Enrollment
106
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Santa Cruz, CA
Happy Valley Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Happy Valley Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 27/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 061656002088
👥 S:T ratio 29
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 22
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Happy Valley Elementary earns 27/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 81% of California schools.
- #6 of 14
- elementary schools in Santa Cruz · Resource Index
- 27
- Resource Index · Lower
- 17.7:1
- small classes for California
- 10.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Happy Valley Elementary has class sizes smaller than 81% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Happy Valley Elementary ranks #6 of 14 elementary schools in Santa Cruz, CA.
School address
District: Happy Valley Elementary · California
NCES ID 061656002088 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
6.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.7:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-18% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
10.0%
vs 55.5% California avg
-82% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Happy Valley Elementary compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Happy Valley Elementary
Happy Valley Elementary is a lower-poverty, small elementary school in Santa Cruz, California, enrolling 106 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 17.7:1 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 10.0% free-meal eligibility runs 82% below the California average.
Enrollment of 106 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 9,998 scored California schools.
Among 41 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need California schools statewide, it ranks #32, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (78%) and Two or More (13%) (diversity index 37/100).
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 31.1% 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): Happy Valley Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (17.7:1 vs 24.9:1).
Happy Valley Elementary operates only this one school, so Happy Valley Elementary has no district-mates to compare against locally.
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 Happy Valley Elementary compares
Happy Valley 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 | 17.7:1 | ▼ 18% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 10.0% | ▼ 82% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 106 | top 89% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
17.7:1
Leaner classes than 26% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
106
Bigger than 11% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
10.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 82% 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
17.7:1
students per teacher
- 18% below state mean
Top 19% in California - lower ratio than 81% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
31.1%
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.
Funding equity
$15,183
per pupil, district-wide
- below California avg of $16,509
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 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
White 78.1%
Two or More 13.3%
Hispanic or Latino 7.6%
Asian 1.0%
Largest group: White at 78.1% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 36.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 36.6, Happy Valley Elementary is less mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Happy Valley Elementary, which includes Happy Valley Elementary.
$15,183
Per student
-8%
vs California
Avg $16,509
-8%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 77.7%
State 16.8%
Federal 5.6%
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 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 (~106 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Happy Valley Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Happy Valley Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Happy Valley 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 Happy Valley Elementary
How many students attend Happy Valley Elementary?
Happy Valley Elementary has 106 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Santa Cruz, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Happy Valley Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Happy Valley Elementary is 17.7:1, which is 18% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 13% 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 Happy Valley Elementary?
10.0% of students at Happy Valley Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Happy Valley Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Happy Valley Elementary is White at 78.1% of enrollment, in Santa Cruz, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Happy Valley Elementary?
Happy Valley Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 27/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Happy Valley Elementary rank among elementary schools in Santa Cruz?
By Resource Investment Index, Happy Valley Elementary ranks #6 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 Happy Valley Elementary a good school?
Happy Valley Elementary earns 27/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 81% 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 Happy Valley Elementary?
None reported; Happy Valley Elementary operates only Happy Valley Elementary as a public school district in NCES's records.
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.