Enrollment
307
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Acton, CA
High Desert
Federal NCES profile for High Desert, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 8/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 060000109444
👥 S:T ratio 0
🌟 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
High Desert earns 8/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 92% of California schools.
- #5 of 5
- public schools in Acton · Resource Index
- 8
- Resource Index · Lower
- 27.9:1
- large classes for California
- 54.2%
- free-lunch eligible
High Desert has class sizes larger than 92% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, High Desert ranks #5 of 5 public schools in Acton, CA.
School address
District: Acton-Agua Dulce Unified · California
NCES ID 060000109444 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
11.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
27.9:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
+30% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
54.2%
vs 55.5% California avg
-2% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How High Desert compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at High Desert
High Desert is a higher-need, mid-sized elementary school in Acton, California, enrolling 307 students.
Class loads run heavy: 27.9:1 is larger than about 92% of California schools and 30% above the 21.5:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 54.2% lands close to the California typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 307 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 989 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need California schools statewide, it ranks #982, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (58%) and White (37%) (diversity index 53/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 614 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 54.4% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Among Acton's elementary schools, it stands alongside Meadowlark Elementary (352 students): High Desert is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (27.9:1 vs 27.1:1).
Acton-Agua Dulce Unified also operates Vasquez High (394 students) and Meadowlark Elementary (352 students) alongside High Desert.
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 High Desert compares
High Desert on the metrics families compare, against California and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs California | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 27.9:1 | ▲ 30% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 54.2% | ▼ 2% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 307 | top 73% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
27.9:1
Leaner classes than 3% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
307
Bigger than 33% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
54.2%
free-lunch eligible
- 2% below the California average of 55.5%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
27.9:1
students per teacher
- 30% above state mean
Top 92% in California - lower ratio than 8% of state schools
Well above 20:1, one of the more stretched staffing loads nationally relative to enrollment.
Engagement
54.4%
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
$17,316
per pupil, district-wide
- above California avg of $16,509
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors0.5 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 7 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.3 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 58.3%
White 36.5%
African American 2.0%
Two or More 2.0%
Asian 1.3%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 58.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 52.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 52.6, High Desert is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Acton-Agua Dulce Unified, which includes High Desert.
$17,316
Per student
+5%
vs California
Avg $16,509
+4%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 39.7%
State 50.0%
Federal 10.3%
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 High Desert Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vasquez High | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Meadowlark Elementary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to High Desert's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 394
- Students per teacher
- 20.7:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
- Enrollment
- 352
- Students per teacher
- 27.1:1
- Resource Index
- 24/100
Similar elementary schools in Acton
1 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Similar elementary 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 (~307 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~27.9:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on High Desert's federal record.
- Compare High Desert against another school. Compare schools
- Acton-Agua Dulce 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 High Desert
How many students attend High Desert?
High Desert has 307 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Acton, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at High Desert?
The student-teacher ratio at High Desert is 27.9:1, which is 30% higher than the California average of 21.5:1 and 78% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at High Desert?
54.2% of students at High Desert are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of High Desert?
The largest demographic group at High Desert is Hispanic or Latino at 58.3% of enrollment, in Acton, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 52.6/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for High Desert?
High Desert has a Resource Investment Index of 8/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does High Desert rank among public schools in Acton?
By Resource Investment Index, High Desert ranks #5 of 5 public schools in Acton, 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 Acton on the city page.
Is High Desert a good school?
High Desert earns 8/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 92% 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 Acton-Agua Dulce Unified?
Besides High Desert, Acton-Agua Dulce Unified also operates Vasquez High (394 students) and Meadowlark Elementary (352 students). See the Acton-Agua Dulce 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.