Enrollment
1,536
California · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Ridgecrest, CA
Burroughs High
Federal NCES profile for Burroughs High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 32/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 063680006232
👥 S:T ratio 15
📚 AP courses 50
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 23
📋 Attendance 1
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Burroughs High earns 32/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median.
- #4 of 10
- public schools in Ridgecrest · Resource Index
- 32
- Resource Index · Typical
- 21.3:1
- students per teacher
- 38.5%
- free-lunch eligible
Burroughs High has class sizes near the California median. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Burroughs High ranks #4 of 10 public schools in Ridgecrest, CA.
School address
District: Sierra Sands Unified · California
NCES ID 063680006232 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
72.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
21.3:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
38.5%
vs 55.5% California avg
-31% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Burroughs High compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Burroughs High
Burroughs High is a large high school in Ridgecrest, California, enrolling 1,536 students.
At 21.3:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the California median, within a few percentage points of the 21.5:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 38.5% of students eligible for free meals.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in California, bigger than 94% of state schools at 1,536 students.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 9,998 scored California schools.
Against 407 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #287.
Its student body is led by White (48%) and Hispanic or Latino (33%) (diversity index 65/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 10 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 384 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 39.8% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The federal civil-rights collection also records 1 expulsion at this campus for 2021-22.
Among Ridgecrest's high schools, it stands alongside Mesquite Continuation High (95 students): Burroughs High is larger than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (21.3:1 vs 19:1).
Sierra Sands Unified also operates Murray Middle (643 students) and Las Flores Elementary (526 students) alongside Burroughs 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 Burroughs High compares
Burroughs 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 | 21.3:1 | ▼ 1% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 38.5% | ▼ 31% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 1,536 | top 6% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
21.3:1
Leaner classes than 12% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
1,536
Bigger than 96% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
38.5%
free-lunch eligible
- 31% below the California average of 55.5%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
21.3:1
students per teacher
- 1% below state mean
Top 46% in California - lower ratio than 54% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
39.8%
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
$14,502
per pupil, district-wide
- below California avg of $16,509
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors4.0 FTE
Per 384 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
5
in-school suspensions + 174 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 11.7 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 1 expulsion.
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 47.8%
Hispanic or Latino 33.2%
African American 7.8%
Two or More 5.0%
Asian 4.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.7%
Largest group: White at 47.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 65.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 65.1, Burroughs High is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
AP courses offered 10
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Sierra Sands Unified, which includes Burroughs High.
$14,502
Per student
-12%
vs California
Avg $16,509
-13%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 17.0%
State 69.4%
Federal 13.6%
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 Burroughs High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Murray Middle | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Las Flores Elementary | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Faller Elementary | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| James Monroe Middle | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Richmond Elementary | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Burroughs High's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 643
- Students per teacher
- 21.4:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
- Enrollment
- 526
- Students per teacher
- 25:1
- Resource Index
- 17/100
- Enrollment
- 516
- Students per teacher
- 24.6:1
- Resource Index
- 18/100
- Enrollment
- 490
- Students per teacher
- 18.8:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 364
- Students per teacher
- 15.8:1
- Resource Index
- 24/100
Similar high schools in Ridgecrest
1 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
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 (~1,536 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~21.3:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Burroughs High's federal record.
- Compare Burroughs High against another school. Compare schools
- Sierra Sands Unified'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 Burroughs High
How many students attend Burroughs High?
Burroughs High has 1,536 students enrolled. It is a high school in Ridgecrest, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Burroughs High?
The student-teacher ratio at Burroughs High is 21.3:1, which is 1% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 36% higher than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Burroughs High?
38.5% of students at Burroughs High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Burroughs High?
The largest demographic group at Burroughs High is White at 47.8% of enrollment, in Ridgecrest, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 65.1/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Burroughs High?
Burroughs High has a Resource Investment Index of 32/100 (typical 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 Burroughs High rank among public schools in Ridgecrest?
By Resource Investment Index, Burroughs High ranks #4 of 10 public schools in Ridgecrest, CA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Ridgecrest on the city page.
Is Burroughs High a good school?
Burroughs High earns 32/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median. 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 Sierra Sands Unified?
Besides Burroughs High, Sierra Sands Unified also operates Murray Middle (643 students), Las Flores Elementary (526 students), and Faller Elementary (516 students). See the Sierra Sands Unified 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.