Enrollment
488
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Watsonville, CA
Watsonville Prep
Federal NCES profile for Watsonville Prep, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 19/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 060249714404Charter school
👥 S:T ratio 0
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 46
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Watsonville Prep earns 19/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 99% of California schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most California schools.
- #15 of 16
- elementary schools in Watsonville · Resource Index
- 19
- Resource Index · Lower
- 37.5:1
- large classes for California
- 64.4%
- free-lunch eligible
Watsonville Prep has class sizes larger than 99% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Watsonville Prep ranks #15 of 16 elementary schools in Watsonville, CA.
School address
District: Watsonville Prep District · California
NCES ID 060249714404 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
13.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
37.5:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
+74% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
64.4%
vs 55.5% California avg
+16% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Watsonville Prep compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Watsonville Prep
Watsonville Prep is a higher-need, mid-sized charter elementary school in Watsonville, California, enrolling 488 students.
Class loads run heavy: 37.5:1 is larger than about 99% of California schools and 74% above the 21.5:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 64.4% lands close to the California typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
With 488 students, its enrollment sits close to the California median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 9,998 scored California schools.
Against 1,990 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #1,402.
Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (96% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 7/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 1627 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 21.7% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Its district draws 16.3% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Watsonville's elementary schools, it stands alongside Alianza Charter (626 students): Watsonville Prep is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (37.5:1 vs 22.4:1).
Watsonville Prep District is a single-school charter district, so Watsonville Prep 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 Watsonville Prep compares
Watsonville Prep on the metrics families compare, against California and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs California | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 37.5:1 | ▲ 74% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 64.4% | ▲ 16% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 488 | top 47% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
37.5:1
Leaner classes than 1% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
488
Bigger than 60% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
64.4%
free-lunch eligible
- 16% above the California average of 55.5%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
37.5:1
students per teacher
- 74% above state mean
Top 99% in California - lower ratio than 1% of state schools
Well above 20:1, one of the more stretched staffing loads nationally relative to enrollment.
Engagement
21.7%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$15,023
per pupil, district-wide
- below California avg of $16,509
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
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: 0.2 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
Hispanic or Latino 96.3%
Asian 1.8%
White 1.0%
Two or More 0.8%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 96.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 7.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 7.2, Watsonville Prep is less mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Watsonville Prep District, which includes Watsonville Prep.
$15,023
Per student
-9%
vs California
Avg $16,509
-9%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 5.1%
State 78.6%
Federal 16.3%
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 Watsonville
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Alianza Charter
Standard public school
626 students 22.4:1 students per teacher
Bradley Elementary
Standard public school
520 students 23.6:1 students per teacher
Calabasas Elementary
Standard public school
512 students 20.5:1 students per teacher
Mintie White Elementary
Standard public school
493 students 20.5:1 students per teacher
H. a. Hyde Elementary
Standard public school
476 students 19:1 students per teacher
Hall District Elementary
Standard public school
470 students 23.5:1 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 (~488 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Watsonville Prep's federal record.
- Compare Watsonville Prep against another school. Compare schools
- Watsonville Prep 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 Watsonville Prep
How many students attend Watsonville Prep?
Watsonville Prep has 488 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Watsonville, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Watsonville Prep?
The student-teacher ratio at Watsonville Prep is 37.5:1, which is 74% higher than the California average of 21.5:1 and 139% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Watsonville Prep?
64.4% of students at Watsonville Prep are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Watsonville Prep?
The largest demographic group at Watsonville Prep is Hispanic or Latino at 96.3% of enrollment, in Watsonville, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Watsonville Prep?
Watsonville Prep has a Resource Investment Index of 19/100 (lower 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 Watsonville Prep rank among elementary schools in Watsonville?
By Resource Investment Index, Watsonville Prep ranks #15 of 16 elementary schools in Watsonville, 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 Watsonville on the city page.
Is Watsonville Prep a good school?
Watsonville Prep earns 19/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 99% of California schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most 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 Watsonville Prep District?
None; Watsonville Prep District is a single-school charter district, and Watsonville Prep 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.