Enrollment
3
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Alturas, CA
High Desert Community Day
Federal NCES profile for High Desert Community Day, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 59/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 062519008526
👥 S:T ratio 88
🌟 Gifted program 30
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
High Desert Community Day earns 59/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 99% of California schools. It is also one of the smallest schools in California.
- #2 of 5
- public schools in Alturas · Resource Index
- 59
- Resource Index · Higher
- 3:1
- small classes for California
- 3
- students enrolled
High Desert Community Day has class sizes smaller than 99% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, High Desert Community Day ranks #2 of 5 public schools in Alturas, CA.
School address
District: Modoc Joint Unified · California
NCES ID 062519008526 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
1.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
3:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-86% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How High Desert Community Day compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at High Desert Community Day
High Desert Community Day is a small combined-grade school in Alturas, California, enrolling 3 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 3:1, High Desert Community Day is leaner than roughly 99% of California schools and 86% under the state's 21.5:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
This is a small campus: fewer students than 99% of California schools, with 3 enrolled.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 97% of the 9,998 California schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Its student body is led by White (67%) and Hispanic or Latino (33%) (diversity index 44/100).
Its district draws 15.7% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Discipline events run high: 6 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 3 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
Modoc Joint Unified also operates Alturas Elementary (333 students) and Modoc High (245 students) alongside High Desert Community Day.
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 Community Day compares
High Desert Community Day on the metrics families compare, against California and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs California | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 3:1 | ▼ 86% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 3 | top 100% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
3:1
Leaner classes than 99% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
3
Bigger than 0% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
3:1
students per teacher
- 86% below state mean
Top 1% in California - lower ratio than 100% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Funding equity
$14,587
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
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 6 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 200.0 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
White 66.7%
Hispanic or Latino 33.3%
Largest group: White at 66.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 44.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 44.4, High Desert Community Day is about as mixed as the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Modoc Joint Unified, which includes High Desert Community Day.
$14,587
Per student
-12%
vs California
Avg $16,509
-12%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 31.5%
State 52.8%
Federal 15.7%
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 Community Day Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alturas Elementary | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Modoc High | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Modoc Middle | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Warner High | Larger | No free-lunch data | No ratio data |
| State Line Elementary | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to High Desert Community Day's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 333
- Students per teacher
- 14.5:1
- Resource Index
- 26/100
- Enrollment
- 245
- Students per teacher
- 16.3:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 172
- Students per teacher
- 17.2:1
- Resource Index
- 20/100
- Enrollment
- 13
- Students per teacher
- -
- Resource Index
- 64/100
- Enrollment
- 3
- Students per teacher
- 3:1
- Resource Index
- 59/100
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 (~3 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on High Desert Community Day's federal record.
- Compare High Desert Community Day against another school. Compare schools
- Modoc Joint 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 Community Day
How many students attend High Desert Community Day?
High Desert Community Day has 3 students enrolled. It is an alternative school in Alturas, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at High Desert Community Day?
The student-teacher ratio at High Desert Community Day is 3:1, which is 86% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 81% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of High Desert Community Day?
The largest demographic group at High Desert Community Day is White at 66.7% of enrollment, in Alturas, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for High Desert Community Day?
High Desert Community Day has a Resource Investment Index of 59/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 2 factors: student-teacher ratio. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology). Limited indicators were available, so the index reflects partial data.
How does High Desert Community Day rank among public schools in Alturas?
By Resource Investment Index, High Desert Community Day ranks #2 of 5 public schools in Alturas, 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 Alturas on the city page.
Is High Desert Community Day a good school?
High Desert Community Day earns 59/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 99% of California schools. It is also one of the smallest schools in California. 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 Modoc Joint Unified?
Besides High Desert Community Day, Modoc Joint Unified also operates Alturas Elementary (333 students), Modoc High (245 students), and Modoc Middle (172 students). See the Modoc Joint 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.