Enrollment
1,013
California · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Santa Cruz, CA
Harbor High
Federal NCES profile for Harbor High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 26/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 063560006063
👥 S:T ratio 25
📚 AP courses 10
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 32
📋 Attendance 31
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Harbor High earns 26/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 74% of California schools.
- #2 of 3
- high schools in Santa Cruz · Resource Index
- 26
- Resource Index · Lower
- 18.8:1
- small classes for California
- 34.7%
- free-lunch eligible
Harbor High has class sizes smaller than 74% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Harbor High ranks #2 of 3 high schools in Santa Cruz, CA.
School address
District: Santa Cruz City High · California
NCES ID 063560006063 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
54.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18.8:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-13% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
34.7%
vs 55.5% California avg
-37% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Harbor High compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Harbor High
Harbor High is a large high school in Santa Cruz, California, enrolling 1,013 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 18.8:1 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 34.7% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 1,013 puts it in the larger third of California schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 9,998 scored California schools.
Against 805 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #420.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (56%) and White (35%) (diversity index 57/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 2 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 338 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 27.6% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The federal civil-rights collection also records 3 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Among Santa Cruz's high schools, it stands alongside Santa Cruz High (1,093 students): Harbor High is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (18.8:1 vs 21.4:1).
Santa Cruz City High also operates Santa Cruz High (1,093 students) and Soquel High (1,074 students) alongside Harbor High.
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 Harbor High compares
Harbor High on the metrics families compare, against California and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs California | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 18.8:1 | ▼ 13% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 34.7% | ▼ 37% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 1,013 | top 11% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
18.8:1
Leaner classes than 21% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
1,013
Bigger than 91% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
34.7%
free-lunch eligible
- 37% below the California average of 55.5%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
18.8:1
students per teacher
- 13% below state mean
Top 26% in California - lower ratio than 74% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
27.6%
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
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 338 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
22
in-school suspensions + 28 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 4.9 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 3 expulsions.
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 55.7%
White 34.6%
Two or More 6.3%
Asian 2.7%
African American 0.6%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 55.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 56.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 56.5, Harbor High is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
AP courses offered 2
How Harbor High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Cruz High | Similar size | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Soquel High | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Mission Hill Middle | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Branciforte Middle | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Delta Charter | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Harbor High's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,093
- Students per teacher
- 21.4:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
- Enrollment
- 1,074
- Students per teacher
- 23.3:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
- Enrollment
- 510
- Students per teacher
- 18.9:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 409
- Students per teacher
- 19.5:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 113
- Students per teacher
- 14.1:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
Similar high schools in Santa Cruz
2 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
Similar high 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 (~1,013 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~18.8:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Harbor High's federal record.
- Compare Harbor High against another school. Compare schools
- Santa Cruz City High'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 Harbor High
How many students attend Harbor High?
Harbor High has 1,013 students enrolled. It is a high school in Santa Cruz, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Harbor High?
The student-teacher ratio at Harbor High is 18.8:1, which is 13% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 20% 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 Harbor High?
34.7% of students at Harbor High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Harbor High?
The largest demographic group at Harbor High is Hispanic or Latino at 55.7% of enrollment, in Santa Cruz, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 56.5/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Harbor High?
Harbor High has a Resource Investment Index of 26/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Harbor High rank among high schools in Santa Cruz?
By Resource Investment Index, Harbor High ranks #2 of 3 high 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 high schools in Santa Cruz on the city page.
Is Harbor High a good school?
Harbor High earns 26/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 74% 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 Santa Cruz City High?
Besides Harbor High, Santa Cruz City High also operates Santa Cruz High (1,093 students), Soquel High (1,074 students), and Mission Hill Middle (510 students). See the Santa Cruz City High 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.