Enrollment
740
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Vista, CA
Vista Academy of Visual and Performing Arts
Federal NCES profile for Vista Academy of Visual and Performing Arts, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 8/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 064119006822
👥 S:T ratio 0
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Vista Academy of Visual and Performing Arts earns 8/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 87% of California schools.
- #12 of 15
- elementary schools in Vista · Resource Index
- 8
- Resource Index · Lower
- 26.4:1
- large classes for California
- 65.1%
- free-lunch eligible
Vista Academy of Visual and Performing Arts has class sizes larger than 87% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Vista Academy of Visual and Performing Arts ranks #12 of 15 elementary schools in Vista, CA.
School address
District: Vista Unified · California
NCES ID 064119006822 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
28.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
26.4:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
+23% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
65.1%
vs 55.5% California avg
+17% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Vista Academy of Visual and Performing Arts compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Vista Academy of Visual and Performing Arts
Vista Academy of Visual and Performing Arts is a higher-need, mid-sized elementary school in Vista, California, enrolling 740 students.
Class loads run heavy: 26.4:1 is larger than about 87% of California schools and 23% above the 21.5:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 65.1% lands close to the California typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 740 puts it in the larger third of California schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 100% of the 9,998 California schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.
Among 1,676 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need California schools statewide, it ranks #1,638, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (80% of enrollment) (diversity index 34/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 740 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 40.7% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Among Vista's elementary schools, it stands alongside Casita Center for Science/Math/Technology (744 students): Vista Academy of Visual and Performing Arts is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (26.4:1 vs 29.8:1).
Vista Unified also operates Rancho Buena Vista High (1,949 students) and Vista High (1,746 students) alongside Vista Academy of Visual and Performing Arts.
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 Vista Academy of Visual and Performing Arts compares
Vista Academy of Visual and Performing Arts on the metrics families compare, against California and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs California | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 26.4:1 | ▲ 23% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 65.1% | ▲ 17% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 740 | top 21% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
26.4:1
Leaner classes than 4% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
740
Bigger than 83% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
65.1%
free-lunch eligible
- 17% 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
26.4:1
students per teacher
- 23% above state mean
Top 87% in California - lower ratio than 13% of state schools
Well above 20:1, one of the more stretched staffing loads nationally relative to enrollment.
Engagement
40.7%
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
$15,274
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 740 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
18
in-school suspensions + 9 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.6 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 80.0%
White 12.4%
Two or More 3.5%
African American 2.2%
Asian 1.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 80.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 34.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 34.3, Vista Academy of Visual and Performing Arts is less mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Vista Unified, which includes Vista Academy of Visual and Performing Arts.
$15,274
Per student
-7%
vs California
Avg $16,509
-8%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 36.1%
State 53.6%
Federal 10.3%
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 Vista Academy of Visual and Performing Arts Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rancho Buena Vista High | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Vista High | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Mission Vista High | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Madison Middle | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Roosevelt Middle | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Vista Academy of Visual and Performing Arts's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,949
- Students per teacher
- 21:1
- Resource Index
- 21/100
- Enrollment
- 1,746
- Students per teacher
- 16.6:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 1,670
- Students per teacher
- 23.5:1
- Resource Index
- 28/100
- Enrollment
- 1,158
- Students per teacher
- 24.1:1
- Resource Index
- 14/100
- Enrollment
- 866
- Students per teacher
- 22.8:1
- Resource Index
- 16/100
Similar elementary schools in Vista
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Casita Center for Science/Math/Technology
Standard public school
744 students 29.8:1 students per teacher
Breeze Hill Elementary
Standard public school
742 students 23.9:1 students per teacher
Grapevine Elementary
Standard public school
730 students 23.5:1 students per teacher
Classical Academy Vista
Standard public school
651 students 25:1 students per teacher
Joli Ann Leichtag Elementary
Standard public school
579 students 22.3:1 students per teacher
Bobier Elementary
Standard public school
563 students 26.8:1 students per teacher
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.
Similar enrollment (~740 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Vista Academy of Visual and Performing Arts's federal record.
- Compare Vista Academy of Visual and Performing Arts against another school. Compare schools
- Vista 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 Vista Academy of Visual and Performing Arts
How many students attend Vista Academy of Visual and Performing Arts?
Vista Academy of Visual and Performing Arts has 740 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Vista, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Vista Academy of Visual and Performing Arts?
The student-teacher ratio at Vista Academy of Visual and Performing Arts is 26.4:1, which is 23% higher than the California average of 21.5:1 and 68% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Vista Academy of Visual and Performing Arts?
65.1% of students at Vista Academy of Visual and Performing Arts are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Vista Academy of Visual and Performing Arts?
The largest demographic group at Vista Academy of Visual and Performing Arts is Hispanic or Latino at 80.0% of enrollment, in Vista, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Vista Academy of Visual and Performing Arts?
Vista Academy of Visual and Performing Arts has a Resource Investment Index of 8/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Vista Academy of Visual and Performing Arts rank among elementary schools in Vista?
By Resource Investment Index, Vista Academy of Visual and Performing Arts ranks #12 of 15 elementary schools in Vista, 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 Vista on the city page.
Is Vista Academy of Visual and Performing Arts a good school?
Vista Academy of Visual and Performing Arts earns 8/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger 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 Vista Unified?
Besides Vista Academy of Visual and Performing Arts, Vista Unified also operates Rancho Buena Vista High (1,949 students), Vista High (1,746 students), and Mission Vista High (1,670 students). See the Vista 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.