Opal Cliffs

Set in Capitola, California, Opal Cliffs is a tiny elementary school, operated by Soquel Union Elementary. It works with 6 students across grades K through 8. Compared to the state average of about 465 students per school, that is 99% leaner than typical.

Within Soquel Union Elementary, which oversees 5 schools and 1,525 students, Opal Cliffs is one campus in the system.

Demographically, Opal Cliffs logs that White students make up the majority at 67%. Beyond that, the school reports 33% Hispanic.

In terms of school funding signals, The school employs 1 full-time-equivalent teachers, for a student-teacher ratio near 3.0:1. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 22.3:1, putting Opal Cliffs tighter than the state norm the norm.

Zooming out to the county, community-level numbers for Santa Cruz County indicate median household income runs about $111,093, about 44% of the adult population holds a bachelor's degree or above, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 6%. In all, Santa Cruz County runs 83 public schools (combined enrollment of about 36,316 students), of which Opal Cliffs is one.

Nearest neighbor: New Brighton Middle, around 0.9 miles off. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools.

Opal Cliffs operates from a bedroom-community location.

Looking at the recent track record. Opal Cliffs's enrollment has fell 87% since 2018, when it stood at 48 (now 6). The Hispanic share of enrollment increased from 23% to 33% over that span. Class-load math has tightened: from 17.1:1 in 2018 to 5.9:1 in 2024.

On this page, members of the Opal Cliffs community share and discuss sports schedules, lunch menu changes, and school spirit week. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.