Enrollment
463
California · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Arbuckle, CA
Pierce High
Federal NCES profile for Pierce High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 25/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 063036004736
👥 S:T ratio 29
📚 AP courses 30
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 7
📋 Attendance 30
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Pierce High earns 25/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 80% of California schools.
- #3 of 4
- public schools in Arbuckle · Resource Index
- 25
- Resource Index · Lower
- 17.8:1
- small classes for California
- 58.3%
- free-lunch eligible
Pierce High has class sizes smaller than 80% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Pierce High ranks #3 of 4 public schools in Arbuckle, CA.
School address
District: Pierce Joint Unified · California
NCES ID 063036004736 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
26.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.8:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-17% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
58.3%
vs 55.5% California avg
+5% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Pierce High compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Pierce High
Pierce High is a higher-need, mid-sized high school in Arbuckle, California, enrolling 463 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 17.8:1 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 58.3% lands close to the California typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
With 463 students, its enrollment sits close to the California median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 9,998 scored California schools.
Against 1,729 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #941.
Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (82% of enrollment) (diversity index 30/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 6 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 463 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 28.1% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding Pierce Joint Unified spends $12,244 per pupil, 26% below the California average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Among Arbuckle's high schools, it stands alongside Arbuckle Alternative High (Continuation) (10 students): Pierce High is larger than that campus by headcount.
Pierce Joint Unified also operates Arbuckle Elementary (604 students) and Lloyd G. Johnson Junior High (321 students) alongside Pierce 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 Pierce High compares
Pierce 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 | 17.8:1 | ▼ 17% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 58.3% | ▲ 5% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 463 | top 51% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
17.8:1
Leaner classes than 26% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
463
Bigger than 57% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
58.3%
free-lunch eligible
- 5% 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
17.8:1
students per teacher
- 17% below state mean
Top 20% in California - lower ratio than 80% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
28.1%
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
$12,244
per pupil, district-wide
- below California avg of $16,509
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 463 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
2
in-school suspensions + 29 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 6.7 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
Hispanic or Latino 82.3%
White 14.0%
African American 1.3%
Asian 1.1%
Two or More 1.1%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 82.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 30.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 30.3, Pierce High is less mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
AP courses offered 6
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Pierce Joint Unified, which includes Pierce High.
$12,244
Per student
-26%
vs California
Avg $16,509
-26%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 35.1%
State 57.1%
Federal 7.8%
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 Pierce High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arbuckle Elementary | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Lloyd G. Johnson Junior High | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Grand Island Elementary | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Arbuckle Alternative High (Continuation) | Smaller | Similar economic need | No ratio data |
Comparisons are relative to Pierce High's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 604
- Students per teacher
- 23.2:1
- Resource Index
- 21/100
- Enrollment
- 321
- Students per teacher
- 18.9:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
- Enrollment
- 49
- Students per teacher
- 16.3:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 10
- Students per teacher
- -
- Resource Index
- 48/100
Similar high schools in Arbuckle
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 (~463 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~17.8:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Pierce High's federal record.
- Compare Pierce High against another school. Compare schools
- Pierce 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 Pierce High
How many students attend Pierce High?
Pierce High has 463 students enrolled. It is a high school in Arbuckle, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Pierce High?
The student-teacher ratio at Pierce High is 17.8:1, which is 17% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 13% 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 Pierce High?
58.3% of students at Pierce High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Pierce High?
The largest demographic group at Pierce High is Hispanic or Latino at 82.3% of enrollment, in Arbuckle, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Pierce High?
Pierce High has a Resource Investment Index of 25/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Pierce High rank among public schools in Arbuckle?
By Resource Investment Index, Pierce High ranks #3 of 4 public schools in Arbuckle, 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 Arbuckle on the city page.
Is Pierce High a good school?
Pierce High earns 25/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 80% 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 Pierce Joint Unified?
Besides Pierce High, Pierce Joint Unified also operates Arbuckle Elementary (604 students), Lloyd G. Johnson Junior High (321 students), and Grand Island Elementary (49 students). See the Pierce 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.