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Ocean Alternative Education Center

Public Grades K-8

Summary

Ocean Alternative Education Center is a small public elementary school serving grades K-8 in Santa Cruz, California, with just 84 students. Despite its small size, the school stands out for its consistently strong academic performance and low chronic absenteeism rates.

Ocean Alternative Education Center consistently outperforms nearby Live Oak Elementary and the state average in English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science. In 2023-2024, 68.75% of 8th-grade students at Ocean Alternative Education Center were proficient or better in English Language Arts, compared to 40.91% at Live Oak Elementary and 45.95% statewide. In Mathematics, 50% of 4th and 8th-grade students at Ocean Alternative Education Center were proficient or better, compared to 23.13% and 26.14% at Live Oak Elementary, respectively. The school's science proficiency rates, as measured by the CAST assessment, are also higher than the nearby schools and the state average.

Another notable strength of Ocean Alternative Education Center is its exceptionally low chronic absenteeism rate, ranging from 0% to 3.5% over the past several years, significantly lower than the 37.9% rate at Live Oak Elementary. The school also has a lower percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch (35.71%) compared to Del Mar Elementary (50.29%) and a relatively low student-teacher ratio, ranging from 19.3 to 36.1 over the past few years. These factors likely contribute to the school's success in supporting the academic and personal growth of its diverse student population.

Students ?

21.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$22,434

Per pupil spending ?

47.4%

Free/discounted lunch ?

984 Bostwick Ln. Ste. 6
Santa Cruz, CA 95062-1775

(831) 475-0767

District: Live Oak Elementary

Racial breakdown:

White:

52.6%

Hispanic:

31.6%

Two or more races:

14.5%

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At a glance

Strengths

✓Test scores above the California average (47% vs 41% meeting standards)

Worth a look

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school47%

District avg42%

California avg41%

Not ranked this year

Ocean Alternative Education Center did not have enough recent test-score data to be ranked. Check the trend below for past years.

543^rd of 1,543Live Oak Elementary among California districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	87.8	328 of 2783	88.2%	★★★★☆
2023	58.2	954 of 2781	65.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	46.6	1262 of 2740	53.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	61.0	895 of 2715	67.0%	★★★☆☆
2016	24.2	1864 of 2497	25.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	78.7	465 of 2551	81.8%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	31.9	1622 of 2458	34.0%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	51.0	1029 of 2527	59.3%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	21.5	1249 of 1555	19.7%	★☆☆☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

Middle school

Female (2024)82nd percentile-6 vs school

Male (2022)59th percentile+5 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2022)34th percentile-20 vs school

White (2022)20th percentile-34 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

Science60%+27 vs state

English Language Arts/Literacy50%~ state avg

Mathematics39%~ state avg

★

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Schools Near Ocean Alternative Education Center

