Enrollment
453
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Santa Cruz, CA
Westlake Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Westlake Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 25/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 063559006069
👥 S:T ratio 14
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 9
📋 Attendance 46
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Westlake Elementary earns 25/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median.
- #7 of 14
- elementary schools in Santa Cruz · Resource Index
- 25
- Resource Index · Lower
- 21.6:1
- students per teacher
- 20.1%
- free-lunch eligible
Westlake Elementary has class sizes near the California median. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Westlake Elementary ranks #7 of 14 elementary schools in Santa Cruz, CA.
School address
District: Santa Cruz City Elementary · California
NCES ID 063559006069 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
21.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
21.6:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
+0% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
20.1%
vs 55.5% California avg
-64% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Westlake Elementary compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Westlake Elementary
Westlake Elementary is a mid-sized elementary school in Santa Cruz, California, enrolling 453 students.
At 21.6:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the California median, within a few percentage points of the 21.5:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 20.1% free-meal eligibility runs 64% below the California average.
With 453 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.
Among 1,152 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need California schools statewide, it ranks #949, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (61%) and Hispanic or Latino (22%) (diversity index 57/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 453 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 21.6% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Among Santa Cruz's elementary schools, it stands alongside Brook Knoll Elementary (498 students): Westlake Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (21.6:1 vs 24.9:1).
Santa Cruz City Elementary also operates De Laveaga Elementary (481 students) and Bay View Elementary (394 students) alongside Westlake Elementary.
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 Westlake Elementary compares
Westlake Elementary on the metrics families compare, against California and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs California | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 21.6:1 | ▲ 0% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 20.1% | ▼ 64% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 453 | top 52% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
21.6:1
Leaner classes than 11% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
453
Bigger than 55% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
20.1%
free-lunch eligible
- 64% 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
21.6:1
students per teacher
- 0% above state mean
Top 49% in California - lower ratio than 51% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
21.6%
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.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 453 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
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
White 61.1%
Hispanic or Latino 22.3%
Two or More 9.7%
Asian 5.3%
African American 1.1%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.4%
Largest group: White at 61.1% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 56.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 56.5, Westlake Elementary is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
How Westlake Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| De Laveaga Elementary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Bay View Elementary | Similar size | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Gault Elementary | Smaller | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Santa Cruz City Elementary Alternative Education-Monarch | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Westlake Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 481
- Students per teacher
- 22.9:1
- Resource Index
- 23/100
- Enrollment
- 394
- Students per teacher
- 21.9:1
- Resource Index
- 23/100
- Enrollment
- 314
- Students per teacher
- 22.4:1
- Resource Index
- 21/100
- Enrollment
- 114
- Students per teacher
- 22.8:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
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 24.9:1 students per teacher
De Laveaga Elementary
Standard public school
481 students 22.9:1 students per teacher
Bay View Elementary
Standard public school
394 students 21.9:1 students per teacher
Live Oak Elementary
Standard public school
362 students 22.6:1 students per teacher
Del Mar Elementary
Standard public school
322 students 21.5:1 students per teacher
Gault Elementary
Standard public school
314 students 22.4:1 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 (~453 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~21.6:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Westlake Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Westlake Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Santa Cruz City Elementary'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 Westlake Elementary
How many students attend Westlake Elementary?
Westlake Elementary has 453 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Santa Cruz, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Westlake Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Westlake Elementary is 21.6:1, which is 0% higher than the California average of 21.5:1 and 38% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Westlake Elementary?
20.1% of students at Westlake Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Westlake Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Westlake Elementary is White at 61.1% of enrollment, in Santa Cruz, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 56.5/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Westlake Elementary?
Westlake Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 25/100 (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 Westlake Elementary rank among elementary schools in Santa Cruz?
By Resource Investment Index, Westlake Elementary ranks #7 of 14 elementary schools in Santa Cruz, 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 Santa Cruz on the city page.
Is Westlake Elementary a good school?
Westlake Elementary earns 25/100 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 Santa Cruz City Elementary?
Besides Westlake Elementary, Santa Cruz City Elementary also operates De Laveaga Elementary (481 students), Bay View Elementary (394 students), and Gault Elementary (314 students). See the Santa Cruz City Elementary district page for the complete list.
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.