Enrollment
128
California · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Merced, CA
Come Back Charter
Federal NCES profile for Come Back Charter, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 8/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 069102014312Charter school
👥 S:T ratio 0
📚 AP courses 10
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Come Back Charter earns 8/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 99% of California schools.
- #7 of 7
- high schools in Merced · Resource Index
- 8
- Resource Index · Lower
- 42.7:1
- large classes for California
- 77.5%
- free-lunch eligible
Come Back Charter has class sizes larger than 99% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Come Back Charter ranks #7 of 7 high schools in Merced, CA.
School address
District: Merced County Office of Education · California
NCES ID 069102014312 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
3.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
42.7:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
+99% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
77.5%
vs 55.5% California avg
+40% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Come Back Charter compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Come Back Charter
Come Back Charter is a high-poverty, small charter high school in Merced, California, enrolling 128 students.
Class loads run heavy: 42.7:1 is larger than about 99% of California schools and 99% above the 21.5:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 77.5% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 128 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 100% of the 9,998 California schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.
Among 295 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need California schools statewide, it ranks #293, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (77%) and White (16%) (diversity index 38/100).
No Advanced Placement courses are reported for this campus in the federal data.
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 512 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 75.8% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding Merced County Office of Education spends $61,111 per pupil, 270% above the California average, a better-resourced district than most.
Its district draws 30.8% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Merced's high schools, it stands alongside Merced High (1,943 students): Come Back Charter is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (42.7:1 vs 23.1:1).
Merced County Office of Education also operates Merced County Special Education (942 students) and Merced Scholars Charter (334 students) alongside Come Back Charter.
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 Come Back Charter compares
Come Back Charter on the metrics families compare, against California and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs California | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 42.7:1 | ▲ 99% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 77.5% | ▲ 40% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 128 | top 88% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
42.7:1
Leaner classes than 0% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
128
Bigger than 13% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
77.5%
free-lunch eligible
- 40% above the California average of 55.5%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
42.7:1
students per teacher
- 99% above state mean
Top 99% in California - lower ratio than 1% of state schools
Well above 20:1, one of the more stretched staffing loads nationally relative to enrollment.
Engagement
75.8%
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
$61,111
per pupil, district-wide
- above California avg of $16,509
Well above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting substantially higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors0.3 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
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
Hispanic or Latino 77.3%
White 15.6%
African American 2.3%
Two or More 2.3%
Asian 1.6%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.8%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 77.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 37.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 37.7, Come Back Charter is less mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
AP program Not offered
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Merced County Office of Education, which includes Come Back Charter.
$61,111
Per student
+270%
vs California
Avg $16,509
+268%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 25.1%
State 44.1%
Federal 30.8%
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 Come Back Charter Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Merced County Special Education | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Merced Scholars Charter | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Valley Los Banos Community | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Valley Atwater Community | Similar size | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Valley Merced Community | Similar size | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Come Back Charter's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 942
- Students per teacher
- 13.1:1
- Resource Index
- 26/100
- Enrollment
- 334
- Students per teacher
- 18.6:1
- Resource Index
- 24/100
- Enrollment
- 160
- Students per teacher
- 20:1
- Resource Index
- 29/100
- Enrollment
- 122
- Students per teacher
- 40.7:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 99
- Students per teacher
- 11:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
Similar high schools in Merced
6 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
Merced High
Standard public school
1,943 students 23.1:1 students per teacher
Golden Valley High
Standard public school
1,917 students 21.5:1 students per teacher
El Capitan High
Standard public school
1,793 students 21.3:1 students per teacher
Yosemite High (Continuation)
Alternative education program
342 students 15.5:1 students per teacher
Independence High (Alternative)
Alternative education program
87 students 9.7:1 students per teacher
Sequoia High
Alternative education program
77 students 8.6:1 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 (~128 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Come Back Charter's federal record.
- Compare Come Back Charter against another school. Compare schools
- Merced County Office of Education'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 Come Back Charter
How many students attend Come Back Charter?
Come Back Charter has 128 students enrolled. It is a high school in Merced, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Come Back Charter?
The student-teacher ratio at Come Back Charter is 42.7:1, which is 99% higher than the California average of 21.5:1 and 172% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Come Back Charter?
77.5% of students at Come Back Charter are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Come Back Charter?
The largest demographic group at Come Back Charter is Hispanic or Latino at 77.3% of enrollment, in Merced, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Come Back Charter?
Come Back Charter has a Resource Investment Index of 8/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Come Back Charter rank among high schools in Merced?
By Resource Investment Index, Come Back Charter ranks #7 of 7 high schools in Merced, 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 Merced on the city page.
Is Come Back Charter a good school?
Come Back Charter earns 8/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 99% 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 Merced County Office of Education?
Besides Come Back Charter, Merced County Office of Education also operates Merced County Special Education (942 students), Merced Scholars Charter (334 students), and Valley Los Banos Community (160 students). See the Merced County Office of Education 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.