Location: Big Sur, CA
Are you a student or parent at Big Sur Charter School? Want to understand how to get the most out of high school?
We've written the best guide to Big Sur Charter available. Here we'll cover:
- Breakdowns of student ethnicity, gender, and family income
- How safe Big Sur Charter is to attend
- SAT/ACT/AP scores earned by Big Sur Charter students
- Which AP/IB classes you can take at Big Sur Charter
- Every sports team you can join at Big Sur Charter
Let's get started!
Basic Information
Big Sur Charter School is a public school, supporting grades 0 to 12 . It's located in Big Sur, CA in Monterey County.
Based on its location, Big Sur Charter is classified as a school in a distant rural area, somewhat far from an urbanized area. Here's the location on a map:
Contact Information
Mailing address:
Big Sur Charter SchoolPo Box 138 Big Sur, CA 93920-9632
Phone number: 8316670203
Big Sur Charter School homepage: http://www.bigsurcharterschool.org/
Principal: Shawna GarritsonEmail the principal: [email protected]
Student Demographics
Student Enrollment
The total enrollment at Big Sur Charter School is 73 students, making it a small high school, in the bottom 25% of all California high schools by size.
With at most a few dozen students in your class, you'll get to know most other Big Sur Charter students well. But the small student body size may mean that you won't get access to the full range of activities and classes that other high schools offer.
If you find that your interests aren't well served by Big Sur Charter, consider transferring to a larger high school if possible, or find ways to supplement your interests in your community or on the Internet.
Growth in Student Body Size
Is Big Sur Charter School growing or shrinking? This will help you see trends in where the school is headed.
From our calculations, the enrollment at Big Sur Charter has stayed about the same over the past few years. We calculate this by comparing enrollment in grades 9 to 12.
| Male Students | Female Students | All Students | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9th grade | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| 10th grade | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| 11th grade | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 12th grade | 2 | 0 | 2 |
Gender Split
Are there more boys or girls at Big Sur Charter School?
From our statistics, Big Sur Charter has a 56:44 split between male and female students in the high school grades.
There is a large male majority at Big Sur Charter, and much more than you would expect from the general population in Monterey County. As a result, it'll feel like there are a lot more girls than boys in your classes.
Sometimes this imbalance can result from random chance and may not suggest anything about Big Sur Charter. In other cases, the school might preferentially select for males. For example, in our data we find that continuation high schools unfortunately seem to be male-dominated. In yet other cases, other neighboring schools might attract female students, drawing them away from Big Sur Charter.
If the male majority is concerning to you, we suggest contacting Big Sur Charter administration and asking if they have any thoughts about why there's a gender imbalance. Their phone number is 8316670203.
Ethnicity Breakdown
What's the racial diversity at Big Sur Charter School? Does one ethnicity make up most of the student body, or is it fairly balanced?
From our statistics, Big Sur Charter has a somewhat homogenous student body, with the majority of students identifying as one ethnicity, but not representing over 70% of the student body. Most schools in California fit this profile, so Big Sur Charter isn't out of the ordinary. Most students attending class with you will be of the predominant ethnicity, but there will be meaningful diversity from other races.
The majority of students at Big Sur Charter are white. In California, white students make up 26.3% of all California students, and are the second most common ethnicity after Hispanic students. Thus Big Sur Charter is one of hundreds of schools in the state that have a majority of white students.
| Percentage | Number | |
|---|---|---|
| American Indian/Alaska Native | 4.1% | 3 |
| Asian | 5.4% | 4 |
| Hispanic | 19.1% | 14 |
| Black | 6.8% | 5 |
| White | 61.6% | 45 |
| Hawaiian Native/Pacific Islander | 0.0% | 0 |
| Two or more races | 2.7% | 2 |
High schools usually reflect the population in the surrounding area, so the ethnicities of students likely resembles those of Big Sur. If you'd like to see how other nearby schools look in diversity, just google "[name of school] prepscholar" to find our guide to that specific school.
Income Level of Big Sur Charter Families
What are the family incomes of students at Big Sur Charter School? To determine this, we look at the number of students who qualify for free or reduced lunches, a classification by the US federal government.
To qualify for a reduced price meal, family income needs to be below 185% of the federal poverty guidelines. For a family of 4, this means an income of around $45,000 or below.
To qualify for a free meal, family income needs to be below 130% of the federal poverty guidelines. For a family of 4, this means an income of around $32,000 or below.
The lower the percentage of students who qualify for free or reduced price meals, the higher the income levels are likely to be.
At Big Sur Charter, 23.2% of students qualify for reduced-price lunches, and 20.5% qualify for free lunches.
This means Big Sur Charter has a below average level of poverty. With most students not qualifying for free or reduced price lunches, Big Sur Charter is below average among California schools in poverty level. The income level of families in Big Sur is thus likely to be relatively high.
| Number | Percent | |
|---|---|---|
| Reduced-price lunches | 17 | 23.2% |
| Free lunches | 15 | 20.5% |
| Do not qualify for reduced-price or free lunches | 41 | 56.1% |
As with ethnicity, this likely reflects the surrounding community in Big Sur and doesn't speak much about the school itself.
Big Sur Charter is in the middle 50% of schools by income level. Generally, higher income level schools are better-funded and have a higher quality range of classes and activities. Big Sur Charter is likely in the middle of the pack in this regard and will give you a good set of options to try.
If you have any interests that Big Sur Charter doesn't cover, look to your local community for activities, or to the Internet for self-study AP classes.
Download our free guide on the top 5 strategies you must be using to improve your score. This guide was written by Harvard graduates and SAT perfect scorers. If you apply the strategies in this guide, you'll study smarter and make huge score improvements.
School Safety
How safe is Big Sur Charter School to attend? Can you expect a lot of conflict as a student here?
To study this, we look at disciplinary data for two types of incidents at Big Sur Charter: referrals to law enforcement (when incidents are reported to police), and arrests.
These are the most serious disciplinary actions available to school administration and are more severe than suspensions or expulsions. Suspensions are often discretionary and can be given just for being disruptive in class. In contrast, law enforcement referrals and arrests often indicate incidents that put the safety of other Big Sur Charter students at risk.
In the school year of 2011-2012, there were 0 referrals to law enforcement, and 0 school-related arrests. This is out of a total enrollment of 60 students.
To put this into perspective, most California schools (59% of them) reported 0 law enforcement referrals and arrests.
Compare this school with other high schools in the same school district, using the following table:
Big Sur Unified School District Safety
| School Name | Total Referred | Total Arrests | Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pacific Valley (k-12) | 0 | 0 | 14 |
Sports Teams
What’s Next?
Want to get more useful information about high school classes and preparing for colleges? Our blog has a ton of articles and advice on topics ranging from coursework and GPA to letters of recommendation, extracurriculars, and much more!
Ready to bulk up your schedule and maximize your college preparedness? Read all about the Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate programs.
Not quite in high school yet, but eager to get started? We've also got information for younger students interested in advanced learning opportunities, both in and out of school.
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Sources
The data on this page is drawn from a variety of sources, including (but not limited to):
- National Center for Educational Statistics CCD 2013-2014
- "Free or reduced price lunch: A proxy for poverty?", NCES Blog
- CRDC 2011-2012 school year data
- California Department of Education SAT, ACT, and AP Test Results
- IBO.org