Enrollment
251
California · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 060146314373 Charter school
Vista Springs Charter — Vista, CA
Federal NCES profile for Vista Springs Charter, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 25/100.
👥 Class size 0
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 68
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 →
School address
District: Vista Springs Charter District · 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)
9.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
27.3:1
vs 21.6:1 California avg
+26% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
56.5%
vs 55.5% California avg
+2% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Vista Springs Charter 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
Vista Springs Charter reports 251 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 9.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 27.3:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 26% 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 72% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 56.5% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 2% above the California average and 9% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 502 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 12.7% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Vista Springs Charter District spends $12,664 per pupil district-wide, below the California average of $18,039 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 5.3% from local sources (property taxes), 84.8% from the state, and 9.9% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 25/100 (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 Vista Springs Charter 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 | 27.3:1 | ▲ 26% | 21.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 56.5% | ▲ 2% | 55.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 251 | top 21% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 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
56.5%
free-lunch eligible
— 2% 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
27.3:1
students per teacher
— 26% above state mean
Top 94% in California — lower ratio than 6% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Engagement
12.7%
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
$12,664
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
Counselors0.5 FTE
Per 502 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 5 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 251 Top 21% in California — larger than 79% of 10,006 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 9.0
Students per teacher 27.3:1 +26% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 56.5% +2% vs state
NCES ID 060146314373
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 74.1%
White 15.9%
Two or More 6.0%
African American 2.4%
Asian 0.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.8%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 74.1% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 0.5
Students per counselor 502:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 12.7%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 5
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Vista Springs Charter District, which includes Vista Springs Charter.
$12,664
Per student
-30%
vs California
Avg $18,039
-35%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 5.3%
State 84.8%
Federal 9.9%
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 Vista
3 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
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 Vista Springs Charter
How many students attend Vista Springs Charter?
Vista Springs Charter has 251 students enrolled. It is a other school in Vista, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Vista Springs Charter?
The student-teacher ratio at Vista Springs Charter is 27.3:1, which is 26% higher than the California average of 21.6:1 and 72% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Vista Springs Charter?
56.5% of students at Vista Springs Charter are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Vista Springs Charter?
The largest demographic group at Vista Springs Charter is Hispanic or Latino at 74.1%. The school serves a diverse student body in Vista, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Vista Springs Charter?
Vista Springs Charter has a Resource Investment Index of 25/100 (F) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.