Enrollment
776
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Waterford, CA
Connecting Waters Charter
Federal NCES profile for Connecting Waters Charter, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 46/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 060217010698Charter school
👥 S:T ratio 55
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 97
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Connecting Waters Charter earns 46/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 95% of California schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most California schools.
- #2 of 8
- public schools in Waterford · Resource Index
- 46
- Resource Index · Typical
- 11.2:1
- small classes for California
- 45.5%
- free-lunch eligible
Connecting Waters Charter has class sizes smaller than 95% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Connecting Waters Charter ranks #2 of 8 public schools in Waterford, CA.
School address
District: Connecting Waters Charter District · California
NCES ID 060217010698 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
69.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.2:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-48% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
45.5%
vs 55.5% California avg
-18% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Connecting Waters Charter compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Connecting Waters Charter
Connecting Waters Charter is a mid-sized charter combined-grade school in Waterford, California, enrolling 776 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 11.2:1, Connecting Waters Charter is leaner than roughly 95% of California schools and 48% under the state's 21.5:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 45.5% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 776 puts it in the larger third of California schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 9,998 scored California schools.
Among 1,154 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need California schools statewide, it ranks #41, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (44%) and Hispanic or Latino (35%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 67/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 517 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance holds up well here: only 1.2% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
The surrounding Connecting Waters Charter District spends $11,384 per pupil, 31% below the California average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Connecting Waters Charter District is a single-school charter district, so Connecting Waters 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 Connecting Waters Charter compares
Connecting Waters 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 | 11.2:1 | ▼ 48% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 45.5% | ▼ 18% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 776 | top 19% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
11.2:1
Leaner classes than 82% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
776
Bigger than 84% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
45.5%
free-lunch eligible
- 18% 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
11.2:1
students per teacher
- 48% below state mean
Top 5% in California - lower ratio than 95% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
1.2%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 5%, comfortably under the pre-pandemic national baseline for chronic absenteeism.
Funding equity
$11,384
per pupil, district-wide
- below California avg of $16,509
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.5 FTE
Per 517 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
White 43.9%
Hispanic or Latino 35.1%
Two or More 10.5%
Asian 8.8%
African American 1.8%
Largest group: White at 43.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 66.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 66.5, Connecting Waters Charter is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Connecting Waters Charter District, which includes Connecting Waters Charter.
$11,384
Per student
-31%
vs California
Avg $16,509
-31%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 18.7%
State 80.5%
Federal 0.8%
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 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 (~776 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Connecting Waters Charter's federal record.
- Compare Connecting Waters Charter against another school. Compare schools
- Connecting Waters 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 Connecting Waters Charter
How many students attend Connecting Waters Charter?
Connecting Waters Charter has 776 students enrolled. It is a public school in Waterford, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Connecting Waters Charter?
The student-teacher ratio at Connecting Waters Charter is 11.2:1, which is 48% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 29% 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 Connecting Waters Charter?
45.5% of students at Connecting Waters Charter are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Connecting Waters Charter?
The largest demographic group at Connecting Waters Charter is White at 43.9% of enrollment, in Waterford, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 66.5/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Connecting Waters Charter?
Connecting Waters Charter has a Resource Investment Index of 46/100 (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 Connecting Waters Charter rank among public schools in Waterford?
By Resource Investment Index, Connecting Waters Charter ranks #2 of 8 public schools in Waterford, CA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Waterford on the city page.
Is Connecting Waters Charter a good school?
Connecting Waters Charter earns 46/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 95% of California schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most 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 Connecting Waters Charter District?
None; Connecting Waters Charter District is a single-school charter district, and Connecting Waters 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.