Enrollment
812
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Orcutt, CA
Orcutt Academy Charter
Federal NCES profile for Orcutt Academy Charter, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 26/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 062871012315Charter school
👥 S:T ratio 4
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 28
📋 Attendance 43
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Orcutt Academy Charter earns 26/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 70% of California schools.
- 26
- Resource Index · Lower
- 23.9:1
- large classes for California
- 25.6%
- free-lunch eligible
- 812
- students enrolled
Orcutt Academy Charter has class sizes larger than 70% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Orcutt Union Elementary · California
NCES ID 062871012315 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
34.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
23.9:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
+11% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
25.6%
vs 55.5% California avg
-54% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Orcutt Academy Charter compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Orcutt Academy Charter
Orcutt Academy Charter is a mid-sized charter combined-grade school in Orcutt, California, enrolling 812 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 23.9:1 puts it in the larger third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 25.6% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 812 puts it in the larger third of California schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 9,998 scored California schools.
Among 1,132 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need California schools statewide, it ranks #844, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (46%) and White (39%) (diversity index 63/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 361 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 23.0% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
The surrounding Orcutt Union Elementary spends $12,686 per pupil, 23% below the California average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Among Orcutt's public schools, it stands alongside Olive Grove Charter - Orcutt/Santa Maria (153 students): Orcutt Academy Charter is larger than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (23.9:1 vs 25.5:1).
Orcutt Union Elementary also operates Joe Nightingale Elementary (695 students) and Patterson Road Elementary (662 students) alongside Orcutt Academy Charter.
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 Orcutt Academy Charter compares
Orcutt Academy Charter on the metrics families compare, against California and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs California | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 23.9:1 | ▲ 11% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 25.6% | ▼ 54% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 812 | top 17% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
23.9:1
Leaner classes than 7% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
812
Bigger than 86% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
25.6%
free-lunch eligible
- 54% 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
23.9:1
students per teacher
- 11% above state mean
Top 70% in California - lower ratio than 30% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
23.0%
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
$12,686
per pupil, district-wide
- below California avg of $16,509
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors2.3 FTE
Per 361 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 13 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.6 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 46.0%
White 38.5%
Two or More 11.0%
Asian 2.4%
African American 1.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 46.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 62.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 62.7, Orcutt Academy Charter is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
AP courses offered 10
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Orcutt Union Elementary, which includes Orcutt Academy Charter.
$12,686
Per student
-23%
vs California
Avg $16,509
-24%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 37.2%
State 55.5%
Federal 7.4%
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 Orcutt Academy Charter Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Joe Nightingale Elementary | Similar size | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Patterson Road Elementary | Similar size | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Pine Grove Elementary | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Alice Shaw Elementary | Smaller | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Ralph Dunlap Elementary | Smaller | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Orcutt Academy Charter's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 695
- Students per teacher
- 26.7:1
- Resource Index
- 14/100
- Enrollment
- 662
- Students per teacher
- 30.1:1
- Resource Index
- 16/100
- Enrollment
- 569
- Students per teacher
- 28.4:1
- Resource Index
- 19/100
- Enrollment
- 530
- Students per teacher
- 26.5:1
- Resource Index
- 17/100
- Enrollment
- 502
- Students per teacher
- 27.9:1
- Resource Index
- 17/100
Similar other schools in Orcutt
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 (~812 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Orcutt Academy Charter's federal record.
- Compare Orcutt Academy Charter against another school. Compare schools
- Orcutt Union 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 Orcutt Academy Charter
How many students attend Orcutt Academy Charter?
Orcutt Academy Charter has 812 students enrolled. It is a public school in Orcutt, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Orcutt Academy Charter?
The student-teacher ratio at Orcutt Academy Charter is 23.9:1, which is 11% higher than the California average of 21.5:1 and 52% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Orcutt Academy Charter?
25.6% of students at Orcutt Academy Charter are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Orcutt Academy Charter?
The largest demographic group at Orcutt Academy Charter is Hispanic or Latino at 46.0% of enrollment, in Orcutt, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 62.7/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Orcutt Academy Charter?
Orcutt Academy Charter has a Resource Investment Index of 26/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
Is Orcutt Academy Charter a good school?
Orcutt Academy Charter earns 26/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 70% 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 Orcutt Union Elementary?
Besides Orcutt Academy Charter, Orcutt Union Elementary also operates Joe Nightingale Elementary (695 students), Patterson Road Elementary (662 students), and Pine Grove Elementary (569 students). See the Orcutt Union 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.