15.7:1
- small classes for California
- 47.9%
- free-lunch eligible
Urban Discovery Academy Charter has class sizes smaller than 87% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Urban Discovery Academy Charter ranks #23 of 27 schools in San Diego, CA.
School address
District: Urban Discovery Academy Charter District · California
NCES ID 060155112318 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
21.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.7:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-27% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
47.9%
vs 55.5% California avg
-14% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Urban Discovery Academy Charter compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Urban Discovery Academy Charter
Urban Discovery Academy Charter is a mid-sized charter combined-grade school in San Diego, California, enrolling 330 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 15.7:1, Urban Discovery Academy Charter is leaner than roughly 87% of California schools and 27% under the state's 21.5:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 47.9% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 330 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 9,998 scored California schools.
Among 990 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need California schools statewide, it ranks #716, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (57%) and White (16%) (diversity index 62/100).
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 51.2% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Among San Diego's public schools, it stands alongside The O'farrell Charter (1,862 students): Urban Discovery Academy Charter is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (15.7:1 vs 20.7:1).
Urban Discovery Academy Charter District is a single-school charter district, so Urban Discovery Academy Charter operates independently rather than alongside district-mates.
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 Urban Discovery Academy Charter compares
Urban Discovery Academy Charter on the metrics families compare, against California and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs California | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 15.7:1 | ▼ 27% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 47.9% | ▼ 14% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 330 | top 70% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
15.7:1
Leaner classes than 41% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
330
Bigger than 37% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
47.9%
free-lunch eligible
- 14% 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
15.7:1
students per teacher
- 27% below state mean
Top 13% in California - lower ratio than 87% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
51.2%
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
$13,668
per pupil, district-wide
- below California avg of $16,509
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 5 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.8 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 57.3%
White 15.8%
African American 14.2%
Two or More 9.7%
Asian 2.7%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.3%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 57.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 61.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 61.6, Urban Discovery Academy Charter is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Urban Discovery Academy Charter District, which includes Urban Discovery Academy Charter.
$13,668
Per student
-17%
vs California
Avg $16,509
-18%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 51.6%
State 35.0%
Federal 13.4%
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.
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 20.7:1 students per teacher
Logan Memorial Educational Campus
Standard public school
1,467 students 29.3:1 students per teacher
Charter School of San Diego
Standard public school
1,375 students 29.9:1 students per teacher
San Diego Scpa
Standard public school
1,297 students 24.5:1 students per teacher
Gompers Preparatory Academy
Standard public school
1,175 students 28.7:1 students per teacher
Launch Virtual Academy
Alternative education program
578 students 18.1:1 students per teacher
Similar other 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 (~330 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Urban Discovery Academy Charter's federal record.
- Compare Urban Discovery Academy Charter against another school. Compare schools
- Urban Discovery Academy Charter District'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 Urban Discovery Academy Charter
How many students attend Urban Discovery Academy Charter?
Urban Discovery Academy Charter has 330 students enrolled. It is a public school in San Diego, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Urban Discovery Academy Charter?
The student-teacher ratio at Urban Discovery Academy Charter is 15.7:1, which is 27% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 0% 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 Urban Discovery Academy Charter?
47.9% of students at Urban Discovery Academy Charter are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Urban Discovery Academy Charter?
The largest demographic group at Urban Discovery Academy Charter is Hispanic or Latino at 57.3% of enrollment, in San Diego, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 61.6/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Urban Discovery Academy Charter?
Urban Discovery Academy Charter has a Resource Investment Index of 22/100 (lower 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 Urban Discovery Academy Charter rank among schools in San Diego?
By Resource Investment Index, Urban Discovery Academy Charter ranks #23 of 27 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 schools in San Diego on the city page.
Is Urban Discovery Academy Charter a good school?
Urban Discovery Academy Charter earns 22/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 87% 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 Urban Discovery Academy Charter District?
None; Urban Discovery Academy Charter District is a single-school charter district, and Urban Discovery Academy Charter is its only campus.
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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.