Enrollment
159
California · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 060330010317
Atascadero Choices in Education Academy (Ace) — Atascadero, CA
Federal NCES profile for Atascadero Choices in Education Academy (Ace), including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 15/100.
👥 Class size 0
📚 AP courses 5
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 0
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
District: Atascadero Unified · California
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
6.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
26.3:1
vs 21.6:1 California avg
+22% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
29.1%
vs 55.5% California avg
-48% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Atascadero Choices in Education Academy (Ace) compares with California and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
Atascadero Choices in Education Academy (Ace) reports 159 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 6.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 26.3:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 22% above the California state mean of 21.6:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 65% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 29.1% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 48% below the California average and 44% below the national baseline. The school offers 1 Advanced Placement course, a stronger academic pipeline indicator than enrollment alone. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 795 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 57.2% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Atascadero Unified spends $14,782 per pupil district-wide, below the California average of $18,039 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 63.5% from local sources (property taxes), 30.2% from the state, and 6.3% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 15/100 (F), calculated from 5 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Atascadero Choices in Education Academy (Ace) compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against California state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs California | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 26.3:1 | ▲ 22% | 21.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 29.1% | ▼ 48% | 55.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 159 | top 14% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Economic need
29.1%
free-lunch eligible
— 48% below the California average of 55.5%
Below the 40% Title I threshold — federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
26.3:1
students per teacher
— 22% above state mean
Top 91% in California — lower ratio than 9% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Engagement
57.2%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$14,782
per pupil, district-wide
— below California avg of $18,039
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.2 FTE
Per 795 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 5 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.8 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 159 Top 14% in California — larger than 86% of 10,006 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 6.0
Students per teacher 26.3:1 +22% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 29.1% -48% vs state
NCES ID 060330010317
Student demographics
White 67.9%
Hispanic or Latino 25.2%
Two or More 3.8%
Asian 1.9%
African American 0.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.6%
Largest group: White at 67.9% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 1
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 0.2
Students per counselor 795:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 57.2%
In-school suspensions 1
Out-of-school suspensions 5
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Atascadero Unified, which includes Atascadero Choices in Education Academy (Ace).
$14,782
Per student
-18%
vs California
Avg $18,039
-24%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 63.5%
State 30.2%
Federal 6.3%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,157
- Students per teacher
- 19.6:1
- Enrollment
- 845
- Students per teacher
- 20.4:1
- Enrollment
- 403
- Students per teacher
- 27.6:1
- Enrollment
- 382
- Students per teacher
- 27.5:1
- Enrollment
- 377
- Students per teacher
- 23.9:1
Similar high schools in Atascadero
2 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about Atascadero Choices in Education Academy (Ace)
How many students attend Atascadero Choices in Education Academy (Ace)?
Atascadero Choices in Education Academy (Ace) has 159 students enrolled. It is a high school in Atascadero, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Atascadero Choices in Education Academy (Ace)?
The student-teacher ratio at Atascadero Choices in Education Academy (Ace) is 26.3:1, which is 22% higher than the California average of 21.6:1 and 65% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Atascadero Choices in Education Academy (Ace)?
29.1% of students at Atascadero Choices in Education Academy (Ace) are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Atascadero Choices in Education Academy (Ace)?
The largest demographic group at Atascadero Choices in Education Academy (Ace) is White at 67.9%. The school serves a diverse student body in Atascadero, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Atascadero Choices in Education Academy (Ace)?
Atascadero Choices in Education Academy (Ace) has a Resource Investment Index of 15/100 (F) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.