Enrollment
436
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Garden Valley, CA
Golden Sierra Junior Senior High
Federal NCES profile for Golden Sierra Junior Senior High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 40/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 060524000495
👥 S:T ratio 33
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 56
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Golden Sierra Junior Senior High earns 40/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 84% of California schools.
- 40
- Resource Index · Typical
- 16.8:1
- small classes for California
- 32.0%
- free-lunch eligible
- 436
- students enrolled
Golden Sierra Junior Senior High has class sizes smaller than 84% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Black Oak Mine Unified · California
NCES ID 060524000495 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
26.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.8:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-22% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
32.0%
vs 55.5% California avg
-42% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Golden Sierra Junior Senior High compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Golden Sierra Junior Senior High
Golden Sierra Junior Senior High is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Garden Valley, California, enrolling 436 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 16.8:1 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 32.0% of students eligible for free meals.
With 436 students, its enrollment sits close to the California median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 9,998 scored California schools.
Against 1,221 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #239.
Its student body is led by White (75%) and Hispanic or Latino (15%) (diversity index 41/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 218 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 48.2% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Black Oak Mine Unified also operates Northside Elementary (283 students) and American River Charter (263 students) alongside Golden Sierra Junior Senior 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 Golden Sierra Junior Senior High compares
Golden Sierra Junior Senior 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 | 16.8:1 | ▼ 22% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 32.0% | ▼ 42% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 436 | top 55% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16.8:1
Leaner classes than 32% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
436
Bigger than 53% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
32.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 42% 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
16.8:1
students per teacher
- 22% below state mean
Top 16% in California - lower ratio than 84% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
48.2%
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
$14,007
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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 218 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
2
in-school suspensions + 37 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 8.9 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
White 75.0%
Hispanic or Latino 14.9%
Two or More 6.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native 2.3%
Asian 1.4%
African American 0.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: White at 75.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 41.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 41.1, Golden Sierra Junior Senior High is less mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
AP courses offered 6
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Black Oak Mine Unified, which includes Golden Sierra Junior Senior High.
$14,007
Per student
-15%
vs California
Avg $16,509
-16%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 45.5%
State 41.0%
Federal 13.5%
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 Golden Sierra Junior Senior High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northside Elementary | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| American River Charter | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Georgetown Elementary | Smaller | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Otter Creek Elementary | Smaller | Similar economic need | No ratio data |
| Divide High | Smaller | Higher economic need | No ratio data |
Comparisons are relative to Golden Sierra Junior Senior High's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 283
- Students per teacher
- 28.3:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 263
- Students per teacher
- 32.9:1
- Resource Index
- 56/100
- Enrollment
- 229
- Students per teacher
- 20.8:1
- Resource Index
- 29/100
- Enrollment
- 15
- Students per teacher
- -
- Resource Index
- 15/100
- Enrollment
- 9
- Students per teacher
- -
- Resource Index
- 30/100
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 (~436 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Golden Sierra Junior Senior High's federal record.
- Compare Golden Sierra Junior Senior High against another school. Compare schools
- Black Oak Mine 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 Golden Sierra Junior Senior High
How many students attend Golden Sierra Junior Senior High?
Golden Sierra Junior Senior High has 436 students enrolled. It is a public school in Garden Valley, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Golden Sierra Junior Senior High?
The student-teacher ratio at Golden Sierra Junior Senior High is 16.8:1, which is 22% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 7% 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 Golden Sierra Junior Senior High?
32.0% of students at Golden Sierra Junior Senior High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Golden Sierra Junior Senior High?
The largest demographic group at Golden Sierra Junior Senior High is White at 75.0% of enrollment, in Garden Valley, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Golden Sierra Junior Senior High?
Golden Sierra Junior Senior High has a Resource Investment Index of 40/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
Is Golden Sierra Junior Senior High a good school?
Golden Sierra Junior Senior High earns 40/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 84% 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 Black Oak Mine Unified?
Besides Golden Sierra Junior Senior High, Black Oak Mine Unified also operates Northside Elementary (283 students), American River Charter (263 students), and Georgetown Elementary (229 students). See the Black Oak Mine 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.