Enrollment
61
California · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Walnut Creek, CA
Acalanes Center for Independent Study
Federal NCES profile for Acalanes Center for Independent Study, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 41/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 060165010751
👥 S:T ratio 59
📚 AP courses 35
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 39
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Acalanes Center for Independent Study earns 41/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 95% of California schools.
- #1 of 3
- high schools in Walnut Creek · Resource Index
- 41
- Resource Index · Typical
- 10.2:1
- small classes for California
- 21.3%
- free-lunch eligible
Acalanes Center for Independent Study has class sizes smaller than 95% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Acalanes Center for Independent Study ranks #1 of 3 high schools in Walnut Creek, CA.
School address
District: Acalanes Union High · California
NCES ID 060165010751 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
6.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
10.2:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-53% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
21.3%
vs 55.5% California avg
-62% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Acalanes Center for Independent Study compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Acalanes Center for Independent Study
Acalanes Center for Independent Study is a small high school in Walnut Creek, California, enrolling 61 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 10.2:1, Acalanes Center for Independent Study is leaner than roughly 95% of California schools and 53% under the state's 21.5:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 21.3% free-meal eligibility runs 62% below the California average.
This is a small campus: fewer students than 93% of California schools, with 61 enrolled.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 9,998 scored California schools.
Against 72 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #26.
Its student body is led by White (64%) and Hispanic or Latino (18%) (diversity index 54/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 7 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 305 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 49.2% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Among Walnut Creek's high schools, it stands alongside Las Lomas High (1,577 students): Acalanes Center for Independent Study is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (10.2:1 vs 20:1).
Acalanes Union High also operates Las Lomas High (1,577 students) and Campolindo High (1,340 students) alongside Acalanes Center for Independent Study.
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 Acalanes Center for Independent Study compares
Acalanes Center for Independent Study on the metrics families compare, against California and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs California | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 10.2:1 | ▼ 53% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 21.3% | ▼ 62% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 61 | top 93% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
10.2:1
Leaner classes than 88% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
61
Bigger than 6% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
21.3%
free-lunch eligible
- 62% below the California average of 55.5%
Below the 40% Title I threshold, among the lower-need profiles in the state; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
10.2:1
students per teacher
- 53% below state mean
Top 5% in California - lower ratio than 95% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
49.2%
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
$17,431
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
Counselors0.2 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 7 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 11.5 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
White 63.9%
Hispanic or Latino 18.0%
Asian 11.5%
Two or More 4.9%
African American 1.6%
Largest group: White at 63.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 54.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 54.3, Acalanes Center for Independent Study is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
AP courses offered 7
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Acalanes Union High, which includes Acalanes Center for Independent Study.
$17,431
Per student
+6%
vs California
Avg $16,509
+5%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 80.4%
State 14.9%
Federal 4.7%
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 Acalanes Center for Independent Study Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Las Lomas High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Campolindo High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Acalanes High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Miramonte High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Acalanes Center for Independent Study's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,577
- Students per teacher
- 20:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 1,340
- Students per teacher
- 19.7:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 1,256
- Students per teacher
- 19.3:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 1,167
- Students per teacher
- 18.8:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
Similar high schools in Walnut Creek
2 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
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 (~61 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Acalanes Center for Independent Study's federal record.
- Compare Acalanes Center for Independent Study against another school. Compare schools
- Acalanes Union High'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 Acalanes Center for Independent Study
How many students attend Acalanes Center for Independent Study?
Acalanes Center for Independent Study has 61 students enrolled. It is a high school in Walnut Creek, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Acalanes Center for Independent Study?
The student-teacher ratio at Acalanes Center for Independent Study is 10.2:1, which is 53% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 35% 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 Acalanes Center for Independent Study?
21.3% of students at Acalanes Center for Independent Study are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Acalanes Center for Independent Study?
The largest demographic group at Acalanes Center for Independent Study is White at 63.9% of enrollment, in Walnut Creek, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 54.3/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Acalanes Center for Independent Study?
Acalanes Center for Independent Study has a Resource Investment Index of 41/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Acalanes Center for Independent Study rank among high schools in Walnut Creek?
By Resource Investment Index, Acalanes Center for Independent Study ranks #1 of 3 high schools in Walnut Creek, 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 Walnut Creek on the city page.
Is Acalanes Center for Independent Study a good school?
Acalanes Center for Independent Study earns 41/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 95% 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 Acalanes Union High?
Besides Acalanes Center for Independent Study, Acalanes Union High also operates Las Lomas High (1,577 students), Campolindo High (1,340 students), and Acalanes High (1,256 students). See the Acalanes Union High 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.