Alternative Family Education

Q: Is Alternative Family Education a good school?

Alternative Family Education ranks 690 th of 2323 California alternative schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Summary:

Alternative Family Education is a public alternative school located in Santa Cruz, California, serving grades K-12 with a total enrollment of 108 students. It is part of the Santa Cruz City High School District, which is ranked 495 out of 1,568 districts in California and has a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Alternative Family Education has seen impressive improvements in recent years, with its four-year graduation rate increasing from 76.5% in 2017-2018 to 92.9% in 2022-2023, significantly higher than the state average of 84.2%. The school's dropout rate has also decreased, from 23.5% to 7.1% over the same period, lower than the state average of 15.8%. In academic performance, Alternative Family Education outperforms the state and its local district in English Language Arts/Literacy and Science, though it lags behind in Mathematics, with only 20% of students proficient or better compared to 37.13% for Santa Cruz City High and 35.54% for the state.

When compared to other nearby alternative schools, Alternative Family Education stands out. For example, PVUSD Virtual Academy and Pacific Coast Charter have lower graduation rates and higher dropout rates than Alternative Family Education. Additionally, the school's relatively low chronic absenteeism rate, ranging from 3% to 8.4%, is much lower than the 55.3% rate at the nearby Santa Cruz County Special Education school. However, Alternative Family Education has a higher student-teacher ratio (22.5) compared to some nearby alternatives, which may impact the level of individual attention students receive.

Detail:

Public, Alternative K-12

840 North Branciforte Ave.
Santa Cruz, CA 95062-1028

(831) 429-3898

District: Santa Cruz City High

SchoolDigger Rank:
690^th of 2,323 California Alternative Schools

Student/teacher ratio: 26.1

Number of students: 110

Racial breakdown:

White:

54.5%

Hispanic:

22.7%

Two or more races:

14.5%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 33.6%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Alternative Family Education to nearby alternative schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Alternative Family Education ranks better than 70.3% of high schools in California. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 57.58. (See more...)

The four-year cohort graduation rate measures the percentage of students at Alternative Family Education who earn a standard high school diploma within four years of starting ninth grade.

The high school dropout rate measures the percentage of students who do not complete their high school education.

Chronic absenteeism in a school refers to a situation where students repeatedly miss school, with the threshold often defined as missing 10% or more of school days for any reason, excused or unexcused.

Student Body

Compare Details Student population at Alternative Family Education is diverse. Racial makeup is: White (54.5%), Hispanic (22.7%), two or more races (14.5%). (See more...)

Compare Details 33.6% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Compare Details

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Alternative Family Education is 26.1. (See more...)

Compare Alternative Family Education employs 4.2 full-time teachers.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Alternative Family Education:

SchoolDigger ranks Alternative Family Education 690^th of 2323 California public high schools. (See Alternative Family Education in the ranking list.)

High School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Male students:

White students:

Santa Cruz City High:

SchoolDigger ranks Santa Cruz City High 495^th of 1568 California school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for Alternative Family Education

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Rank History for all students at Alternative Family Education

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	CA State Percentile
2005	5.19	1761^st	1901	7.4%
2006	91.12	22^nd	1968	98.9%
2007	4.83	1913^th	2063	7.3%
2008	4.77	1953^rd	2117	7.7%
2009	8.65	2060^th	2238	8.0%
2010	4.70	2096^th	2281	8.1%
2011	72.68	254^th	2367	89.3%
2012	79.57	147^th	2354	93.8%
2013	4.99	2203^rd	2426	9.2%
2023	70.82	467^th	2348	80.1%
2024	57.58	690^th	2323	70.3%

See the entire list of California Alternative School Rankings!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Alternative Family Education

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2024	53.06	780^th	2235	65.1%

See the entire list of Best California Alternative Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Alternative Family Education

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2024	49.20	841^st	2098	59.9%

See the entire list of Best California Alternative Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Male students at Alternative Family Education

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2024	52.37	746^th	2172	65.7%

See the entire list of Best California Alternative Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for White students at Alternative Family Education

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	50.49	597^th	1434	58.4%
2024	36.76	806^th	1406	42.7%

See the entire list of Best California Alternative Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: California Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Data source: California Department of Education

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Enrollment information for Alternative Family Education

