Enrollment
626
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Watsonville, CA
Alianza Charter
Federal NCES profile for Alianza Charter, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 18/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 062949004554Charter school
👥 S:T ratio 10
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 14
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Alianza Charter earns 18/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most California schools.
- #16 of 16
- elementary schools in Watsonville · Resource Index
- 18
- Resource Index · Lower
- 22.4:1
- students per teacher
- 65.6%
- free-lunch eligible
Alianza Charter has class sizes near the California median. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Alianza Charter ranks #16 of 16 elementary schools in Watsonville, CA.
School address
District: Pajaro Valley Unified · California
NCES ID 062949004554 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
28.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
22.4:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
+4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
65.6%
vs 55.5% California avg
+18% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Alianza Charter compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Alianza Charter
Alianza Charter is a higher-need, mid-sized charter elementary school in Watsonville, California, enrolling 626 students.
At 22.4:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the California median, within a few percentage points of the 21.5:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 65.6% lands close to the California typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 626 puts it in the larger third of California schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 9,998 scored California schools.
Among 1,978 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need California schools statewide, it ranks #1,420, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (97% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 5/100).
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 34.2% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Among Watsonville's elementary schools, it stands alongside Bradley Elementary (520 students): Alianza Charter is larger than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (22.4:1 vs 23.6:1).
Pajaro Valley Unified also operates Watsonville High (2,215 students) and Pajaro Valley High (1,293 students) alongside Alianza Charter.
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 Alianza Charter compares
Alianza 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 | 22.4:1 | ▲ 4% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 65.6% | ▲ 18% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 626 | top 29% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
22.4:1
Leaner classes than 9% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
626
Bigger than 75% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
65.6%
free-lunch eligible
- 18% 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
22.4:1
students per teacher
- 4% above state mean
Top 57% in California - lower ratio than 43% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
34.2%
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
$17,011
per pupil, district-wide
- above California avg of $16,509
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 2 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.5 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
Hispanic or Latino 97.3%
White 2.2%
Two or More 0.3%
Asian 0.2%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 97.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 5.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 5.3, Alianza Charter is less mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Pajaro Valley Unified, which includes Alianza Charter.
$17,011
Per student
+3%
vs California
Avg $16,509
+3%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 30.6%
State 56.5%
Federal 12.9%
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.
How Alianza Charter Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Watsonville High | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Pajaro Valley High | Larger | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Aptos High | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Rolling Hills Middle | Similar size | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Aptos Junior High | Similar size | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Alianza Charter's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,215
- Students per teacher
- 21.7:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 1,293
- Students per teacher
- 19.9:1
- Resource Index
- 26/100
- Enrollment
- 1,274
- Students per teacher
- 19.6:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
- Enrollment
- 588
- Students per teacher
- 21:1
- Resource Index
- 22/100
- Enrollment
- 587
- Students per teacher
- 22.6:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
Similar elementary schools in Watsonville
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Bradley Elementary
Standard public school
520 students 23.6:1 students per teacher
Calabasas Elementary
Standard public school
512 students 20.5:1 students per teacher
Mintie White Elementary
Standard public school
493 students 20.5:1 students per teacher
Watsonville Prep
Standard public school
488 students 37.5:1 students per teacher
H. a. Hyde Elementary
Standard public school
476 students 19:1 students per teacher
Hall District Elementary
Standard public school
470 students 23.5:1 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 (~626 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~22.4:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Alianza Charter's federal record.
- Compare Alianza Charter against another school. Compare schools
- Pajaro Valley 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 Alianza Charter
How many students attend Alianza Charter?
Alianza Charter has 626 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Watsonville, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Alianza Charter?
The student-teacher ratio at Alianza Charter is 22.4:1, which is 4% higher than the California average of 21.5:1 and 43% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Alianza Charter?
65.6% of students at Alianza Charter are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Alianza Charter?
The largest demographic group at Alianza Charter is Hispanic or Latino at 97.3% of enrollment, in Watsonville, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Alianza Charter?
Alianza Charter has a Resource Investment Index of 18/100 (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 Alianza Charter rank among elementary schools in Watsonville?
By Resource Investment Index, Alianza Charter ranks #16 of 16 elementary schools in Watsonville, 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 Watsonville on the city page.
Is Alianza Charter a good school?
Alianza Charter earns 18/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most 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 Pajaro Valley Unified?
Besides Alianza Charter, Pajaro Valley Unified also operates Watsonville High (2,215 students), Pajaro Valley High (1,293 students), and Aptos High (1,274 students). See the Pajaro Valley 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.