Enrollment
114
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Santa Cruz, CA
Santa Cruz City Elementary Alternative Education-Monarch
Federal NCES profile for Santa Cruz City Elementary Alternative Education-Monarch, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 35/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 063559010080
👥 S:T ratio 9
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 43
📋 Attendance 56
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Santa Cruz City Elementary Alternative Education-Monarch earns 35/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median.
- #2 of 14
- elementary schools in Santa Cruz · Resource Index
- 35
- Resource Index · Typical
- 22.8:1
- students per teacher
- 22.2%
- free-lunch eligible
Santa Cruz City Elementary Alternative Education-Monarch has class sizes near the California median. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Santa Cruz City Elementary Alternative Education-Monarch ranks #2 of 14 elementary schools in Santa Cruz, CA.
School address
District: Santa Cruz City Elementary · California
NCES ID 063559010080 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
5.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
22.8:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
+6% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
22.2%
vs 55.5% California avg
-60% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Santa Cruz City Elementary Alternative Education-Monarch compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Santa Cruz City Elementary Alternative Education-Monarch
Santa Cruz City Elementary Alternative Education-Monarch is a small elementary school in Santa Cruz, California, enrolling 114 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 22.8:1 puts it in the larger third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 22.2% free-meal eligibility runs 60% below the California average.
Enrollment of 114 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.
Against 109 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #56.
Its student body is led by White (55%) and Hispanic or Latino (23%) (diversity index 61/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 285 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
17.5% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Among Santa Cruz's elementary schools, it stands alongside Brook Knoll Elementary (498 students): Santa Cruz City Elementary Alternative Education-Monarch is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (22.8:1 vs 24.9:1).
Santa Cruz City Elementary also operates De Laveaga Elementary (481 students) and Westlake Elementary (453 students) alongside Santa Cruz City Elementary Alternative Education-Monarch.
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 Santa Cruz City Elementary Alternative Education-Monarch compares
Santa Cruz City Elementary Alternative Education-Monarch on the metrics families compare, against California and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs California | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 22.8:1 | ▲ 6% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 22.2% | ▼ 60% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 114 | top 89% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
22.8:1
Leaner classes than 9% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
114
Bigger than 11% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
22.2%
free-lunch eligible
- 60% 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
22.8:1
students per teacher
- 6% above state mean
Top 61% in California - lower ratio than 39% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
17.5%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Support staff
Counselors0.4 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 55.3%
Hispanic or Latino 22.8%
Two or More 18.4%
Asian 2.6%
African American 0.9%
Largest group: White at 55.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 60.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 60.8, Santa Cruz City Elementary Alternative Education-Monarch is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
How Santa Cruz City Elementary Alternative Education-Monarch Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| De Laveaga Elementary | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Westlake Elementary | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Bay View Elementary | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Gault Elementary | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Santa Cruz City Elementary Alternative Education-Monarch's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 481
- Students per teacher
- 22.9:1
- Resource Index
- 23/100
- Enrollment
- 453
- Students per teacher
- 21.6:1
- Resource Index
- 25/100
- Enrollment
- 394
- Students per teacher
- 21.9:1
- Resource Index
- 23/100
- Enrollment
- 314
- Students per teacher
- 22.4:1
- Resource Index
- 21/100
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 (~114 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Santa Cruz City Elementary Alternative Education-Monarch's federal record.
- Compare Santa Cruz City Elementary Alternative Education-Monarch against another school. Compare schools
- Santa Cruz City 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 Santa Cruz City Elementary Alternative Education-Monarch
How many students attend Santa Cruz City Elementary Alternative Education-Monarch?
Santa Cruz City Elementary Alternative Education-Monarch has 114 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Santa Cruz, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Santa Cruz City Elementary Alternative Education-Monarch?
The student-teacher ratio at Santa Cruz City Elementary Alternative Education-Monarch is 22.8:1, which is 6% higher than the California average of 21.5:1 and 45% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Santa Cruz City Elementary Alternative Education-Monarch?
22.2% of students at Santa Cruz City Elementary Alternative Education-Monarch are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Santa Cruz City Elementary Alternative Education-Monarch?
The largest demographic group at Santa Cruz City Elementary Alternative Education-Monarch is White at 55.3% of enrollment, in Santa Cruz, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 60.8/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Santa Cruz City Elementary Alternative Education-Monarch?
Santa Cruz City Elementary Alternative Education-Monarch has a Resource Investment Index of 35/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Santa Cruz City Elementary Alternative Education-Monarch rank among elementary schools in Santa Cruz?
By Resource Investment Index, Santa Cruz City Elementary Alternative Education-Monarch ranks #2 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 Santa Cruz City Elementary Alternative Education-Monarch a good school?
Santa Cruz City Elementary Alternative Education-Monarch earns 35/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median. 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 Santa Cruz City Elementary?
Besides Santa Cruz City Elementary Alternative Education-Monarch, Santa Cruz City Elementary also operates De Laveaga Elementary (481 students), Westlake Elementary (453 students), and Bay View Elementary (394 students). See the Santa Cruz City 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.