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1998	144	0	9	5	2	n/a	n/a	0	160
1999	150	1	8	6	1	n/a	n/a	0	166
2000	155	1	6	8	1	n/a	n/a	0	171
2001	146	2	6	6	1	n/a	n/a	6	167
2002	140	3	4	4	1	n/a	n/a	21	173
2003	140	3	4	4	1	n/a	n/a	21	173
2004	141	1	11	8	0	n/a	n/a	28	189
2005	161	4	8	10	1	n/a	n/a	6	190
2006	159	2	7	6	0	n/a	n/a	10	184
2007	148	1	8	8	0	n/a	n/a	21	186
2008	118	1	7	7	1	n/a	n/a	0	134
2009	116	0	8	3	0	0	19	0	146
2010	141	1	9	8	0	0	5	0	164
2011	138	3	7	13	0	0	4	0	165
2012	137	1	7	9	0	0	6	0	160
2013	150	1	6	10	0	0	8	0	175
2014	135	1	13	9	0	0	8	0	166
2015	141	1	5	11	0	0	8	0	166
2016	138	1	4	10	0	0	9	0	162
2017	139	1	5	8	0	0	8	0	161
2018	104	1	1	12	0	0	10	0	128
2019	84	0	5	13	2	0	8	0	112
2020	78	3	7	16	1	0	7	0	112
2021	177	5	5	41	3	1	7	0	239
2022	76	7	4	22	2	0	7	0	118
2023	56	8	4	28	2	0	10	0	108
2024	60	4	3	25	2	0	16	0	110

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Alternative Family Education

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1998	160	5.9	27.1	0
1999	166	6.4	25.9	0
2000	171	6.4	26.7	0
2001	167	6.4	26.1	0
2002	173	7.0	24.7	0
2003	173	7.0	24.7	0
2004	189	7.1	26.6	2.5
2005	190	6.0	31.7	2.2
2006	184	6.5	28.3	8.6
2007	186	6.9	27.0	12.7
2008	134	6.8	19.7	14.2
2009	146	5.0	29.2	6.2
2010	164	5.2	31.5	9.1
2011	165	n/a	n/a	7.9
2012	160	4.7	34.0	n/a
2013	175	5.1	34.3	12.6
2014	166	5.4	30.7	9
2015	166	5.0	33.2	15.1
2016	162	5.0	32.4	17.3
2017	161	5.5	29.2	18
2018	128	4.9	26.1	15.6
2019	112	4.9	22.8	17
2020	112	n/a	n/a	17
2021	239	6.9	34.5	28.5
2022	118	5.3	22.2	25.4
2023	108	4.8	22.5	25.9
2024	110	4.2	26.1	33.6

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Alternative Family Education

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1998	160	5.9	27.1	0
1999	166	6.4	25.9	0
2000	171	6.4	26.7	0
2001	167	6.4	26.1	0
2002	173	7.0	24.7	0
2003	173	7.0	24.7	0
2004	189	7.1	26.6	2.5
2005	190	6.0	31.7	2.2
2006	184	6.5	28.3	8.6
2007	186	6.9	27.0	12.7
2008	134	6.8	19.7	14.2
2009	146	5.0	29.2	6.2
2010	164	5.2	31.5	9.1
2011	165	n/a	n/a	7.9
2012	160	4.7	34.0	n/a
2013	175	5.1	34.3	12.6
2014	166	5.4	30.7	9
2015	166	5.0	33.2	15.1
2016	162	5.0	32.4	17.3
2017	161	5.5	29.2	18
2018	128	4.9	26.1	15.6
2019	112	4.9	22.8	17
2020	112	n/a	n/a	17
2021	239	6.9	34.5	28.5
2022	118	5.3	22.2	25.4
2023	108	4.8	22.5	25.9
2024	110	4.2	26.1	33.6

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.

Kindergarten Immunization Rates

Alternative Family Education

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Year	Completely Immunized	Medical Exemption	Conditional
2021	93.1%	0.0%	3.5%

Data source: California Department of Public Health

Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Alternative Family Education

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Student Body

	Number of students Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Number of students Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Total Students	112	108	3.6%
African American	0	8
American Indian	2	2
Asian	5	4	20%
Hispanic	13	28	115.4%
Pacific Islander	0	0
White	84	56	33.3%
Two or More Races	8	10	25%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	17%	25.9%	9%

