Enrollment
166
California · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 062199011260 Charter school
Tierra Pacifica Charter — Santa Cruz, CA
Federal NCES profile for Tierra Pacifica Charter, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 28/100.
👥 Class size 0
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 82
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: Live Oak Elementary · 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)
6.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
25.8:1
vs 21.6:1 California avg
+19% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
25.8%
vs 55.5% California avg
-54% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Tierra Pacifica Charter 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
Tierra Pacifica Charter reports 166 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 6.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 25.8:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 19% above the California state mean of 21.6:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 62% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 25.8% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 54% below the California average and 50% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 553 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 7.2% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Live Oak Elementary spends $17,126 per pupil district-wide, below the California average of $18,039 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 36.7% from local sources (property taxes), 50.3% from the state, and 13.0% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 28/100 (F), calculated from 4 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 Tierra Pacifica Charter 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 | 25.8:1 | ▲ 19% | 21.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 25.8% | ▼ 54% | 55.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 166 | top 15% | — | — |
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
25.8%
free-lunch eligible
— 54% 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
25.8:1
students per teacher
— 19% above state mean
Top 88% in California — lower ratio than 12% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Engagement
7.2%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 10% — strong attendance relative to the post-pandemic national landscape.
Funding equity
$17,126
per pupil, district-wide
— below California avg of $18,039
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.3 FTE
Per 553 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
Enrollment 166 Top 15% in California — larger than 85% of 10,006 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 6.0
Students per teacher 25.8:1 +19% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 25.8% -54% vs state
NCES ID 062199011260
Student demographics
White 63.3%
Hispanic or Latino 24.1%
Two or More 7.2%
Asian 2.4%
African American 1.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.2%
Largest group: White at 63.3% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 0.3
Students per counselor 553:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 7.2%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Live Oak Elementary, which includes Tierra Pacifica Charter.
$17,126
Per student
-5%
vs California
Avg $18,039
-12%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 36.7%
State 50.3%
Federal 13.0%
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
- 478
- Students per teacher
- 17.6:1
- Enrollment
- 362
- Students per teacher
- 22:1
- Enrollment
- 322
- Students per teacher
- 22.8:1
- Enrollment
- 262
- Students per teacher
- 22.5:1
- Enrollment
- 76
- Students per teacher
- 21:1
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 23.2:1 students per teacher
De Laveaga Elementary
Standard public school
481 students 23.2:1 students per teacher
Westlake Elementary
Standard public school
453 students 22.5:1 students per teacher
Bay View Elementary
Standard public school
394 students 18.7:1 students per teacher
Live Oak Elementary
Standard public school
362 students 22:1 students per teacher
Del Mar Elementary
Standard public school
322 students 22.8:1 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 Tierra Pacifica Charter
How many students attend Tierra Pacifica Charter?
Tierra Pacifica Charter has 166 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in Santa Cruz, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Tierra Pacifica Charter?
The student-teacher ratio at Tierra Pacifica Charter is 25.8:1, which is 19% higher than the California average of 21.6:1 and 62% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Tierra Pacifica Charter?
25.8% of students at Tierra Pacifica Charter are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Tierra Pacifica Charter?
The largest demographic group at Tierra Pacifica Charter is White at 63.3%. The school serves a diverse student body in Santa Cruz, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Tierra Pacifica Charter?
Tierra Pacifica Charter has a Resource Investment Index of 28/100 (F) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.