Enrollment
110
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Santa Cruz, CA
Alternative Family Education
Federal NCES profile for Alternative Family Education, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 37/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 063560007437
👥 S:T ratio 0
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 82
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Alternative Family Education earns 37/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 91% of California schools.
- #3 of 6
- schools in Santa Cruz · Resource Index
- 37
- Resource Index · Typical
- 27.5:1
- large classes for California
- 25.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Alternative Family Education has class sizes larger than 91% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Alternative Family Education ranks #3 of 6 schools in Santa Cruz, CA.
School address
District: Santa Cruz City High · California
NCES ID 063560007437 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
4.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
27.5:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
+28% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
25.0%
vs 55.5% California avg
-55% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Alternative Family Education compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Alternative Family Education
Alternative Family Education is a small combined-grade school in Santa Cruz, California, enrolling 110 students.
Class loads run heavy: 27.5:1 is larger than about 91% of California schools and 28% above the 21.5:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 25.0% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 110 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 9,998 scored California schools.
Against 120 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #49.
Its student body is led by White (54%) and Hispanic or Latino (23%) (diversity index 64/100).
Attendance holds up well here: only 7.3% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
Among Santa Cruz's public schools, it stands alongside Santa Cruz County Community (730 students): Alternative Family Education is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (27.5:1 vs 24.3:1).
Santa Cruz City High also operates Santa Cruz High (1,093 students) and Soquel High (1,074 students) alongside Alternative Family Education.
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 Alternative Family Education compares
Alternative Family Education on the metrics families compare, against California and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs California | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 27.5:1 | ▲ 28% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 25.0% | ▼ 55% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 110 | top 89% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
27.5:1
Leaner classes than 3% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
110
Bigger than 11% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
25.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 55% 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
27.5:1
students per teacher
- 28% above state mean
Top 91% in California - lower ratio than 9% of state schools
Well above 20:1, one of the more stretched staffing loads nationally relative to enrollment.
Engagement
7.3%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 5-10% range, close to the pre-pandemic national baseline.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 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 53.6%
Hispanic or Latino 22.7%
Two or More 14.5%
Asian 4.5%
African American 3.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.9%
Largest group: White at 53.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 63.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 63.7, Alternative Family Education is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
How Alternative Family Education Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Cruz High | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Soquel High | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Harbor High | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Mission Hill Middle | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Branciforte Middle | Larger | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Alternative Family Education's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,093
- Students per teacher
- 21.4:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
- Enrollment
- 1,074
- Students per teacher
- 23.3:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
- Enrollment
- 1,013
- Students per teacher
- 18.8:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
- Enrollment
- 510
- Students per teacher
- 18.9:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 409
- Students per teacher
- 19.5:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
Similar other schools in Santa Cruz
5 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Santa Cruz County Community
Alternative education program
730 students 24.3:1 students per teacher
Pacific Collegiate Charter
Standard public school
536 students 15.8:1 students per teacher
Santa Cruz County Special Education
Special-education school
105 students 7.5:1 students per teacher
Ark Independent Studies
Alternative education program
56 students 28:1 students per teacher
Santa Cruz County Court
Alternative education program
20 students 5:1 students per teacher
Similar other 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 (~110 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Alternative Family Education's federal record.
- Compare Alternative Family Education against another school. Compare schools
- Santa Cruz City 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 Alternative Family Education
How many students attend Alternative Family Education?
Alternative Family Education has 110 students enrolled. It is an alternative school in Santa Cruz, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Alternative Family Education?
The student-teacher ratio at Alternative Family Education is 27.5:1, which is 28% higher than the California average of 21.5:1 and 75% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Alternative Family Education?
25.0% of students at Alternative Family Education are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Alternative Family Education?
The largest demographic group at Alternative Family Education is White at 53.6% of enrollment, in Santa Cruz, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 63.7/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Alternative Family Education?
Alternative Family Education has a Resource Investment Index of 37/100 (typical 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 Alternative Family Education rank among schools in Santa Cruz?
By Resource Investment Index, Alternative Family Education ranks #3 of 6 schools in Santa Cruz, CA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Santa Cruz on the city page.
Is Alternative Family Education a good school?
Alternative Family Education earns 37/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 91% 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 Santa Cruz City High?
Besides Alternative Family Education, Santa Cruz City High also operates Santa Cruz High (1,093 students), Soquel High (1,074 students), and Harbor High (1,013 students). See the Santa Cruz City 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.