Enrollment
314
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Santa Cruz, CA
Gault Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Gault Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 21/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 063559006062
👥 S:T ratio 10
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 37
📋 Attendance 6
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Gault Elementary earns 21/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median.
- #12 of 14
- elementary schools in Santa Cruz · Resource Index
- 21
- Resource Index · Lower
- 22.4:1
- students per teacher
- 59.4%
- free-lunch eligible
Gault Elementary has class sizes near the California median. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Gault Elementary ranks #12 of 14 elementary schools in Santa Cruz, CA.
School address
District: Santa Cruz City Elementary · California
NCES ID 063559006062 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
14.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
22.4:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
+4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
59.4%
vs 55.5% California avg
+7% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Gault Elementary compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Gault Elementary
Gault Elementary is a higher-need, mid-sized elementary school in Santa Cruz, California, enrolling 314 students.
At 22.4:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the California median, within a few percentage points of the 21.5:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 59.4% lands close to the California typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 314 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 1,141 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need California schools statewide, it ranks #816, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (61%) and White (32%) (diversity index 52/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 314 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 37.6% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Among Santa Cruz's elementary schools, it stands alongside Brook Knoll Elementary (498 students): Gault Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (22.4:1 vs 24.9:1).
Santa Cruz City Elementary also operates De Laveaga Elementary (481 students) and Westlake Elementary (453 students) alongside Gault Elementary.
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 Gault Elementary compares
Gault Elementary on the metrics families compare, against California and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs California | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 22.4:1 | ▲ 4% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 59.4% | ▲ 7% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 314 | top 72% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
22.4:1
Leaner classes than 9% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
314
Bigger than 34% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
59.4%
free-lunch eligible
- 7% above the California average of 55.5%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
22.4:1
students per teacher
- 4% above state mean
Top 57% in California - lower ratio than 43% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
37.6%
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 314 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 1 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.3 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
Hispanic or Latino 61.1%
White 31.8%
Two or More 5.1%
Asian 1.3%
African American 0.6%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 61.1% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 52.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 52.3, Gault Elementary is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
How Gault Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| De Laveaga Elementary | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Westlake Elementary | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Bay View Elementary | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Santa Cruz City Elementary Alternative Education-Monarch | Smaller | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Gault Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 481
- Students per teacher
- 22.9:1
- Resource Index
- 23/100
- Enrollment
- 453
- Students per teacher
- 21.6:1
- Resource Index
- 25/100
- Enrollment
- 394
- Students per teacher
- 21.9:1
- Resource Index
- 23/100
- Enrollment
- 114
- Students per teacher
- 22.8:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
Similar elementary schools in Santa Cruz
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Brook Knoll Elementary
Standard public school
498 students 24.9:1 students per teacher
De Laveaga Elementary
Standard public school
481 students 22.9:1 students per teacher
Westlake Elementary
Standard public school
453 students 21.6:1 students per teacher
Bay View Elementary
Standard public school
394 students 21.9:1 students per teacher
Live Oak Elementary
Standard public school
362 students 22.6:1 students per teacher
Del Mar Elementary
Standard public school
322 students 21.5:1 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 (~314 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~22.4:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Gault Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Gault Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Santa Cruz City Elementary'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 Gault Elementary
How many students attend Gault Elementary?
Gault Elementary has 314 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Santa Cruz, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Gault Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Gault Elementary is 22.4:1, which is 4% higher than the California average of 21.5:1 and 43% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Gault Elementary?
59.4% of students at Gault Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Gault Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Gault Elementary is Hispanic or Latino at 61.1% of enrollment, in Santa Cruz, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 52.3/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Gault Elementary?
Gault Elementary 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 Gault Elementary rank among elementary schools in Santa Cruz?
By Resource Investment Index, Gault Elementary ranks #12 of 14 elementary 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 elementary schools in Santa Cruz on the city page.
Is Gault Elementary a good school?
Gault Elementary earns 21/100 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 Elementary?
Besides Gault Elementary, Santa Cruz City Elementary also operates De Laveaga Elementary (481 students), Westlake Elementary (453 students), and Bay View Elementary (394 students). See the Santa Cruz City Elementary 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.