An equity score of 55/100 ranks Sierra Unified #632 of 1526 districts in California (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $18,326 per pupil, Sierra Unified ranks #764 of 1880 California districts by per-pupil spending (California districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
1,319
Total Enrollment
5
Schools
$18,326
Per-Pupil Spending
High, Elementary
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Sierra Unified operates 5 public schools serving 1,319 students, placing it among the smallest districts in California. The school portfolio breaks down into 2 high, 1 elementary, 1 middle, 1 combined schools, a small enough portfolio that most families will interact with nearly every campus in the district at some point. These enrollment and school figures come from the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 release, and the district is based in Fresno County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $18,326 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, in the upper half of 1880 California districts by per-pupil spending. See how California compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 46.6% local, 44.9% state, and 8.6% federal, a balanced mix across local, state, and federal sources, spreading budget risk across funding cycles rather than concentrating it in one. The district's equity score is 55/100, ranked #632 of 1526 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 2 of 5 schools offering Advanced Placement (7 AP courses district-wide), a 315.5:1 student-counselor ratio, somewhat above the 250:1 ASCA recommendation, and 44.4% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 54.6% White, 18.4% Hispanic or Latino, 0.9% Asian across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Sierra@Home, with a diversity index of 68.2/100.
Its largest campus is Foothill Elementary, enrolling 609 students (49% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Sierra Alternative High, at 10 students, a 61x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
Foothill Elementary accounts for 46.2% of all Sierra Unified student enrollment
That is an overwhelming concentration, leaving the rest of Sierra Unified a distant remainder — means Sierra Unified-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the largest entity. Grade band: elementary. The share measures enrollment concentration only; it does not establish how the district allocates programs, capital, or staff. Enrollment-weighted aggregates give this entity more weight than any smaller peer, while an unweighted entity average treats every record equally.
Sierra Unified school enrollment varies 61× across entities
Sierra Unified school enrollment ranges from 10 students (lowest) to 609 students (highest), a spread of 599 students. That ratio is an extreme outlier spread — among the widest gaps observed anywhere in this dataset. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.
Sierra Unified student-counselor ratio is 316:1 — 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 Unified is typically wider than the Sierra Unified-aggregate figure suggests.
Sierra Unified chronic absenteeism rate is 44.4% — well above typical (typically associated with unusually large scale or acute resource constraints)
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 Values this far above typical often signal acute resource constraints or a structurally different scale than most peers — worth reading alongside the underlying counts, not the ratio alone.
Sierra Unified has 5 schools, including 1 elementary, 2 high, 1 middle, 1 combined. Total enrollment is 1,319 students.
How much does Sierra Unified spend per student?
Sierra Unified spends $18,326 per student. The district has an equity score of 55/100, ranking #632 in California.
What is the demographic composition of Sierra Unified?
Sierra Unified students are 54.6% White, 18.4% Hispanic or Latino, 0.9% Asian, 0.3% African American, averaged across 5 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Sierra Unified?
Sierra Unified has an equity score of 55/100, ranking #632 out of 1526 districts in California.