Enrollment
409
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Santa Cruz, CA
Branciforte Middle
Federal NCES profile for Branciforte Middle, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 35/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 063560006060
👥 S:T ratio 22
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 49
📋 Attendance 40
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Branciforte Middle earns 35/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median.
- #1 of 3
- middle schools in Santa Cruz · Resource Index
- 35
- Resource Index · Typical
- 19.5:1
- students per teacher
- 37.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Branciforte Middle has class sizes near the California median. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Branciforte Middle ranks #1 of 3 middle schools in Santa Cruz, CA.
School address
District: Santa Cruz City High · California
NCES ID 063560006060 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
21.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
19.5:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-9% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
37.0%
vs 55.5% California avg
-33% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Branciforte Middle compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Branciforte Middle
Branciforte Middle is a mid-sized middle school in Santa Cruz, California, enrolling 409 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 19.5:1 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 37.0% of students eligible for free meals.
With 409 students, its enrollment sits close to the California median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 9,998 scored California schools.
Against 1,172 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #364.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (47%) and White (43%) (diversity index 59/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 256 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 24.2% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 1 expulsion at this campus for 2021-22.
Among Santa Cruz's middle schools, it stands alongside Mission Hill Middle (510 students): Branciforte Middle is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (19.5:1 vs 18.9:1).
Santa Cruz City High also operates Santa Cruz High (1,093 students) and Soquel High (1,074 students) alongside Branciforte Middle.
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 Branciforte Middle compares
Branciforte Middle on the metrics families compare, against California and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs California | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 19.5:1 | ▼ 9% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 37.0% | ▼ 33% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 409 | top 59% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
19.5:1
Leaner classes than 18% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
409
Bigger than 49% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
37.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 33% 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
19.5:1
students per teacher
- 9% below state mean
Top 31% in California - lower ratio than 69% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
24.2%
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.
Support staff
Counselors1.6 FTE
Per 256 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
4
in-school suspensions + 5 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.2 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 1 expulsion.
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 46.9%
White 42.8%
Two or More 5.9%
Asian 2.0%
African American 1.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 46.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 59.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 59.3, Branciforte Middle is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
How Branciforte Middle Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Cruz High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Soquel High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Harbor High | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Mission Hill Middle | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Delta Charter | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Branciforte Middle'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
- 113
- Students per teacher
- 14.1:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
Similar middle schools in Santa Cruz
2 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) serving the same city.
Similar middle 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 (~409 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Branciforte Middle's federal record.
- Compare Branciforte Middle 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 Branciforte Middle
How many students attend Branciforte Middle?
Branciforte Middle has 409 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Santa Cruz, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Branciforte Middle?
The student-teacher ratio at Branciforte Middle is 19.5:1, which is 9% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 24% higher 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 Branciforte Middle?
37.0% of students at Branciforte Middle are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Branciforte Middle?
The largest demographic group at Branciforte Middle is Hispanic or Latino at 46.9% of enrollment, in Santa Cruz, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 59.3/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Branciforte Middle?
Branciforte Middle has a Resource Investment Index of 35/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Branciforte Middle rank among middle schools in Santa Cruz?
By Resource Investment Index, Branciforte Middle ranks #1 of 3 middle 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 middle schools in Santa Cruz on the city page.
Is Branciforte Middle a good school?
Branciforte Middle earns 35/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median. 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 Branciforte Middle, 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.