Enrollment
106
California · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Oakland, CA
Alternatives in Action
Federal NCES profile for Alternatives in Action, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 33/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 060163508674Charter school
👥 S:T ratio 47
📚 AP courses 10
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 79
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Alternatives in Action earns 33/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 92% of California schools.
- #10 of 22
- high schools in Oakland · Resource Index
- 33
- Resource Index · Typical
- 13.3:1
- small classes for California
- 74.8%
- free-lunch eligible
Alternatives in Action has class sizes smaller than 92% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Alternatives in Action ranks #10 of 22 high schools in Oakland, CA.
School address
District: Alternatives in Action District · California
NCES ID 060163508674 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
8.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.3:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-38% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
74.8%
vs 55.5% California avg
+35% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Alternatives in Action compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Alternatives in Action
Alternatives in Action is a higher-need, small charter high school in Oakland, California, enrolling 106 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 13.3:1, Alternatives in Action is leaner than roughly 92% of California schools and 38% under the state's 21.5:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 74.8% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 106 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 270 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #132.
Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (83% of enrollment) (diversity index 30/100).
No Advanced Placement courses are reported for this campus in the federal data.
Counselor coverage is strong, about 106 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 69.8% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 16.1% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Oakland's high schools, it stands alongside Oakland Technical High (1,812 students): Alternatives in Action is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (13.3:1 vs 18.3:1).
Alternatives in Action District is a single-school charter district, so Alternatives in Action operates independently rather than alongside district-mates.
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 Alternatives in Action compares
Alternatives in Action on the metrics families compare, against California and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs California | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 13.3:1 | ▼ 38% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 74.8% | ▲ 35% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 106 | top 89% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13.3:1
Leaner classes than 64% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
106
Bigger than 11% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
74.8%
free-lunch eligible
- 35% 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
13.3:1
students per teacher
- 38% below state mean
Top 8% in California - lower ratio than 92% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
69.8%
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
$16,193
per pupil, district-wide
- below California avg of $16,509
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 106 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
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
Hispanic or Latino 83.0%
African American 8.5%
Two or More 8.5%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 83.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 29.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 29.7, Alternatives in Action is less mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
AP program Not offered
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Alternatives in Action District, which includes Alternatives in Action.
$16,193
Per student
-2%
vs California
Avg $16,509
-2%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 28.7%
State 55.2%
Federal 16.1%
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 high schools in Oakland
6 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
Oakland Technical High
Standard public school
1,812 students 18.3:1 students per teacher
Oakland High
Standard public school
1,579 students 18.1:1 students per teacher
Skyline High
Standard public school
1,250 students 13.6:1 students per teacher
Fremont High
Standard public school
1,166 students 17.1:1 students per teacher
Castlemont High
Standard public school
719 students 16.3:1 students per teacher
Arise High
Standard public school
396 students 15.2:1 students per teacher
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 (~106 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~13.3:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Alternatives in Action's federal record.
- Compare Alternatives in Action against another school. Compare schools
- Alternatives in Action District'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 Alternatives in Action
How many students attend Alternatives in Action?
Alternatives in Action has 106 students enrolled. It is a high school in Oakland, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Alternatives in Action?
The student-teacher ratio at Alternatives in Action is 13.3:1, which is 38% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 15% 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 Alternatives in Action?
74.8% of students at Alternatives in Action are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Alternatives in Action?
The largest demographic group at Alternatives in Action is Hispanic or Latino at 83.0% of enrollment, in Oakland, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Alternatives in Action?
Alternatives in Action has a Resource Investment Index of 33/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Alternatives in Action rank among high schools in Oakland?
By Resource Investment Index, Alternatives in Action ranks #10 of 22 high schools in Oakland, 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 Oakland on the city page.
Is Alternatives in Action a good school?
Alternatives in Action earns 33/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 92% 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 Alternatives in Action District?
None; Alternatives in Action District is a single-school charter district, and Alternatives in Action is its only campus.
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.