Making Waves Academy

As a reasonably sized 9-12 campus in Richmond, California, Making Waves Academy serves 1,078 students from grades 5 through 12, one of the schools within Making Waves Academy District. By comparison, California's public schools average about 838 students each, so Making Waves Academy sits 29% larger than that benchmark.

Making Waves Academy District is the operating authority for Making Waves Academy, handling staffing, calendars, and reporting to the state department of education.

For racial and ethnic makeup, Making Waves Academy shows that the student body is overwhelmingly Hispanic (88%); the rest reads as 7% Black, 4% Asian. The wider county runs roughly 28% Hispanic, putting the school's mix meaningfully more Hispanic than the area baseline.

In terms of school funding signals, Making Waves Academy records 56 full-time-equivalent teachers, putting the student-to-teacher ratio at about 19.2:1. The state averages around 18.2:1, so this campus is higher than the state norm typical. Around 80% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment. By comparison, Contra Costa County runs at roughly 45%, so the school's eligibility rate is meaningfully above the surrounding baseline.

Zooming out to the county, community-level numbers for Contra Costa County indicate median household income runs about $127,229, 45% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and the poverty rate sits near 6%. Making Waves Academy is one of 280 public schools in Contra Costa County (combined enrollment of about 167,423 students).

The closest other public school is Montalvin Manor Elementary, roughly 0.5 miles away. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools.

The school occupies a suburban site. As a public charter, Making Waves Academy runs on public funding but with greater curricular and operational autonomy than a typical district school.

In the discussion threads here, posts here usually surface around classroom updates, athletics, and weather closures. Members of the school community can share what they know.