Santa Cruz County Community

730 Students

High School 7th - 12th

School Overview

The Santa Cruz County Community School, located at 400 Encinal St. in Santa Cruz, is an alternative educational program operated by the Santa Cruz County Office of Education (COE). Unlike traditional neighborhood high schools, this facility is designed to serve students who may require a more specialized or supportive learning environment. The school focuses on credit recovery, academic intervention, and personal growth, providing a path toward graduation for students who have faced challenges in conventional school settings or who need a non-traditional approach to succeed.

The school emphasizes a small-class-size model and personalized attention to help students navigate their coursework effectively. By fostering a collaborative environment between educators and students, the program aims to build essential life skills, improve academic outcomes, and ensure that every student has a clear post-secondary plan. As part of the broader Santa Cruz County Office of Education network, the Community School is deeply integrated into the local educational system, providing students with access to a variety of resources, vocational support, and counseling services tailored to their individual needs.

730

Total Students

32.3

Full-Time Teachers

22.6

Student/Teacher Ratio

58.5%

Free/Reduced Lunch

Student Demographics

Student Demographics Data Table

Student Demographics for Santa Cruz County Community
Demographic	Student Count
White	256
Hispanic	426
Black	9
Asian	12
Two or More	11
American Indian	8

Hispanic
426 (59.0%)
White
256 (35.5%)
Asian
12 (1.7%)
Two or More
11 (1.5%)
Black
9 (1.2%)
American Indian
8 (1.1%)

School Location

School Details

Status:	Open
School Level:	High School
School Type:	Alternative School
Charter Status:*	Public Non-Charter
Virtual Instruction:	No virtual instruction
Shared Time Status:	N/A
District:	Santa Cruz County Office of Education
Phone:	(831)466-5728
Website:	http://santacruzcoe.org/
Grade Range:	7th - 12th
Total Students:	730
Full-Time Teachers (FTE):	32.3
Pupil/Teacher Ratio:	22.6
NSLP Participation:¹	N/A
Qualified Free Lunch:	424
Qualified Reduced Lunch:	3

* Charter Schools: A public charter school is a publicly funded school that operates independently under a legislative contract (or "charter") with a state, school district, or designated authorizing entity. Charters grant these schools greater operational flexibility over curriculum, staffing, and budgeting in exchange for strict accountability to achieve performance standards established in their charter agreement.

¹ National School Lunch Program (NSLP): The National School Lunch Program is a federally assisted meal program operating in public and nonprofit private schools. It provides nutritionally balanced, low-cost or free lunches to eligible children each school day based on household income thresholds or community eligibility options (CEO).

Title I Program Overview: Title I, Part A of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) allocates federal financial assistance to local educational agencies and public schools with high percentages of children from low-income families to help ensure that all children meet challenging state academic standards.

Grades Taught

Grade 7 2

Grade 8 11

Grade 9 48

Grade 10 123

Grade 11 297

Grade 12 249