North Monterey County Center for Independent Study

Located at 17500 Pesante Rd., in Salinas, California, North Monterey County Center for Independent Study is a tiny four-year high school that serves 96 students (grades 7 through 12), part of North Monterey County Unified. By comparison, California's public schools average about 838 students each, so North Monterey County Center for Independent Study sits 89% smaller than that benchmark.

North Monterey County Unified runs 8 schools in total, collectively educating 4,289 students. North Monterey County Center for Independent Study is one of those campuses.

Looking at the student body, North Monterey County Center for Independent Study logs that 78% of the student body identifies as Hispanic. Beyond that, the school records 19% White. That is noticeably more Hispanic than the county at large, where the share is closer to 62%.

On the resource side, On paper, North Monterey County Center for Independent Study has 4 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 23.5:1. That figure is higher than the state norm's 18.2:1 average. Around 83% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment.

Zooming out to the county, census data for Monterey County shows median household income runs about $97,230, roughly 28% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and roughly 10% of residents live below the federal poverty line. In all, Monterey County runs 153 public schools (combined enrollment of about 73,845 students), of which North Monterey County Center for Independent Study is one.

The closest other public school is Central Bay High (Continuation), roughly 0.0 miles away. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools.

The campus sits in a suburban setting.

Over the past 7-year window. Over the past 7-year window, the student count edged down 38%: 155 students in 2018 compared to 96 in 2025. The Hispanic share of enrollment rose from 50% to 78% over that span. The student-to-teacher ratio widened from 22.1:1 in 2018 to 23.5:1 today.

On this page, posts here usually surface around classroom updates, athletics, and weather closures. Members of the school community can share what they know.