Enrollment
536
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Santa Cruz, CA
Pacific Collegiate Charter
Federal NCES profile for Pacific Collegiate Charter, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 49/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 060254208363Charter school
👥 S:T ratio 37
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 46
📋 Attendance 84
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Pacific Collegiate Charter earns 49/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 87% of California schools.
- #2 of 6
- schools in Santa Cruz · Resource Index
- 49
- Resource Index · Higher
- 15.8:1
- small classes for California
- 9.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Pacific Collegiate Charter has class sizes smaller than 87% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Pacific Collegiate Charter ranks #2 of 6 schools in Santa Cruz, CA.
School address
District: Pacific Collegiate Charter District · California
NCES ID 060254208363 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
34.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.8:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-27% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
9.0%
vs 55.5% California avg
-84% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Pacific Collegiate Charter compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Pacific Collegiate Charter
Pacific Collegiate Charter is a lower-poverty, mid-sized charter combined-grade school in Santa Cruz, California, enrolling 536 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 15.8:1, Pacific Collegiate Charter is leaner than roughly 87% of California schools and 27% under the state's 21.5:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 9.0% free-meal eligibility runs 84% below the California average.
With 536 students, its enrollment sits close to the California median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 91% of the 9,998 California schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Among 853 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need California schools statewide, it ranks #76, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (62%) and Hispanic or Latino (16%) (diversity index 57/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 268 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Attendance holds up well here: only 6.5% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
The surrounding Pacific Collegiate Charter District spends $12,480 per pupil, 24% below the California average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Among Santa Cruz's public schools, it stands alongside Santa Cruz County Community (730 students): Pacific Collegiate Charter is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (15.8:1 vs 24.3:1).
Pacific Collegiate Charter District is a single-school charter district, so Pacific Collegiate Charter 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 Pacific Collegiate Charter compares
Pacific Collegiate 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 | 15.8:1 | ▼ 27% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 9.0% | ▼ 84% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 536 | top 40% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
15.8:1
Leaner classes than 40% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
536
Bigger than 66% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
9.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 84% below the California average of 55.5%
Below the 40% Title I threshold, among the lower-need profiles in the state; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
15.8:1
students per teacher
- 27% 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
6.5%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 5-10% range, close to the pre-pandemic national baseline.
Funding equity
$12,480
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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 268 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 18 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.5 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 61.9%
Hispanic or Latino 16.1%
Two or More 14.4%
Asian 6.9%
African American 0.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: White at 61.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 56.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 56.5, Pacific Collegiate Charter is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
AP courses offered 23
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Pacific Collegiate Charter District, which includes Pacific Collegiate Charter.
$12,480
Per student
-24%
vs California
Avg $16,509
-25%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 62.1%
State 35.7%
Federal 2.2%
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 Santa Cruz
5 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Santa Cruz County Community
Alternative education program
730 students 24.3:1 students per teacher
Alternative Family Education
Alternative education program
110 students 27.5:1 students per teacher
Santa Cruz County Special Education
Special-education school
105 students 7.5:1 students per teacher
Ark Independent Studies
Alternative education program
56 students 28:1 students per teacher
Santa Cruz County Court
Alternative education program
20 students 5:1 students per teacher
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 (~536 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Pacific Collegiate Charter's federal record.
- Compare Pacific Collegiate Charter against another school. Compare schools
- Pacific Collegiate Charter 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 Pacific Collegiate Charter
How many students attend Pacific Collegiate Charter?
Pacific Collegiate Charter has 536 students enrolled. It is a public school in Santa Cruz, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Pacific Collegiate Charter?
The student-teacher ratio at Pacific Collegiate Charter is 15.8:1, which is 27% 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 Pacific Collegiate Charter?
9.0% of students at Pacific Collegiate Charter are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Pacific Collegiate Charter?
The largest demographic group at Pacific Collegiate Charter is White at 61.9% 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 Pacific Collegiate Charter?
Pacific Collegiate Charter has a Resource Investment Index of 49/100 (higher 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).
How does Pacific Collegiate Charter rank among schools in Santa Cruz?
By Resource Investment Index, Pacific Collegiate Charter ranks #2 of 6 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 schools in Santa Cruz on the city page.
Is Pacific Collegiate Charter a good school?
Pacific Collegiate Charter earns 49/100 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 Pacific Collegiate Charter District?
None; Pacific Collegiate Charter District is a single-school charter district, and Pacific Collegiate Charter 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.