Enrollment
101
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Garden Grove, CA
Mark Twain Special Center
Federal NCES profile for Mark Twain Special Center, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 27/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 061488002337
👥 S:T ratio 50
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Mark Twain Special Center earns 27/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 93% of California schools.
- #45 of 51
- public schools in Garden Grove · Resource Index
- 27
- Resource Index · Lower
- 12.6:1
- small classes for California
- 65.5%
- free-lunch eligible
Mark Twain Special Center has class sizes smaller than 93% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Mark Twain Special Center ranks #45 of 51 public schools in Garden Grove, CA.
School address
District: Garden Grove Unified · California
NCES ID 061488002337 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
8.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.6:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-41% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
65.5%
vs 55.5% California avg
+18% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Mark Twain Special Center compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Mark Twain Special Center
Mark Twain Special Center is a higher-need, small combined-grade school in Garden Grove, California, enrolling 101 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 12.6:1, Mark Twain Special Center is leaner than roughly 93% of California schools and 41% under the state's 21.5:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 65.5% lands close to the California typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 101 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 277 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need California schools statewide, it ranks #212, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (48%) and Asian (42%) (diversity index 59/100).
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 44.6% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Among Garden Grove's public schools, it stands alongside Marie L. Hare High (218 students): Mark Twain Special Center is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (12.6:1 vs 13.6:1).
Garden Grove Unified also operates Garden Grove High (2,148 students) and La Quinta High (2,041 students) alongside Mark Twain Special Center.
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 Mark Twain Special Center compares
Mark Twain Special Center on the metrics families compare, against California and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs California | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 12.6:1 | ▼ 41% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 65.5% | ▲ 18% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 101 | top 90% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.6:1
Leaner classes than 70% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
101
Bigger than 10% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
65.5%
free-lunch eligible
- 18% 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
12.6:1
students per teacher
- 41% 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
44.6%
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.
Funding equity
$16,783
per pupil, district-wide
- above California avg of $16,509
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
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
Hispanic or Latino 47.5%
Asian 41.6%
White 10.9%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 47.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 58.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 58.9, Mark Twain Special Center is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Garden Grove Unified, which includes Mark Twain Special Center.
$16,783
Per student
+2%
vs California
Avg $16,509
+1%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 30.3%
State 56.8%
Federal 12.9%
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.
How Mark Twain Special Center Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Garden Grove High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| La Quinta High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Bolsa Grande High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Santiago High | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Pacifica High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Mark Twain Special Center's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,148
- Students per teacher
- 23.1:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 2,041
- Students per teacher
- 24:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
- Enrollment
- 1,701
- Students per teacher
- 22.4:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 1,664
- Students per teacher
- 19.3:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
- Enrollment
- 1,634
- Students per teacher
- 22.1:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
Similar other schools in Garden Grove
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 (~101 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~12.6:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Mark Twain Special Center's federal record.
- Compare Mark Twain Special Center against another school. Compare schools
- Garden Grove Unified'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 Mark Twain Special Center
How many students attend Mark Twain Special Center?
Mark Twain Special Center has 101 students enrolled. It is a special-education school in Garden Grove, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Mark Twain Special Center?
The student-teacher ratio at Mark Twain Special Center is 12.6:1, which is 41% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 20% 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 Mark Twain Special Center?
65.5% of students at Mark Twain Special Center are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Mark Twain Special Center?
The largest demographic group at Mark Twain Special Center is Hispanic or Latino at 47.5% of enrollment, in Garden Grove, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 58.9/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Mark Twain Special Center?
Mark Twain Special Center 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 Mark Twain Special Center rank among public schools in Garden Grove?
By Resource Investment Index, Mark Twain Special Center ranks #45 of 51 public schools in Garden Grove, 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 Garden Grove on the city page.
Is Mark Twain Special Center a good school?
Mark Twain Special Center earns 27/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 93% 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 Garden Grove Unified?
Besides Mark Twain Special Center, Garden Grove Unified also operates Garden Grove High (2,148 students), La Quinta High (2,041 students), and Bolsa Grande High (1,701 students). See the Garden Grove Unified 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.