Enrollment
664
California · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Grass Valley, CA
Bear River High
Federal NCES profile for Bear River High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 31/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 062688008918
👥 S:T ratio 0
📚 AP courses 55
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 34
📋 Attendance 37
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Bear River High earns 31/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 88% of California schools.
- #4 of 6
- high schools in Grass Valley · Resource Index
- 31
- Resource Index · Lower
- 26.6:1
- large classes for California
- 23.4%
- free-lunch eligible
Bear River High has class sizes larger than 88% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Bear River High ranks #4 of 6 high schools in Grass Valley, CA.
School address
District: Nevada Joint Union High · California
NCES ID 062688008918 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
25.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
26.6:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
+24% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
23.4%
vs 55.5% California avg
-58% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Bear River High compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Bear River High
Bear River High is a mid-sized high school in Grass Valley, California, enrolling 664 students.
Class loads run heavy: 26.6:1 is larger than about 88% of California schools and 24% above the 21.5:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 23.4% free-meal eligibility runs 58% below the California average.
Enrollment of 664 puts it in the larger third of California schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 9,998 scored California schools.
Among 1,340 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need California schools statewide, it ranks #1,059, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (74%) and Hispanic or Latino (17%) (diversity index 42/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 11 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 332 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 25.3% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The federal civil-rights collection also records 10 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Among Grass Valley's high schools, it stands alongside Nevada Union High (1,561 students): Bear River High is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (26.6:1 vs 26.9:1).
Nevada Joint Union High also operates Nevada Union High (1,561 students) and William & Marian Ghidotti High (155 students) alongside Bear River High.
Sourced from NCES CCD, CRDC, and F-33 (federal records, not a quality verdict). How we source and compute this.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Bear River High compares
Bear River High on the metrics families compare, against California and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs California | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 26.6:1 | ▲ 24% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 23.4% | ▼ 58% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 664 | top 26% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
26.6:1
Leaner classes than 3% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
664
Bigger than 78% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
23.4%
free-lunch eligible
- 58% below the California average of 55.5%
Below the 40% Title I threshold, among the lower-need profiles in the state; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
26.6:1
students per teacher
- 24% above state mean
Top 88% in California - lower ratio than 12% of state schools
Well above 20:1, one of the more stretched staffing loads nationally relative to enrollment.
Engagement
25.3%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$18,683
per pupil, district-wide
- above California avg of $16,509
Somewhat above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 332 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
19
in-school suspensions + 31 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 7.5 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 10 expulsions.
Overview
- Common Core of Data (June 2026): enrollment, staffing, and the student-teacher ratio above.
- Civil Rights Data Collection: discipline counts and program access (AP, gifted, special education).
- F-33 School District Finance Survey: the district-wide per-pupil spending figures below.
Three separate federal collections, each on its own reporting cadence - which is why this school's numbers line up on a consistent basis against every other school and state on this site, rather than mixing figures pulled from different survey years.
Student demographics
White 73.9%
Hispanic or Latino 17.3%
Two or More 5.8%
Asian 2.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.6%
African American 0.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: White at 73.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 42.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 42.0, Bear River High is less mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
AP courses offered 11
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Nevada Joint Union High, which includes Bear River High.
$18,683
Per student
+13%
vs California
Avg $16,509
+13%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 58.6%
State 33.5%
Federal 8.0%
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2021-22 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.
How Bear River High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nevada Union High | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| William & Marian Ghidotti High | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| North Point Academy | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Silver Springs High (Continuation) | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Bear River High's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,561
- Students per teacher
- 26.9:1
- Resource Index
- 17/100
- Enrollment
- 155
- Students per teacher
- 31:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
- Enrollment
- 111
- Students per teacher
- 18.5:1
- Resource Index
- 28/100
- Enrollment
- 80
- Students per teacher
- 6.7:1
- Resource Index
- 62/100
Similar high schools in Grass Valley
5 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
Nevada Union High
Standard public school
1,561 students 26.9:1 students per teacher
William & Marian Ghidotti High
Alternative education program
155 students 31:1 students per teacher
North Point Academy
Alternative education program
111 students 18.5:1 students per teacher
Bitney Prep High
Standard public school
91 students 18.2:1 students per teacher
Silver Springs High (Continuation)
Alternative education program
80 students 6.7:1 students per teacher
Similar high schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of California, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~664 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~26.6:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Bear River High's federal record.
- Compare Bear River High against another school. Compare schools
- Nevada Joint Union High's spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
Federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) - PlainSchools assigns no subjective rating; the composite quality score is a transparent, reproducible index computed from this cited federal data.
Frequently asked questions about Bear River High
How many students attend Bear River High?
Bear River High has 664 students enrolled. It is a high school in Grass Valley, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Bear River High?
The student-teacher ratio at Bear River High is 26.6:1, which is 24% higher than the California average of 21.5:1 and 69% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Bear River High?
23.4% of students at Bear River High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Bear River High?
The largest demographic group at Bear River High is White at 73.9% of enrollment, in Grass Valley, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Bear River High?
Bear River High has a Resource Investment Index of 31/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Bear River High rank among high schools in Grass Valley?
By Resource Investment Index, Bear River High ranks #4 of 6 high schools in Grass Valley, CA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all high schools in Grass Valley on the city page.
Is Bear River High a good school?
Bear River High earns 31/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 88% of California schools. This is a resource snapshot, not an academic rating; see the Resource Investment Index question above for what the number does and doesn't measure.
What other schools are in Nevada Joint Union High?
Besides Bear River High, Nevada Joint Union High also operates Nevada Union High (1,561 students), William & Marian Ghidotti High (155 students), and North Point Academy (111 students). See the Nevada Joint Union High district page for the complete list.
Related tools
Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.