Enrollment
99
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Arcata, CA
Union Street Charter
Federal NCES profile for Union Street Charter, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 37/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 060205811590Charter school
👥 S:T ratio 21
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 21
📋 Attendance 77
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Union Street Charter earns 37/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median.
- #3 of 6
- elementary schools in Arcata · Resource Index
- 37
- Resource Index · Typical
- 19.8:1
- students per teacher
- 39.2%
- free-lunch eligible
Union Street Charter has class sizes near the California median. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Union Street Charter ranks #3 of 6 elementary schools in Arcata, CA.
School address
District: Union Street Charter District · California
NCES ID 060205811590 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
5.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
19.8:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-8% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
39.2%
vs 55.5% California avg
-29% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Union Street Charter compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Union Street Charter
Union Street Charter is a small charter elementary school in Arcata, California, enrolling 99 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 19.8:1 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 39.2% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 99 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 191 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #83.
Its student body is led by White (70%) and Hispanic or Latino (15%) (diversity index 48/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 396 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Attendance holds up well here: only 9.1% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
Among Arcata's elementary schools, it stands alongside Pacific Union Elementary (534 students): Union Street Charter is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (19.8:1 vs 19.1:1).
Union Street Charter District is a single-school charter district, so Union Street Charter operates independently rather than alongside district-mates. At 99 students, it is also a small operation, on the smaller end of California's single-school districts.
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 Union Street Charter compares
Union Street 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 | 19.8:1 | ▼ 8% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 39.2% | ▼ 29% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 99 | top 90% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
19.8:1
Leaner classes than 17% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
99
Bigger than 10% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
39.2%
free-lunch eligible
- 29% 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
19.8:1
students per teacher
- 8% below state mean
Top 33% in California - lower ratio than 67% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
9.1%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 5-10% range, close to the pre-pandemic national baseline.
Support staff
Counselors0.3 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 1 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.0 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 69.7%
Hispanic or Latino 15.2%
Two or More 12.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native 2.0%
Asian 1.0%
Largest group: White at 69.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 47.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 47.6, Union Street Charter is about as mixed as the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Similar elementary schools in Arcata
5 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Pacific Union Elementary
Standard public school
534 students 19.1:1 students per teacher
Arcata Elementary
Standard public school
240 students 16:1 students per teacher
Coastal Grove Charter
Standard public school
235 students 16.8:1 students per teacher
Fuente Nueva Charter
Standard public school
150 students 25:1 students per teacher
Trillium Charter
Standard public school
34 students 17:1 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 (~99 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Union Street Charter's federal record.
- Compare Union Street Charter against another school. Compare schools
- Union Street 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 Union Street Charter
How many students attend Union Street Charter?
Union Street Charter has 99 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Arcata, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Union Street Charter?
The student-teacher ratio at Union Street Charter is 19.8:1, which is 8% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 26% 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 Union Street Charter?
39.2% of students at Union Street Charter are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Union Street Charter?
The largest demographic group at Union Street Charter is White at 69.7% of enrollment, in Arcata, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Union Street Charter?
Union Street Charter has a Resource Investment Index of 37/100 (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 Union Street Charter rank among elementary schools in Arcata?
By Resource Investment Index, Union Street Charter ranks #3 of 6 elementary schools in Arcata, 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 Arcata on the city page.
Is Union Street Charter a good school?
Union Street Charter earns 37/100 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 Union Street Charter District?
None; Union Street Charter District is a single-school charter district, and Union Street 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.