Enrollment
415
California · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 062949010413 Charter school
Watsonville Charter School of the Arts — Watsonville, CA
Federal NCES profile for Watsonville Charter School of the Arts, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 38/100.
👥 Class size 19
🌟 Gifted program 70
📋 Attendance 25
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: Pajaro Valley Unified · 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)
19.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
20.3:1
vs 21.6:1 California avg
-6% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
53.8%
vs 55.5% California avg
-3% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Watsonville Charter School of the Arts 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
Watsonville Charter School of the Arts reports 415 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 19.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 20.3:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 6% 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 28% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 53.8% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 3% below the California average and 4% above the national baseline. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 30.1% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Pajaro Valley Unified spends $18,239 per pupil district-wide, above the California average of $18,039 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 30.6% from local sources (property taxes), 56.5% from the state, and 12.9% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 38/100 (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 Watsonville Charter School of the Arts 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 | 20.3:1 | ▼ 6% | 21.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 53.8% | ▼ 3% | 55.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 415 | top 42% | — | — |
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
53.8%
free-lunch eligible
— 3% below the California average of 55.5%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
20.3:1
students per teacher
— 6% below state mean
Top 32% in California — lower ratio than 68% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Engagement
30.1%
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
$18,239
per pupil, district-wide
— above California avg of $18,039
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
2
in-school suspensions + 5 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.7 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 415 Top 42% in California — larger than 58% of 10,006 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 19.0
Students per teacher 20.3:1 -6% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 53.8% -3% vs state
NCES ID 062949010413
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 71.7%
White 23.7%
Two or More 3.6%
African American 0.2%
Asian 0.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 71.7% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 30.1%
In-school suspensions 2
Out-of-school suspensions 5
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Pajaro Valley Unified, which includes Watsonville Charter School of the Arts.
$18,239
Per student
+1%
vs California
Avg $18,039
-6%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 30.6%
State 56.5%
Federal 12.9%
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
- 2,215
- Students per teacher
- 22:1
- Enrollment
- 1,293
- Students per teacher
- 22.9:1
- Enrollment
- 1,274
- Students per teacher
- 20.9:1
- Enrollment
- 626
- Students per teacher
- 22.9:1
- Enrollment
- 588
- Students per teacher
- 22.1:1
Similar elementary schools in Watsonville
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Alianza Charter
Standard public school
626 students 22.9:1 students per teacher
Bradley Elementary
Standard public school
520 students 23:1 students per teacher
Calabasas Elementary
Standard public school
512 students 20.6:1 students per teacher
Mintie White Elementary
Standard public school
493 students 21.7:1 students per teacher
Watsonville Prep
Standard public school
488 students 30.5:1 students per teacher
H. a. Hyde Elementary
Standard public school
476 students 18.2:1 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 Watsonville Charter School of the Arts
How many students attend Watsonville Charter School of the Arts?
Watsonville Charter School of the Arts has 415 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in Watsonville, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Watsonville Charter School of the Arts?
The student-teacher ratio at Watsonville Charter School of the Arts is 20.3:1, which is 6% lower than the California average of 21.6:1 and 28% higher 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 Watsonville Charter School of the Arts?
53.8% of students at Watsonville Charter School of the Arts are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Watsonville Charter School of the Arts?
The largest demographic group at Watsonville Charter School of the Arts is Hispanic or Latino at 71.7%. The school serves a diverse student body in Watsonville, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Watsonville Charter School of the Arts?
Watsonville Charter School of the Arts has a Resource Investment Index of 38/100 (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.