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Ridgecrest, California - 10 schools
An equity score of 55/100 ranks Sierra Sands Unified #628 of 1517 districts in California (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $14,502 per pupil, Sierra Sands Unified ranks #1087 of 1862 California districts by per-pupil spending (California districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
5,088
Total Enrollment
10
Schools
$14,502
Per-Pupil Spending
Elementary, High
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Sierra Sands Unified operates 10 public schools serving 5,088 students, placing it among the smaller districts in California. The school portfolio breaks down into 6 elementary, 2 high, 2 middle schools, a compact enough portfolio that families can compare every campus directly before they move, rent, or enrol. These enrollment and school figures come from the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 release, and the district is based in Kern County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $14,502 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, in the lower half of 1862 California districts by per-pupil spending. See how California compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 17.0% local, 69.4% state, and 13.6% federal, a state-revenue-heavy mix that insulates the district somewhat from local property-tax volatility, though it ties funding to state budget cycles. The district's equity score is 55/100, ranked #628 of 1517 in California against a state average of 50, in line with the typical spread seen across the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.
Academic infrastructure includes 1 of 10 schools offering Advanced Placement (10 AP courses district-wide), a 304.4:1 student-counselor ratio, somewhat above the 250:1 ASCA recommendation, and 38.2% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 46.2% White, 34.7% Hispanic or Latino, 8.2% African American across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Pierce Elementary, with a diversity index of 69.3/100.
Its largest campus is Burroughs High, enrolling 1,536 students (31% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Mesquite Continuation High, at 95 students, a 16x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
Burroughs High accounts for 30.2% of all Sierra Sands Unified student enrollment
That dominant concentration means Sierra Sands Unified-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the dominant entity. Grade band: high. A single dominant campus often anchors a district's program offerings and staffing patterns; the share helps explain why district-wide averages may not reflect the typical neighbourhood-school experience. When one entity dominates a region's footprint, its programmatic and budget decisions effectively set policy for a majority of the affected population.
Sierra Sands Unified school enrollment varies 16× across entities
Sierra Sands Unified school enrollment ranges from 95 students (lowest) to 1,536 students (highest), a spread of 1,441 students. That spread reflects typical mixed-portfolio variation between specialty programs and large neighbourhood schools. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.
Sierra Sands Unified student-counselor ratio is 304:1 — near the typical range (US average ~408) — within the typical range for U.S. public districts
student-counselor ratio is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: the ratio counts FTE counselors against total enrollment, districts that contract intervention or social-emotional staff outside the counselor classification may be under-counted Variation between sub-units within Sierra Sands Unified is typically wider than the Sierra Sands Unified-aggregate figure suggests.
Sierra Sands Unified chronic absenteeism rate is 38.2% — high (typically associated with higher-than-average disruption; recent CRDC data showed elevated rates persisting after pandemic-era schooling changes)
chronic absenteeism rate is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: a student is chronically absent if they miss ≥10% of enrolled days for any reason, illness, family obligations, or disengagement Higher values may reflect larger urban scale or recent resource constraints that have widened the gap.
Sierra Sands Unified has 10 schools, including 2 high, 2 middle, 6 elementary. Total enrollment is 5,088 students.
How much does Sierra Sands Unified spend per student?
Sierra Sands Unified spends $14,502 per student. The district has an equity score of 55/100, ranking #628 in California.
What is the demographic composition of Sierra Sands Unified?
Sierra Sands Unified students are 46.2% White, 34.7% Hispanic or Latino, 8.2% African American, 2.6% Asian, averaged across 10 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Sierra Sands Unified?
Sierra Sands Unified has an equity score of 55/100, ranking #628 out of 1517 districts in California.