Enrollment
1,093
California · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Santa Cruz, CA
Santa Cruz High
Federal NCES profile for Santa Cruz High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 42/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 063560006067
👥 S:T ratio 14
📚 AP courses 90
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 27
📋 Attendance 50
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Santa Cruz High earns 42/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median.
- #2 of 3
- high schools in Santa Cruz · Resource Index
- 42
- Resource Index · Typical
- 21.4:1
- students per teacher
- 24.1%
- free-lunch eligible
Santa Cruz High has class sizes near the California median. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Santa Cruz High ranks #2 of 3 high schools in Santa Cruz, CA.
School address
District: Santa Cruz City High · California
NCES ID 063560006067 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
51.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
21.4:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-0% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
24.1%
vs 55.5% California avg
-57% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Santa Cruz High compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Santa Cruz High
Santa Cruz High is a large high school in Santa Cruz, California, enrolling 1,093 students.
At 21.4:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the California median, within a few percentage points of the 21.5:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 24.1% of students eligible for free meals.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in California, bigger than 90% of state schools at 1,093 students.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 9,998 scored California schools.
Against 683 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #433.
Its student body is led by White (58%) and Hispanic or Latino (29%) (diversity index 57/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 18 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 364 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 19.9% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Among Santa Cruz's high schools, it stands alongside Harbor High (1,013 students): Santa Cruz High is larger than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (21.4:1 vs 18.8:1).
Santa Cruz City High also operates Soquel High (1,074 students) and Harbor High (1,013 students) alongside Santa Cruz High.
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 High compares
Santa Cruz High on the metrics families compare, against California and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs California | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 21.4:1 | ▼ 0% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 24.1% | ▼ 57% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 1,093 | top 10% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
21.4:1
Leaner classes than 12% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
1,093
Bigger than 93% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
24.1%
free-lunch eligible
- 57% 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
21.4:1
students per teacher
- 0% below state mean
Top 47% in California - lower ratio than 53% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
19.9%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Support staff
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 364 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
9
in-school suspensions + 10 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.7 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 58.1%
Hispanic or Latino 29.0%
Two or More 8.7%
Asian 2.5%
African American 1.6%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: White at 58.1% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 57.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 57.0, Santa Cruz High is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
AP courses offered 18
How Santa Cruz High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Soquel High | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Harbor High | Similar size | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Mission Hill Middle | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Branciforte Middle | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Delta Charter | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Santa Cruz High's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,074
- Students per teacher
- 23.3:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
- Enrollment
- 1,013
- Students per teacher
- 18.8:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
- Enrollment
- 510
- Students per teacher
- 18.9:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 409
- Students per teacher
- 19.5:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 113
- Students per teacher
- 14.1:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
Similar high schools in Santa Cruz
2 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 (~1,093 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~21.4:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Santa Cruz High's federal record.
- Compare Santa Cruz High against another school. Compare schools
- Santa Cruz City High'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 High
How many students attend Santa Cruz High?
Santa Cruz High has 1,093 students enrolled. It is a high school in Santa Cruz, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Santa Cruz High?
The student-teacher ratio at Santa Cruz High is 21.4:1, which is 0% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 36% 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 Santa Cruz High?
24.1% of students at Santa Cruz High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Santa Cruz High?
The largest demographic group at Santa Cruz High is White at 58.1% of enrollment, in Santa Cruz, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 57.0/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Santa Cruz High?
Santa Cruz High has a Resource Investment Index of 42/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 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 Santa Cruz High rank among high schools in Santa Cruz?
By Resource Investment Index, Santa Cruz High ranks #2 of 3 high 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 high schools in Santa Cruz on the city page.
Is Santa Cruz High a good school?
Santa Cruz High earns 42/100 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 High?
Besides Santa Cruz High, Santa Cruz City High also operates Soquel High (1,074 students), Harbor High (1,013 students), and Mission Hill Middle (510 students). See the Santa Cruz City High 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.