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				CAST Science (2025)			Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy (2025)							Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics (2025)							% Completely Immunized (2022)	% Polio (2022)	% Hepatitis B (2022)	% Varicella (2022)	% DTP (2022)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
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 (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	CAST Science 5th Grade	CAST Science 8th Grade	CAST Science All Grades	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 All Grades	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 All Grades	% Completely Immunized KG	% Polio KG	% Hepatitis B KG	% Varicella KG	% DTP KG	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Ocean Alternative Education Center	Public	K-8	984 Bostwick Ln. Ste. 6	Santa Cruz	95062	Santa Cruz County	Live Oak Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 475-0767	76	4	21.5	47.4%	40 (52.6%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (31.6%)	1 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (14.5%)								(n/a)			60.0							50.0							38.6						$22,434	$944	$21,490
Tierra Pacifica Charter	Public, Charter	K-8	986 Bostwick Ln.	Santa Cruz	95062	Santa Cruz County	Live Oak Elementary	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 462-9404	166	9	17.5	28.9%	105 (63.3%)	3 (1.8%)	40 (24.1%)	4 (2.4%)	2 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (7.2%)	58	2171^st of 5857 public elementary schools	62.9%		71	1551^st of 5869 public elementary schools	73.6%	620	35.3	54.6	42.9	52.9	62.5	17.7	53.3	75.0	54.6	52.2	76.5	50.0	5.9	53.3	62.5	72.7	52.2						$13,628	$00	$13,628
Green Acres Elementary	Public	K-5	966 Bostwick Ln.	Santa Cruz	95062	Santa Cruz County	Live Oak Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 475-0111	262	12	21.8	54.2%	104 (39.7%)	7 (2.7%)	128 (48.9%)	10 (3.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (4.6%)	51.2	2538^th of 5857 public elementary schools	56.7%		56.4	2220^th of 5869 public elementary schools	62.2%	318	25.0		25.0	48.8	52.2	37.2				46.2	53.7	54.4	22.7				43.5	91.7	96.7	95.0		93.3	$21,740	$1,474	$20,266
Live Oak Elementary	Public	K-5	1916 Capitola Rd.	Santa Cruz	95062	Santa Cruz County	Live Oak Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 475-2000	362	15	24.1	58.6%	90 (24.9%)	5 (1.4%)	252 (69.6%)	7 (1.9%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (1.7%)	35.7	3527^th of 5857 public elementary schools	39.8%		44.3	2909^th of 5869 public elementary schools	50.4%	618	27.9		27.9	33.3	37.3	51.2				39.1	27.1	27.9	37.2				29.8	93.9	96.3		96.3	95.1	$19,181	$1,390	$17,791
De Laveaga Elementary	Public	K-5	1145 Morrissey Blvd.	Santa Cruz	95065	Santa Cruz County	Santa Cruz City Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 429-3807	481	20	23.5	27.7%	221 (45.9%)	6 (1.2%)	200 (41.6%)	19 (4.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	34 (7.1%)	66.6	1761^st of 5857 public elementary schools	69.9%		70.8	1559^th of 5869 public elementary schools	73.4%	202	42.0		42.0	50.0	56.0	62.5				55.9	51.7	50.7	39.5				47.4	96.6	96.6			96.6	$16,889	$1,887	$15,002
Del Mar Elementary	Public	K-5	1959 Merrill St.	Santa Cruz	95062	Santa Cruz County	Live Oak Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 477-2063	322	14	23.0	62.4%	109 (33.9%)	7 (2.2%)	189 (58.7%)	7 (2.2%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (2.8%)	42.3	3048^th of 5857 public elementary schools	48.0%		51.3	2494^th of 5869 public elementary schools	57.5%	554	22.2		22.2	43.8	46.9	31.5				40.4	52.1	51.0	13.0				37.8	95.8	95.8			97.2	$21,045	$1,565	$19,480
Gault Elementary	Public	K-5	1320 Seabright Ave.	Santa Cruz	95062	Santa Cruz County	Santa Cruz City Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 429-3856	314	14	22.4	48.1%	100 (31.8%)	2 (0.6%)	192 (61.1%)	4 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (5.1%)	50.3	2573^rd of 5857 public elementary schools	56.1%		46.5	2764^th of 5869 public elementary schools	52.9%	191	32.8		32.8	45.5	53.7	44.3				47.1	50.9	41.5	24.6				38.2	97.0					$22,403	$3,402	$19,001
Santa Cruz Gardens Elementary	Public	K-5	8005 Winkle Ave.	Santa Cruz	95065	Santa Cruz County	Soquel Union Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 464-5670	214	9	24.3	30.4%	113 (52.8%)	0 (0.0%)	82 (38.3%)	2 (0.9%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (7.5%)	53.2	2414^th of 5857 public elementary schools	58.8%		55.7	2251^st of 5869 public elementary schools	61.6%	163	43.8		43.8	37.5	57.1	54.8				49.5	37.5	46.4	25.0				35.9						$14,816	$1,236	$13,580
Santa Cruz City Elementary Alternative Education-Monarch	Public	K-5	840 North Branciforte Ave.	Santa Cruz	95062	Santa Cruz County	Santa Cruz City Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 429-3898	114	5	22.8	27.2%	63 (55.3%)	1 (0.9%)	26 (22.8%)	3 (2.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (18.4%)	77.2	1270^th of 5857 public elementary schools	78.3%		75.1	1365^th of 5869 public elementary schools	76.7%	95	71.4		71.4	57.9	68.0	76.2				67.7	36.8	60.0	42.9				47.7						$23,997	$2,508	$21,489
Soquel Elementary	Public	K-5	2700 Porter St.	Soquel	95073	Santa Cruz County	Soquel Union Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 464-5655	337	15	22.0	40.1%	132 (39.2%)	6 (1.8%)	160 (47.5%)	14 (4.2%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.6%)	22 (6.5%)	49.7	2611^th of 5857 public elementary schools	55.4%		56.5	2208^th of 5869 public elementary schools	62.4%	403	40.0		40.0	42.6	40.0	49.1				44.0	40.8	39.2	34.6				38.1	91.1	96.4	96.4		96.4	$13,999	$1,422	$12,577

Frequently Asked Questions about Ocean Alternative Education Center

What is the racial makeup of Ocean Alternative Education Center?

Students at Ocean Alternative Education Center are 53% White, 32% Hispanic, 14% Two or more races, 1% Asian.

What district is Ocean Alternative Education Center in?

Live Oak Elementary

How many students attend Ocean Alternative Education Center?

In the 2024-25 school year, 76 students attended Ocean Alternative Education Center.

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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.