Enrollment
25
California · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Half Moon Bay, CA
Pilarcitos Alternative High (Continuation)
Federal NCES profile for Pilarcitos Alternative High (Continuation), including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 34/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 060678000602
👥 S:T ratio 0
📚 AP courses 10
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 95
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Pilarcitos Alternative High (Continuation) earns 34/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 79% of California schools. It is also one of the smallest schools in California.
- #1 of 5
- public schools in Half Moon Bay · Resource Index
- 34
- Resource Index · Typical
- 25:1
- large classes for California
- 57.9%
- free-lunch eligible
Pilarcitos Alternative High (Continuation) has class sizes larger than 79% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Pilarcitos Alternative High (Continuation) ranks #1 of 5 public schools in Half Moon Bay, CA.
School address
District: Cabrillo Unified · California
NCES ID 060678000602 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
1.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
25:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
+16% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
57.9%
vs 55.5% California avg
+4% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Pilarcitos Alternative High (Continuation) compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Pilarcitos Alternative High (Continuation)
Pilarcitos Alternative High (Continuation) is a higher-need, small high school in Half Moon Bay, California, enrolling 25 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 25:1 puts it in the larger third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 57.9% lands close to the California typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
This is a small campus: fewer students than 96% of California schools, with 25 enrolled.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 9,998 scored California schools.
Against 99 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #44.
Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (80% of enrollment) (diversity index 33/100).
No Advanced Placement courses are reported for this campus in the federal data.
Counselor coverage is strong, about 25 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Among Half Moon Bay's high schools, it stands alongside Half Moon Bay High (911 students): Pilarcitos Alternative High (Continuation) is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (25:1 vs 19:1).
Cabrillo Unified also operates Half Moon Bay High (911 students) and Alvin S. Hatch Elementary (544 students) alongside Pilarcitos Alternative High (Continuation).
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 Pilarcitos Alternative High (Continuation) compares
Pilarcitos Alternative High (Continuation) on the metrics families compare, against California and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs California | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 25:1 | ▲ 16% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 57.9% | ▲ 4% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 25 | top 96% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
25:1
Leaner classes than 5% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
25
Bigger than 3% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
57.9%
free-lunch eligible
- 4% 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
25:1
students per teacher
- 16% above state mean
Top 79% in California - lower ratio than 21% of state schools
Well above 20:1, one of the more stretched staffing loads nationally relative to enrollment.
Funding equity
$16,643
per pupil, district-wide
- above California avg of $16,509
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 25 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
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 80.0%
White 16.0%
Two or More 4.0%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 80.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 33.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 33.3, Pilarcitos Alternative High (Continuation) is less mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
AP program Not offered
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Cabrillo Unified, which includes Pilarcitos Alternative High (Continuation).
$16,643
Per student
+1%
vs California
Avg $16,509
+0%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 78.4%
State 15.8%
Federal 5.8%
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 Pilarcitos Alternative High (Continuation) Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Half Moon Bay High | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Alvin S. Hatch Elementary | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Manuel F. Cunha Intermediate | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| El Granada Elementary | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Farallone View Elementary | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Pilarcitos Alternative High (Continuation)'s own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 911
- Students per teacher
- 19:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 544
- Students per teacher
- 22.7:1
- Resource Index
- 26/100
- Enrollment
- 521
- Students per teacher
- 18.6:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 324
- Students per teacher
- 19.1:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
- Enrollment
- 177
- Students per teacher
- 29.5:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
Similar high schools in Half Moon Bay
1 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
Similar high 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 (~25 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~25:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Pilarcitos Alternative High (Continuation)'s federal record.
- Compare Pilarcitos Alternative High (Continuation) against another school. Compare schools
- Cabrillo 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 Pilarcitos Alternative High (Continuation)
How many students attend Pilarcitos Alternative High (Continuation)?
Pilarcitos Alternative High (Continuation) has 25 students enrolled. It is a high school in Half Moon Bay, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Pilarcitos Alternative High (Continuation)?
The student-teacher ratio at Pilarcitos Alternative High (Continuation) is 25:1, which is 16% higher than the California average of 21.5:1 and 59% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Pilarcitos Alternative High (Continuation)?
57.9% of students at Pilarcitos Alternative High (Continuation) are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Pilarcitos Alternative High (Continuation)?
The largest demographic group at Pilarcitos Alternative High (Continuation) is Hispanic or Latino at 80.0% of enrollment, in Half Moon Bay, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Pilarcitos Alternative High (Continuation)?
Pilarcitos Alternative High (Continuation) has a Resource Investment Index of 34/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Pilarcitos Alternative High (Continuation) rank among public schools in Half Moon Bay?
By Resource Investment Index, Pilarcitos Alternative High (Continuation) ranks #1 of 5 public schools in Half Moon Bay, 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 Half Moon Bay on the city page.
Is Pilarcitos Alternative High (Continuation) a good school?
Pilarcitos Alternative High (Continuation) earns 34/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 79% of California schools. It is also one of the smallest schools in California. 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 Cabrillo Unified?
Besides Pilarcitos Alternative High (Continuation), Cabrillo Unified also operates Half Moon Bay High (911 students), Alvin S. Hatch Elementary (544 students), and Manuel F. Cunha Intermediate (521 students). See the Cabrillo 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.