Schools Near Alternative Family Education

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Immunizations Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking ()				Ranking ()				CAST Science (2024)					Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy (2024)								Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics (2024)								% Completely Immunized (2022)	% Polio (2022)	% Hepatitis B (2022)	% Varicella (2022)	% DTP (2022)	% MMR (2022)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2018)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score ()	Statewide Rank ()	State Percentile ()	SchoolDigger Rating ()	Average Standard Score ()	Statewide Rank ()	State Percentile ()	Rank Change from Previous Year	CAST Science 5th Grade	CAST Science 8th Grade	CAST Science 11th Grade	CAST Science 12th Grade	CAST Science End of Course	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 3rd Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 4th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 5th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 6th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 7th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 8th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 11th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy End of Course	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 3rd Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 4th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 5th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 6th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 7th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 8th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 11th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics End of Course	% Completely Immunized KG	% Polio KG	% Hepatitis B KG	% Varicella KG	% DTP KG	% MMR KG	Total
Alternative Family Education	Public, Alternative	K-12	840 North Branciforte Ave.	Santa Cruz	95062	Santa Cruz County	Santa Cruz City High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 429-3898	110	4	26.1	33.6%	60 (54.5%)	4 (3.6%)	25 (22.7%)	3 (2.7%)	2 (1.8%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (14.5%)								(n/a)					58.3								58.3								20.0
Santa Cruz County Special Education	Public, Alternative	K-12	400 Encinal St.	Santa Cruz	95060	Santa Cruz County	Santa Cruz County Office of Education	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 466-5700	99	14	7.0	38.4%	50 (50.5%)	0 (0.0%)	33 (33.3%)	5 (5.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (11.1%)								(n/a)
California Connections Academy Monterey Bay	Public, Virtual, Charter, Alternative	K-12	108 Whispering Pines Dr. Ste.	Scotts Valley	95066	Santa Cruz County	California Connections Academy Monterey Bay District	Yes	(n/a)	Yes	(n/a)	(831) 200-3419	587	13	44.6	41.4%	168 (28.6%)	8 (1.4%)	252 (42.9%)	62 (10.6%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (0.9%)	83 (14.1%)								(n/a)	38.9	39.1	34.8		36.6	42.1	38.9	55.6	45.5	57.1	46.8	49.3	48.8	47.4	38.9	33.3	36.4	44.2	34.0	23.6	34.4
SLVUSD Charter	Public, Charter, Alternative	K-12	325 Marion Ave.	Ben Lomond	95005	Santa Cruz County	San Lorenzo Valley Unified	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 335-0932	290	12	23.7	22.1%	216 (74.5%)	2 (0.7%)	34 (11.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	38 (13.1%)								(n/a)	75.0	55.8	36.0		51.2	46.7	37.5	66.7	71.8	59.5	61.9	72.0	61.8	26.7	31.3	58.3	47.5	35.1	51.2	16.0	39.4							$9,079
Ocean Grove Charter	Public, Charter, Alternative	K-12	16900 North Highway Nine	Boulder Creek	95006	Santa Cruz County	Ocean Grove Charter District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(530) 295-3566	3,212	137	23.4	26.9%	1,221 (38.0%)	33 (1.0%)	912 (28.4%)	345 (10.7%)	3 (0.1%)	22 (0.7%)	676 (21.0%)								(n/a)	57.9	53.5	52.4	63.2	55.2	53.4	57.6	64.2	65.1	65.5	68.2	74.3	63.2	52.4	55.4	48.9	47.0	52.5	43.0	32.6	48.7	39.9	49.5	63.6	43.8	49.1	46.3
Pacific Coast Charter	Public, Charter, Alternative	K-12	294 Green Valley Rd.	Watsonville	95076	Santa Cruz County	Pajaro Valley Unified	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 786-2180	197	8	24.5	55.8%	27 (13.7%)	0 (0.0%)	163 (82.7%)	3 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (2.0%)								(n/a)			15.4	26.1	22.9					36.4		34.5	37.5					27.3		6.9	16.9
PVUSD Virtual Academy	Public, Virtual, Alternative	K-12	250 East Beach St.	Watsonville	95076	Santa Cruz County	Pajaro Valley Unified	No	(n/a)	Yes	(n/a)	(831) 786-2482	74	4	19.0	81.1%	12 (16.2%)	1 (1.4%)	59 (79.7%)	1 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)				17.7	16.0								50.0								28.6

Frequently Asked Questions about Alternative Family Education

How many students attend Alternative Family Education?

In the 2023-24 school year, 110 students attended Alternative Family Education.

Is Alternative Family Education a good school?

Alternative Family Education ranks 690^th of 2323 California alternative schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Alternative Family Education?

Students at Alternative Family Education are 55% White, 23% Hispanic, 15% Two or more races, 4% African American, 3% Asian, 2% American Indian.

What district is Alternative Family Education in?

Santa Cruz City High

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the California Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.