Enrollment
540
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Union City, CA
Connecting Waters Charter - East Bay
Federal NCES profile for Connecting Waters Charter - East Bay, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 45/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 060215914091Charter school
👥 S:T ratio 51
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 99
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Connecting Waters Charter - East Bay earns 45/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 93% of California schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most California schools.
- #1 of 11
- public schools in Union City · Resource Index
- 45
- Resource Index · Typical
- 12.3:1
- small classes for California
- 23.7%
- free-lunch eligible
Connecting Waters Charter - East Bay has class sizes smaller than 93% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Connecting Waters Charter - East Bay ranks #1 of 11 public schools in Union City, CA.
School address
NCES ID 060215914091 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
44.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.3:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-43% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
23.7%
vs 55.5% California avg
-57% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Connecting Waters Charter - East Bay compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Connecting Waters Charter - East Bay
Connecting Waters Charter - East Bay is a mid-sized charter combined-grade school in Union City, California, enrolling 540 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 12.3:1, Connecting Waters Charter - East Bay is leaner than roughly 93% of California schools and 43% under the state's 21.5:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 23.7% free-meal eligibility runs 57% below the California average.
With 540 students, its enrollment sits close to the California median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 9,998 scored California schools.
Against 1,340 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #164.
Its student body is led by Asian (45%) and White (21%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 70/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 844 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance holds up well here: only 0.4% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
The surrounding Connecting Waters Charter - East Bay District spends $8,749 per pupil, 47% below the California average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Among Union City's public schools, it stands alongside Decoto School for Independent Study (233 students): Connecting Waters Charter - East Bay is larger than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (12.3:1 vs 15.5:1).
Connecting Waters Charter - East Bay District is a single-school charter district, so Connecting Waters Charter - East Bay 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 - East Bay compares
Connecting Waters Charter - East Bay on the metrics families compare, against California and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs California | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 12.3:1 | ▼ 43% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 23.7% | ▼ 57% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 540 | top 40% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.3:1
Leaner classes than 73% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
540
Bigger than 66% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
23.7%
free-lunch eligible
- 57% below the California average of 55.5%
Below the 40% Title I threshold, among the lower-need profiles in the state; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
12.3:1
students per teacher
- 43% below state mean
Top 7% in California - lower ratio than 93% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
0.4%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 5%, comfortably under the pre-pandemic national baseline for chronic absenteeism.
Funding equity
$8,749
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
Counselors0.6 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
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
Asian 45.0%
White 21.4%
Two or More 20.1%
Hispanic or Latino 8.9%
African American 3.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.6%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: Asian at 45.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 70.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 70.2, Connecting Waters Charter - East Bay is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Connecting Waters Charter - East Bay District, which includes Connecting Waters Charter - East Bay.
$8,749
Per student
-47%
vs California
Avg $16,509
-47%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 39.3%
State 59.3%
Federal 1.4%
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 in Union City
1 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
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 (~540 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Connecting Waters Charter - East Bay's federal record.
- Compare Connecting Waters Charter - East Bay against another school. Compare schools
- Connecting Waters Charter - East Bay 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 - East Bay
How many students attend Connecting Waters Charter - East Bay?
Connecting Waters Charter - East Bay has 540 students enrolled. It is a public school in Union City, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Connecting Waters Charter - East Bay?
The student-teacher ratio at Connecting Waters Charter - East Bay is 12.3:1, which is 43% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 22% 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 - East Bay?
23.7% of students at Connecting Waters Charter - East Bay are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Connecting Waters Charter - East Bay?
The largest demographic group at Connecting Waters Charter - East Bay is Asian at 45.0% of enrollment, in Union City, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 70.2/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Connecting Waters Charter - East Bay?
Connecting Waters Charter - East Bay has a Resource Investment Index of 45/100 (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 - East Bay rank among public schools in Union City?
By Resource Investment Index, Connecting Waters Charter - East Bay ranks #1 of 11 public schools in Union City, 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 Union City on the city page.
Is Connecting Waters Charter - East Bay a good school?
Connecting Waters Charter - East Bay earns 45/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 93% 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 - East Bay District?
None; Connecting Waters Charter - East Bay District is a single-school charter district, and Connecting Waters Charter - East Bay is its only campus.
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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.