Enrollment
519
California · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 060182411916 Charter school
Higher Learning Academy — Sacramento, CA
Federal NCES profile for Higher Learning Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 8/100.
👥 Class size 0
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 0
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
District: Higher Learning Academy District · California
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
21.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
25.4:1
vs 21.6:1 California avg
+18% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
76.4%
vs 55.5% California avg
+38% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Higher Learning Academy compares with California and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
Higher Learning Academy reports 519 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 21.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 25.4:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 18% above the California state mean of 21.6:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 60% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 76.4% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 38% above the California average and 47% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 519 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 43.9% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Higher Learning Academy District spends $12,186 per pupil district-wide, below the California average of $18,039 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 14.9% from local sources (property taxes), 70.9% from the state, and 14.2% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 8/100 (F), calculated from 4 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Higher Learning Academy compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against California state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs California | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 25.4:1 | ▲ 18% | 21.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 76.4% | ▲ 38% | 55.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 519 | top 57% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Economic need
76.4%
free-lunch eligible
— 38% 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
25.4:1
students per teacher
— 18% above state mean
Top 85% in California — lower ratio than 15% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Engagement
43.9%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$12,186
per pupil, district-wide
— below California avg of $18,039
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 519 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
12
in-school suspensions + 6 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.5 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 519 Top 57% in California — larger than 43% of 10,006 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 21.0
Students per teacher 25.4:1 +18% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 76.4% +38% vs state
NCES ID 060182411916
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 39.7%
Asian 19.8%
African American 16.4%
White 12.3%
Two or More 6.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 4.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.6%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 39.7% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 519:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 43.9%
In-school suspensions 12
Out-of-school suspensions 6
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Higher Learning Academy District, which includes Higher Learning Academy.
$12,186
Per student
-32%
vs California
Avg $18,039
-37%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 14.9%
State 70.9%
Federal 14.2%
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.
Similar other schools in Sacramento
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Highlands Community Charter
Standard public school
11,713 students 71:1 students per teacher
Natomas Charter
Standard public school
1,850 students 21.2:1 students per teacher
California Innovative Career Academy
Standard public school
1,729 students 41.5:1 students per teacher
Fortune
Standard public school
1,698 students 31.1:1 students per teacher
Westlake Charter
Standard public school
1,493 students 21.9:1 students per teacher
Leroy Greene Academy
Standard public school
755 students 19.8:1 students per teacher
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about Higher Learning Academy
How many students attend Higher Learning Academy?
Higher Learning Academy has 519 students enrolled. It is a other school in Sacramento, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Higher Learning Academy?
The student-teacher ratio at Higher Learning Academy is 25.4:1, which is 18% higher than the California average of 21.6:1 and 60% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Higher Learning Academy?
76.4% of students at Higher Learning Academy are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Higher Learning Academy?
The largest demographic group at Higher Learning Academy is Hispanic or Latino at 39.7%. The school serves a diverse student body in Sacramento, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Higher Learning Academy?
Higher Learning Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 8/100 (F) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.