Enrollment
95
California · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Ridgecrest, CA
Mesquite Continuation High
Federal NCES profile for Mesquite Continuation High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 46/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 063680006237
👥 S:T ratio 24
📚 AP courses 10
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 81
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Mesquite Continuation High earns 46/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 73% of California schools.
- #1 of 10
- public schools in Ridgecrest · Resource Index
- 46
- Resource Index · Typical
- 19:1
- small classes for California
- 65.7%
- free-lunch eligible
Mesquite Continuation High has class sizes smaller than 73% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Mesquite Continuation High ranks #1 of 10 public schools in Ridgecrest, CA.
School address
District: Sierra Sands Unified · California
NCES ID 063680006237 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
5.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
19:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-12% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
65.7%
vs 55.5% California avg
+18% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Mesquite Continuation High compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Mesquite Continuation High
Mesquite Continuation High is a higher-need, small high school in Ridgecrest, California, enrolling 95 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 19:1 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 65.7% lands close to the California typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 95 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 96% of the 9,998 California schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Against 269 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #40.
Its student body is led by White (52%) and Hispanic or Latino (35%) (diversity index 61/100).
No Advanced Placement courses are reported for this campus in the federal data.
Counselor coverage is strong, about 95 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Among Ridgecrest's high schools, it stands alongside Burroughs High (1,536 students): Mesquite Continuation High is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (19:1 vs 21.3:1).
Sierra Sands Unified also operates Burroughs High (1,536 students) and Murray Middle (643 students) alongside Mesquite Continuation 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 Mesquite Continuation High compares
Mesquite Continuation 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 | 19:1 | ▼ 12% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 65.7% | ▲ 18% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 95 | top 90% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
19:1
Leaner classes than 20% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
95
Bigger than 10% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
65.7%
free-lunch eligible
- 18% 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
19:1
students per teacher
- 12% below state mean
Top 27% in California - lower ratio than 73% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Funding equity
$14,502
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 95 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
2
in-school suspensions + 12 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 14.7 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 51.6%
Hispanic or Latino 34.7%
African American 6.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 3.2%
Asian 2.1%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 1.1%
Two or More 1.1%
Largest group: White at 51.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 60.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 60.8, Mesquite Continuation High is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
AP program Not offered
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Sierra Sands Unified, which includes Mesquite Continuation High.
$14,502
Per student
-12%
vs California
Avg $16,509
-13%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 17.0%
State 69.4%
Federal 13.6%
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 Mesquite Continuation High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Burroughs High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Murray Middle | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Las Flores Elementary | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Faller Elementary | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| James Monroe Middle | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Mesquite Continuation High's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,536
- Students per teacher
- 21.3:1
- Resource Index
- 27/100
- Enrollment
- 643
- Students per teacher
- 21.4:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
- Enrollment
- 526
- Students per teacher
- 25:1
- Resource Index
- 17/100
- Enrollment
- 516
- Students per teacher
- 24.6:1
- Resource Index
- 18/100
- Enrollment
- 490
- Students per teacher
- 18.8:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
Similar high schools in Ridgecrest
1 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
Similar high 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 (~95 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~19:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Mesquite Continuation High's federal record.
- Compare Mesquite Continuation High against another school. Compare schools
- Sierra Sands 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 Mesquite Continuation High
How many students attend Mesquite Continuation High?
Mesquite Continuation High has 95 students enrolled. It is a high school in Ridgecrest, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Mesquite Continuation High?
The student-teacher ratio at Mesquite Continuation High is 19:1, which is 12% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 21% 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 Mesquite Continuation High?
65.7% of students at Mesquite Continuation High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Mesquite Continuation High?
The largest demographic group at Mesquite Continuation High is White at 51.6% of enrollment, in Ridgecrest, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 60.8/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Mesquite Continuation High?
Mesquite Continuation High has a Resource Investment Index of 46/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Mesquite Continuation High rank among public schools in Ridgecrest?
By Resource Investment Index, Mesquite Continuation High ranks #1 of 10 public schools in Ridgecrest, 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 Ridgecrest on the city page.
Is Mesquite Continuation High a good school?
Mesquite Continuation High earns 46/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 73% 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 Sierra Sands Unified?
Besides Mesquite Continuation High, Sierra Sands Unified also operates Burroughs High (1,536 students), Murray Middle (643 students), and Las Flores Elementary (526 students). See the Sierra Sands 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.