Enrollment
235
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Arcata, CA
Coastal Grove Charter
Federal NCES profile for Coastal Grove Charter, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 21/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 060216810500Charter school
👥 S:T ratio 33
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 6
📋 Attendance 14
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Coastal Grove Charter earns 21/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 84% of California schools.
- #6 of 6
- elementary schools in Arcata · Resource Index
- 21
- Resource Index · Lower
- 16.8:1
- small classes for California
- 54.2%
- free-lunch eligible
Coastal Grove Charter has class sizes smaller than 84% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Coastal Grove Charter ranks #6 of 6 elementary schools in Arcata, CA.
School address
District: Coastal Grove Charter District · California
NCES ID 060216810500 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
14.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.8:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-22% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
54.2%
vs 55.5% California avg
-2% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Coastal Grove Charter compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Coastal Grove Charter
Coastal Grove Charter is a higher-need, mid-sized charter elementary school in Arcata, California, enrolling 235 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 16.8:1 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 54.2% lands close to the California typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 235 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 9,998 scored California schools.
Among 620 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need California schools statewide, it ranks #489, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (78%) and Hispanic or Latino (8%) (diversity index 38/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 470 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 34.5% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Among Arcata's elementary schools, it stands alongside Pacific Union Elementary (534 students): Coastal Grove Charter is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (16.8:1 vs 19.1:1).
Coastal Grove Charter District is a single-school charter district, so Coastal Grove Charter 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 Coastal Grove Charter compares
Coastal Grove 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 | 16.8:1 | ▼ 22% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 54.2% | ▼ 2% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 235 | top 80% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16.8:1
Leaner classes than 32% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
235
Bigger than 23% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
54.2%
free-lunch eligible
- 2% below the California average of 55.5%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
16.8:1
students per teacher
- 22% below state mean
Top 16% in California - lower ratio than 84% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
34.5%
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
Counselors0.5 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
6
in-school suspensions + 3 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.8 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
- 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 77.7%
Hispanic or Latino 8.2%
Two or More 7.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 3.0%
African American 2.1%
Asian 0.9%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.4%
Largest group: White at 77.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 38.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 38.2, Coastal Grove Charter is less mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Similar elementary schools in Arcata
5 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Pacific Union Elementary
Standard public school
534 students 19.1:1 students per teacher
Arcata Elementary
Standard public school
240 students 16:1 students per teacher
Fuente Nueva Charter
Standard public school
150 students 25:1 students per teacher
Union Street Charter
Standard public school
99 students 19.8:1 students per teacher
Trillium Charter
Standard public school
34 students 17:1 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 (~235 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~16.8:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Coastal Grove Charter's federal record.
- Compare Coastal Grove Charter against another school. Compare schools
- Coastal Grove Charter 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 Coastal Grove Charter
How many students attend Coastal Grove Charter?
Coastal Grove Charter has 235 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Arcata, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Coastal Grove Charter?
The student-teacher ratio at Coastal Grove Charter is 16.8:1, which is 22% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 7% 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 Coastal Grove Charter?
54.2% of students at Coastal Grove Charter are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Coastal Grove Charter?
The largest demographic group at Coastal Grove Charter is White at 77.7% of enrollment, in Arcata, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Coastal Grove Charter?
Coastal Grove Charter has a Resource Investment Index of 21/100 (lower 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 Coastal Grove Charter rank among elementary schools in Arcata?
By Resource Investment Index, Coastal Grove Charter ranks #6 of 6 elementary schools in Arcata, 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 Arcata on the city page.
Is Coastal Grove Charter a good school?
Coastal Grove Charter earns 21/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 84% 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 Coastal Grove Charter District?
None; Coastal Grove Charter District is a single-school charter district, and Coastal Grove Charter 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.