Enrollment
171
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Mather, CA
Foundations Academy
Federal NCES profile for Foundations Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 33/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 069102711057
👥 S:T ratio 70
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Foundations Academy earns 33/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 98% of California schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most California schools.
- #2 of 3
- public schools in Mather · Resource Index
- 33
- Resource Index · Typical
- 7.4:1
- small classes for California
- 24.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Foundations Academy has class sizes smaller than 98% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Foundations Academy ranks #2 of 3 public schools in Mather, CA.
School address
District: Sacramento County Office of Education · California
NCES ID 069102711057 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
23.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
7.4:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-66% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
24.0%
vs 55.5% California avg
-57% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Foundations Academy compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Foundations Academy
Foundations Academy is a small combined-grade school in Mather, California, enrolling 171 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 7.4:1, Foundations Academy is leaner than roughly 98% of California schools and 66% under the state's 21.5:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 24.0% free-meal eligibility runs 57% below the California average.
Enrollment of 171 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 9,998 scored California schools.
Against 189 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #96.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (37%) and White (27%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 75/100).
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 88.9% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 15.8% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Sacramento County Office of Education also operates North Area Community (280 students) and Elinor Lincoln Hickey Jr./Sr. High (136 students) alongside Foundations Academy.
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 Foundations Academy compares
Foundations Academy on the metrics families compare, against California and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs California | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 7.4:1 | ▼ 66% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 24.0% | ▼ 57% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 171 | top 85% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
7.4:1
Leaner classes than 96% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
171
Bigger than 17% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
24.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 57% 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
7.4:1
students per teacher
- 66% below state mean
Top 2% in California - lower ratio than 98% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
88.9%
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.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 5 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.9 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 37.4%
White 26.9%
African American 15.2%
Asian 12.3%
Two or More 6.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 1.8%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 37.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 74.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 74.5, Foundations Academy is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
How Foundations Academy Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Area Community | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Elinor Lincoln Hickey Jr./Sr. High | Similar size | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Nathaniel S. Colley Sr. High | Smaller | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| El Centro Jr./Sr. High | Smaller | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Palmiter Special Education | Smaller | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Foundations Academy's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 280
- Students per teacher
- 70:1
- Resource Index
- 21/100
- Enrollment
- 136
- Students per teacher
- 9.7:1
- Resource Index
- 55/100
- Enrollment
- 111
- Students per teacher
- 15.9:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 76
- Students per teacher
- 7.6:1
- Resource Index
- 50/100
- Enrollment
- 41
- Students per teacher
- 8.2:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
Similar other 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 (~171 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Foundations Academy's federal record.
- Compare Foundations Academy against another school. Compare schools
- Sacramento 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 Foundations Academy
How many students attend Foundations Academy?
Foundations Academy has 171 students enrolled. It is a special-education school in Mather, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Foundations Academy?
The student-teacher ratio at Foundations Academy is 7.4:1, which is 66% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 53% lower 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 Foundations Academy?
24.0% of students at Foundations Academy are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Foundations Academy?
The largest demographic group at Foundations Academy is Hispanic or Latino at 37.4% of enrollment, in Mather, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 74.5/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Foundations Academy?
Foundations Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 33/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Foundations Academy rank among public schools in Mather?
By Resource Investment Index, Foundations Academy ranks #2 of 3 public schools in Mather, 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 Mather on the city page.
Is Foundations Academy a good school?
Foundations Academy earns 33/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 98% of California schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most 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 Sacramento County Office of Education?
Besides Foundations Academy, Sacramento County Office of Education also operates North Area Community (280 students), Elinor Lincoln Hickey Jr./Sr. High (136 students), and Nathaniel S. Colley Sr. High (111 students). See the Sacramento 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.