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Alternative Family Education

Public, Alternative Grades K-12

Summary

Alternative Family Education is a public alternative school located in Santa Cruz, California, serving grades K-12 with a total enrollment of 110 students. It is part of the Santa Cruz City High School District, which is ranked 500 out of 1,565 districts in California and has a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Alternative Family Education has consistently high four-year graduation rates, ranging from 86.2% to 94.3% over the past few years, significantly outperforming the state average. The school's students also outperform their peers in the Santa Cruz City High School District and the state of California in English Language Arts/Literacy, Mathematics, and Science proficiency. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, 64.1% of Alternative Family Education students were proficient or better in ELA/Literacy, compared to 61.03% in the district and 48.81% statewide. While the school has experienced higher chronic absenteeism rates compared to the state average, ranging from 7.8% to 25.5% over the past few years, this is still lower than the district average.

Alternative Family Education has a relatively high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 25.42% to 33.64% over the past few years, indicating a higher proportion of students from low-income families. The school has also seen a significant increase in spending per student, from $3,132 in the 2020-2021 school year to $20,011 in the 2023-2024 school year, which is higher than the state average. These factors suggest that Alternative Family Education is effectively supporting its students and providing a high-quality educational experience, despite some challenges related to attendance and the socioeconomic status of its student population.

110

Students ?

27.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$20,011

Per pupil spending ?

34.5%

Free/discounted lunch ?

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

(831) 429-3898

District: Santa Cruz City High

Racial breakdown:

White:

53.6%

Hispanic:

22.7%

Two or more races:

14.5%

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At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 7th percentile in 2005 → 9th in 2013

Strengths

✓Test scores above the California average (54% vs 41% meeting standards)

✓93% graduate in 4 years — above the California average (86%)

Worth a look

!Large classes — about 28 students per teacher

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school54%

District avg47%

California avg41%

Not ranked this year

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

541^st of 1,543Santa Cruz City High 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)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2013	5.0	2203 of 2426	9.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	79.6	147 of 2354	93.8%	★★★★★
2011	72.7	254 of 2367	89.3%	★★★★☆
2010	4.7	2096 of 2281	8.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	8.7	2060 of 2238	8.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	4.8	1953 of 2117	7.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	4.8	1913 of 2063	7.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2006	91.1	22 of 1968	98.9%	★★★★★
2005	5.2	1761 of 1901	7.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

Science67%+34 vs state

English Language Arts/Literacy64%+15 vs state

Mathematics38%~ state avg

★

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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 (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)	% MMR (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 ()	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 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 11th 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 11th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics All Grades	% Completely Immunized KG	% Polio KG	% Hepatitis B KG	% Varicella KG	% DTP KG	% MMR KG	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
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	27.5	34.5%	59 (53.6%)	4 (3.6%)	25 (22.7%)	5 (4.5%)	1 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (14.5%)								(n/a)					66.7								64.1								37.5							$20,011	$2,254	$17,757
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	105	15	7.0	34.3%	50 (47.6%)	1 (1.0%)	36 (34.3%)	9 (8.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (8.6%)								(n/a)																												$149,864	$4,253	$145,611
California Online Public Schools Monterey Bay	Public, Virtual, Charter, Alternative	K-12	108 Whispering Pines Dr. Ste.	Scotts Valley	95066	Santa Cruz County	California Online Public Schools Monterey Bay District	Yes	(n/a)	Yes	(n/a)	(800) 906-5166	440	16	27.3	41.4%	129 (29.3%)	10 (2.3%)	174 (39.5%)	65 (14.8%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	56 (12.7%)								(n/a)	29.4	36.0	28.6	34.8	31.7	43.8	64.7	52.9	46.4	60.5	40.8	50.0	50.4	31.3	57.9	35.3	37.0	47.7	40.0	41.9	42.1							$13,423	$140	$13,283
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	301	12	25.7	20.6%	227 (75.4%)	4 (1.3%)	34 (11.3%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	35 (11.6%)								(n/a)	35.7	48.6	47.1		46.4	38.5	64.7	40.0	64.9	70.8	65.7	73.5	64.3	38.5	29.4	26.7	43.2	56.3	45.7	35.3	42.7							$17,567	$718	$16,849
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	132	6	21.6	78.0%	13 (9.8%)	0 (0.0%)	109 (82.6%)	5 (3.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (3.8%)								(n/a)		14.3			16.7					53.9	28.6	42.1	44.3					23.1	21.4	15.0	17.7
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	3,378	144	23.4	26.7%	1,263 (37.4%)	38 (1.1%)	1,010 (29.9%)	350 (10.4%)	3 (0.1%)	26 (0.8%)	685 (20.3%)								(n/a)	54.7	57.2	58.6	64.7	56.7	55.4	60.6	66.3	67.8	67.3	68.6	75.3	65.2	52.7	47.6	50.2	53.7	50.9	48.3	50.7	50.5	39.9	49.5	63.6	43.8	49.1	46.3	$11,204	$214	$10,990
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	43	3	15.9	83.7%	5 (11.6%)	1 (2.3%)	36 (83.7%)	1 (2.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)					27.3						54.6	66.7	60.9						50.0	41.7	45.8

Frequently Asked Questions about Alternative Family Education

How many students attend Alternative Family Education?

In the 2024-25 school year, 110 students attended Alternative Family Education.

What district is Alternative Family Education in?

Santa Cruz City High

What is the racial makeup of Alternative Family Education?

Students at Alternative Family Education are 54% White, 23% Hispanic, 15% Two or more races, 5% Asian, 4% African American.

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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.