Enrollment
283
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Alpine, CA
The Heights Charter
Federal NCES profile for The Heights Charter, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 42/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 060148913185Charter school
👥 S:T ratio 0
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 97
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
The Heights Charter earns 42/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 98% of California schools.
- #1 of 5
- elementary schools in Alpine · Resource Index
- 42
- Resource Index · Typical
- 35.4:1
- large classes for California
- 12.1%
- free-lunch eligible
The Heights Charter has class sizes larger than 98% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, The Heights Charter ranks #1 of 5 elementary schools in Alpine, CA.
School address
District: The Heights Charter District · California
NCES ID 060148913185 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
8.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
35.4:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
+65% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
12.1%
vs 55.5% California avg
-78% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How The Heights Charter compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at The Heights Charter
The Heights Charter is a lower-poverty, mid-sized charter elementary school in Alpine, California, enrolling 283 students.
Class loads run heavy: 35.4:1 is larger than about 98% of California schools and 65% above the 21.5:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 12.1% free-meal eligibility runs 78% below the California average.
Enrollment of 283 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 9,998 scored California schools.
Against 324 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #88.
Its student body is predominantly White (82% of enrollment) (diversity index 31/100).
Attendance holds up well here: only 1.1% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
The surrounding The Heights Charter District spends $9,807 per pupil, 41% below the California average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Among Alpine's elementary schools, it stands alongside Shadow Hills Elementary (377 students): The Heights Charter is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (35.4:1 vs 22.2:1).
The Heights Charter District is a single-school charter district, so The Heights 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 The Heights Charter compares
The Heights 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 | 35.4:1 | ▲ 65% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 12.1% | ▼ 78% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 283 | top 76% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
35.4:1
Leaner classes than 1% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
283
Bigger than 30% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
12.1%
free-lunch eligible
- 78% 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
35.4:1
students per teacher
- 65% above state mean
Top 98% in California - lower ratio than 2% of state schools
Well above 20:1, one of the more stretched staffing loads nationally relative to enrollment.
Engagement
1.1%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 5%, comfortably under the pre-pandemic national baseline for chronic absenteeism.
Funding equity
$9,807
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
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
- 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 82.0%
Hispanic or Latino 12.7%
Two or More 5.3%
Largest group: White at 82.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 30.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 30.9, The Heights Charter is less mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for The Heights Charter District, which includes The Heights Charter.
$9,807
Per student
-41%
vs California
Avg $16,509
-41%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 11.3%
State 86.7%
Federal 2.0%
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.
Similar elementary schools in Alpine
4 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Shadow Hills Elementary
Standard public school
377 students 22.2:1 students per teacher
Boulder Oaks Elementary
Standard public school
367 students 21.6:1 students per teacher
Creekside Early Learning Center
Standard public school
227 students 25.2:1 students per teacher
Mountain View Learning Academy
Alternative education program
64 students 16:1 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 (~283 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on The Heights Charter's federal record.
- Compare The Heights Charter against another school. Compare schools
- The Heights 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 The Heights Charter
How many students attend The Heights Charter?
The Heights Charter has 283 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Alpine, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at The Heights Charter?
The student-teacher ratio at The Heights Charter is 35.4:1, which is 65% higher than the California average of 21.5:1 and 125% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at The Heights Charter?
12.1% of students at The Heights Charter are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of The Heights Charter?
The largest demographic group at The Heights Charter is White at 82.0% of enrollment, in Alpine, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for The Heights Charter?
The Heights Charter has a Resource Investment Index of 42/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does The Heights Charter rank among elementary schools in Alpine?
By Resource Investment Index, The Heights Charter ranks #1 of 5 elementary schools in Alpine, 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 Alpine on the city page.
Is The Heights Charter a good school?
The Heights Charter earns 42/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 98% 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 The Heights Charter District?
None; The Heights Charter District is a single-school charter district, and The Heights 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.