Enrollment
105
California · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 069103608020
Santa Cruz County Special Education — Santa Cruz, CA
Federal NCES profile for Santa Cruz County Special Education, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 34/100.
👥 Class size 72
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 0
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
District: Santa Cruz County Office of Education · California
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
14.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
7.1:1
vs 21.6:1 California avg
-67% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
27.0%
vs 55.5% California avg
-51% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Santa Cruz County Special Education compares with California and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
Santa Cruz County Special Education reports 105 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 14.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 7.1:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 67% below the California state mean of 21.6:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 55% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 27.0% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 51% below the California average and 48% below the national baseline. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 48.6% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Santa Cruz County Office of Education spends $67,163 per pupil district-wide, above the California average of $18,039 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 37.3% from local sources (property taxes), 52.7% from the state, and 10.0% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 34/100 (F), calculated from 3 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Santa Cruz County Special Education compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against California state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs California | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 7.1:1 | ▼ 67% | 21.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 27.0% | ▼ 51% | 55.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 105 | top 11% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Economic need
27.0%
free-lunch eligible
— 51% 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
7.1:1
students per teacher
— 67% below state mean
Top 2% in California — lower ratio than 98% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
48.6%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$67,163
per pupil, district-wide
— above California avg of $18,039
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
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
Enrollment 105 Top 11% in California — larger than 89% of 10,006 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 14.0
Students per teacher 7.1:1 -67% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 27.0% -51% vs state
NCES ID 069103608020
Student demographics
White 47.6%
Hispanic or Latino 34.3%
Asian 8.6%
Two or More 8.6%
African American 1.0%
Largest group: White at 47.6% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 48.6%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Santa Cruz County Office of Education, which includes Santa Cruz County Special Education.
$67,163
Per student
+272%
vs California
Avg $18,039
+245%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 37.3%
State 52.7%
Federal 10.0%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 730
- Students per teacher
- 24.7:1
- Enrollment
- 207
- Students per teacher
- 23.3:1
- Enrollment
- 20
- Students per teacher
- 16.3:1
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 24.7:1 students per teacher
Pacific Collegiate Charter
Standard public school
536 students 15.7:1 students per teacher
Alternative Family Education
Alternative education program
110 students 27:1 students per teacher
Ark Independent Studies
Alternative education program
56 students 23.5:1 students per teacher
Santa Cruz County Court
Alternative education program
20 students 16.3:1 students per teacher
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about Santa Cruz County Special Education
How many students attend Santa Cruz County Special Education?
Santa Cruz County Special Education has 105 students enrolled. It is a other school in Santa Cruz, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Santa Cruz County Special Education?
The student-teacher ratio at Santa Cruz County Special Education is 7.1:1, which is 67% lower than the California average of 21.6:1 and 55% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Santa Cruz County Special Education?
27.0% of students at Santa Cruz County Special Education are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Santa Cruz County Special Education?
The largest demographic group at Santa Cruz County Special Education is White at 47.6%. The school serves a diverse student body in Santa Cruz, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Santa Cruz County Special Education?
Santa Cruz County Special Education has a Resource Investment Index of 34/100 (F) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.