Public schools in Arcata, CA

Arcata has 10 public schools with a 2024-25 address in the city: 3 high, 1 middle, 5 elementary, 1 other, enrolling 2,836 students. They are run by 8 districts and agencies; Northern Humboldt Union High runs 2 of them.

NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25: schools open that year with enrollment · method

The 8 districts and agencies that run Arcata's public schools

Each district decides who can enroll where; its page holds its schools, spending and teachers.

DistrictSchools in ArcataDistrict students, fall 2022Spending per student, FY23
Northern Humboldt Union High21,785$17,026
Arcata Elementary2482$17,873
Pacific Union School District1571$11,205
Coastal Grove Charter School1227not reported
Laurel Tree Charter District1177$15,785
Fuente Nueva Charter District1137not reported
Northcoast Preparatory and Performing Arts Academy District1154$14,513
Union Street Charter District197not reported

Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25: school location city and operating agency; NCES F-33 fiscal year 2022-23: district fall membership and current spending per student. Schools on a city's edge can serve students from outside it.

3 high schools in Arcata, 1,149 students

SchoolStudents 2024‑25Per teacherFree lunchDistrict
Arcata High1,00719.040.2%Northern Humboldt Union High
Northcoast Preparatory and Performing Arts Academy11819.322.9%Northcoast Preparatory and Performing Arts Academy District
Pacific Coast High (Continuation)2410.958.3%Northern Humboldt Union High

Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (membership, staff, lunch); level from the directory. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count.

One middle school in Arcata, 232 students

SchoolStudents 2024‑25Per teacherFree lunchDistrict
Sunny Brae Middle23217.350.4%Arcata Elementary

Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (membership, staff, lunch); level from the directory. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count.

5 elementary schools in Arcata, 1,258 students

SchoolStudents 2024‑25Per teacherFree lunchDistrict
Pacific Union Elementary53418.548.1%Pacific Union
Arcata Elementary24016.070.0%Arcata Elementary
Coastal Grove Charter23514.952.3%Coastal Grove Charter School
Fuente Nueva Charter15018.840.0%Fuente Nueva Charter District
Union Street Charter9916.439.4%Union Street Charter District

Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (membership, staff, lunch); level from the directory. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count.

One other school in Arcata, 197 students

SchoolStudents 2024‑25Per teacherFree lunchDistrict
Laurel Tree Charter19726.050.8%Laurel Tree Charter District

Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (membership, staff, lunch); level from the directory. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count.

How Arcata's public schools compare with California's

The median Arcata school has 17.9 students per full-time teacher, fewer than the California median of 21.6. Its median school enrolls 215 students (state 471).

Arcata against California, schools open in 2024-25 with students
ArcataCalifornia
Median students per teacher17.921.6
Median school size (students)215471
Schools with a schoolwide Title I program (2021-22)not reportednot reported
Schools where every student eats free (CEP)88%74%
Charter schools50%13%

Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (membership, staff, lunch program, charter status; the 10 Arcata schools and the 9,918 California schools open that year with students); Title I status CCD 2021-22. Students per teacher counts 2024-25 teachers and ratios from 3 to 99.

What to look at next in Arcata

  1. Northern Humboldt Union HighRuns 2 of Arcata's 10 public schools and spent $17,026 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$17,026
  2. Arcata High, the largest high school in Arcata1,007 students in 2024-25, 19.0 per teacher.1,007
  3. Compare Northern Humboldt Union High with Arcata ElementaryArcata's two largest operators side by side: enrollment, spending and schools.
  4. The largest public schools in CaliforniaCalifornia's 50 largest schools open in 2024-25, by enrollment.
  5. Find the school district for an Arcata addressA home's district, not its city, decides which public schools it can enroll in.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (schools and their operating agencies); NCES F-33 finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23 (spending per student).

Choosing among them: how to choose a school district with the federal data, and what a Title I school is.

Other cities in California

  1. Los Angeles564 schools
  2. San Diego283 schools
  3. San Jose232 schools
  4. Sacramento197 schools
  5. Fresno179 schools
  6. Bakersfield146 schools
  7. San Francisco123 schools
  8. Stockton122 schools

Questions about schools in Arcata

  1. How many public schools are in Arcata, CA?
    10 public schools with an address in Arcata were open in 2024-25: 3 high, 1 middle, 5 elementary, 1 other, enrolling 2,836 students. 5 are charter schools.
  2. What is the largest high school in Arcata?
    Arcata High, with 1,007 students in 2024-25 (Northern Humboldt Union High).
  3. Which districts run Arcata's schools?
    Northern Humboldt Union High (2 schools), Arcata Elementary (2 schools), Pacific Union School District (1 school), Coastal Grove Charter School (1 school), and 4 more. A school's district, not its city, decides who can enroll.

These figures are for information and are not a substitute for the district's enrollment office, which confirms the school a home is assigned to.

Sources

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School directory, membership, staff and lunch files · 2024-25

Source: NCES Common Core of Data Public school search (the official record of each school) · 2024-25

Compiled from official source data by .