Enrollment
1,078
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Richmond, CA
Making Waves Academy
Federal NCES profile for Making Waves Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 35/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 060150212043Charter school
👥 S:T ratio 36
🌟 Gifted program 70
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Making Waves Academy earns 35/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 87% of California schools.
- #1 of 3
- schools in Richmond · Resource Index
- 35
- Resource Index · Typical
- 15.9:1
- small classes for California
- 66.3%
- free-lunch eligible
Making Waves Academy has class sizes smaller than 87% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Making Waves Academy ranks #1 of 3 schools in Richmond, CA.
School address
District: Making Waves Academy District · California
NCES ID 060150212043 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
68.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.9:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-26% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
66.3%
vs 55.5% California avg
+19% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Making Waves Academy compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Making Waves Academy
Making Waves Academy is a higher-need, large charter combined-grade school in Richmond, California, enrolling 1,078 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 15.9:1, Making Waves Academy is leaner than roughly 87% of California schools and 26% under the state's 21.5:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 66.3% of students eligible for free meals.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in California, bigger than 90% of state schools at 1,078 students.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 9,998 scored California schools.
Against 800 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #121.
Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (88% of enrollment) (diversity index 23/100).
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 59.5% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding Making Waves Academy District spends $21,268 per pupil, 29% above the California average, a better-resourced district than most.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 1 expulsion at this campus for 2021-22.
Among Richmond's public schools, it stands alongside Summit Public School: Tamalpais (629 students): Making Waves Academy is larger than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (15.9:1 vs 28.6:1).
Making Waves Academy District is a single-school charter district, so Making Waves Academy 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 Making Waves Academy compares
Making Waves Academy on the metrics families compare, against California and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs California | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 15.9:1 | ▼ 26% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 66.3% | ▲ 19% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 1,078 | top 10% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
15.9:1
Leaner classes than 39% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
1,078
Bigger than 92% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
66.3%
free-lunch eligible
- 19% 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
15.9:1
students per teacher
- 26% below state mean
Top 13% in California - lower ratio than 87% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
59.5%
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
$21,268
per pupil, district-wide
- above California avg of $16,509
Well above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting substantially higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
2
in-school suspensions + 110 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 10.4 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 1 expulsion.
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 87.6%
African American 6.8%
Asian 3.9%
White 1.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Two or More 0.2%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 87.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 22.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 22.6, Making Waves Academy is less mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
AP courses offered 7
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Making Waves Academy District, which includes Making Waves Academy.
$21,268
Per student
+29%
vs California
Avg $16,509
+28%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 48.6%
State 40.7%
Federal 10.6%
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 other schools in Richmond
2 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 (~1,078 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Making Waves Academy's federal record.
- Compare Making Waves Academy against another school. Compare schools
- Making Waves Academy 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 Making Waves Academy
How many students attend Making Waves Academy?
Making Waves Academy has 1,078 students enrolled. It is a public school in Richmond, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Making Waves Academy?
The student-teacher ratio at Making Waves Academy is 15.9:1, which is 26% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 1% 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 Making Waves Academy?
66.3% of students at Making Waves Academy are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Making Waves Academy?
The largest demographic group at Making Waves Academy is Hispanic or Latino at 87.6% of enrollment, in Richmond, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Making Waves Academy?
Making Waves Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 35/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Making Waves Academy rank among schools in Richmond?
By Resource Investment Index, Making Waves Academy ranks #1 of 3 schools in Richmond, CA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Richmond on the city page.
Is Making Waves Academy a good school?
Making Waves Academy earns 35/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 87% 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 Making Waves Academy District?
None; Making Waves Academy District is a single-school charter district, and Making Waves Academy 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.