Enrollment
76
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Santa Cruz, CA
Ocean Alternative Education Center
Federal NCES profile for Ocean Alternative Education Center, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 45/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 062199010412
👥 S:T ratio 24
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 80
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Ocean Alternative Education Center earns 45/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 73% of California schools.
- #1 of 14
- elementary schools in Santa Cruz · Resource Index
- 45
- Resource Index · Typical
- 19:1
- small classes for California
- 35.7%
- free-lunch eligible
Ocean Alternative Education Center has class sizes smaller than 73% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Ocean Alternative Education Center ranks #1 of 14 elementary schools in Santa Cruz, CA.
School address
District: Live Oak Elementary · California
NCES ID 062199010412 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
4.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
19:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-12% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
35.7%
vs 55.5% California avg
-36% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Ocean Alternative Education Center compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Ocean Alternative Education Center
Ocean Alternative Education Center is a small elementary school in Santa Cruz, California, enrolling 76 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 19:1 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 35.7% of students eligible for free meals.
This is a small campus: fewer students than 92% of California schools, with 76 enrolled.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 9,998 scored California schools.
Against 133 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #39.
Its student body is led by White (53%) and Hispanic or Latino (32%) (diversity index 60/100).
Attendance holds up well here: only 7.9% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
Among Santa Cruz's elementary schools, it stands alongside Brook Knoll Elementary (498 students): Ocean Alternative Education Center is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (19:1 vs 24.9:1).
Live Oak Elementary also operates Shoreline Middle (478 students) and Live Oak Elementary (362 students) alongside Ocean Alternative Education 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 Ocean Alternative Education Center compares
Ocean Alternative Education 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 | 19:1 | ▼ 12% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 35.7% | ▼ 36% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 76 | top 92% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
19:1
Leaner classes than 20% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
76
Bigger than 8% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
35.7%
free-lunch eligible
- 36% 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
19:1
students per teacher
- 12% below state mean
Top 27% in California - lower ratio than 73% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
7.9%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 5-10% range, close to the pre-pandemic national baseline.
Funding equity
$16,067
per pupil, district-wide
- below 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
White 52.6%
Hispanic or Latino 31.6%
Two or More 14.5%
Asian 1.3%
Largest group: White at 52.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 60.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 60.2, Ocean Alternative Education Center is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Live Oak Elementary, which includes Ocean Alternative Education Center.
$16,067
Per student
-3%
vs California
Avg $16,509
-3%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 36.7%
State 50.3%
Federal 13.0%
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 Ocean Alternative Education Center Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shoreline Middle | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Live Oak Elementary | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Del Mar Elementary | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Green Acres Elementary | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Tierra Pacifica Charter | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Ocean Alternative Education Center's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 478
- Students per teacher
- 19.1:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
- Enrollment
- 362
- Students per teacher
- 22.6:1
- Resource Index
- 21/100
- Enrollment
- 322
- Students per teacher
- 21.5:1
- Resource Index
- 22/100
- Enrollment
- 262
- Students per teacher
- 18.7:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
- Enrollment
- 166
- Students per teacher
- 27.7:1
- Resource Index
- 28/100
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 (~76 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~19:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Ocean Alternative Education Center's federal record.
- Compare Ocean Alternative Education Center against another school. Compare schools
- Live Oak 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 Ocean Alternative Education Center
How many students attend Ocean Alternative Education Center?
Ocean Alternative Education Center has 76 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Santa Cruz, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Ocean Alternative Education Center?
The student-teacher ratio at Ocean Alternative Education Center is 19:1, which is 12% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 21% 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 Ocean Alternative Education Center?
35.7% of students at Ocean Alternative Education Center are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Ocean Alternative Education Center?
The largest demographic group at Ocean Alternative Education Center is White at 52.6% of enrollment, in Santa Cruz, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 60.2/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Ocean Alternative Education Center?
Ocean Alternative Education Center has a Resource Investment Index of 45/100 (typical 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 Ocean Alternative Education Center rank among elementary schools in Santa Cruz?
By Resource Investment Index, Ocean Alternative Education Center ranks #1 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 Ocean Alternative Education Center a good school?
Ocean Alternative Education Center earns 45/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 73% 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 Live Oak Elementary?
Besides Ocean Alternative Education Center, Live Oak Elementary also operates Shoreline Middle (478 students), Live Oak Elementary (362 students), and Del Mar Elementary (322 students). See the Live Oak 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.