Enrollment
207
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Madera, CA
Pioneer Technical Center
Federal NCES profile for Pioneer Technical Center, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 40/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 069101710539Charter school
👥 S:T ratio 31
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 59
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Pioneer Technical Center earns 40/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 82% of California schools.
- #7 of 10
- schools in Madera · Resource Index
- 40
- Resource Index · Typical
- 17.3:1
- small classes for California
- 80.2%
- free-lunch eligible
Pioneer Technical Center has class sizes smaller than 82% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Pioneer Technical Center ranks #7 of 10 schools in Madera, CA.
School address
District: Madera County Superintendent of Schools · California
NCES ID 069101710539 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
12.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.3:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-20% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
80.2%
vs 55.5% California avg
+45% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Pioneer Technical Center compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Pioneer Technical Center
Pioneer Technical Center is a high-poverty, mid-sized charter combined-grade school in Madera, California, enrolling 207 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 17.3:1 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 80.2% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 207 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 9,998 scored California schools.
Against 572 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #139.
Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (86% of enrollment) (diversity index 26/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 207 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
The surrounding Madera County Superintendent of Schools spends $64,738 per pupil, 292% above the California average, a better-resourced district than most.
Its district draws 21.5% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Madera's public schools, it stands alongside Gould Educational Center (351 students): Pioneer Technical Center is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (17.3:1 vs 8:1).
Madera County Superintendent of Schools also operates Gould Educational Center (351 students) and Madera County Independent Academy (61 students) alongside Pioneer Technical Center.
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 Pioneer Technical Center compares
Pioneer Technical Center on the metrics families compare, against California and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs California | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 17.3:1 | ▼ 20% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 80.2% | ▲ 45% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 207 | top 82% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
17.3:1
Leaner classes than 29% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
207
Bigger than 20% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
80.2%
free-lunch eligible
- 45% 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
17.3:1
students per teacher
- 20% below state mean
Top 18% in California - lower ratio than 82% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Funding equity
$64,738
per pupil, district-wide
- above California avg of $16,509
Well above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting substantially higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 207 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 2 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.4 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 85.5%
White 11.6%
African American 1.4%
Two or More 1.4%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 85.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 25.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 25.5, Pioneer Technical Center is less mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Madera County Superintendent of Schools, which includes Pioneer Technical Center.
$64,738
Per student
+292%
vs California
Avg $16,509
+290%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 32.4%
State 46.1%
Federal 21.5%
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 Pioneer Technical Center Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gould Educational Center | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Madera County Independent Academy | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Juvenile Hall (Endeavor/Voyager Secondary) | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Pioneer Technical Center's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 351
- Students per teacher
- 8:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 61
- Students per teacher
- 30.5:1
- Resource Index
- 29/100
- Enrollment
- 29
- Students per teacher
- 9.7:1
- Resource Index
- 62/100
Similar other schools in Madera
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Gould Educational Center
Special-education school
351 students 8:1 students per teacher
Duane E. Furman Independent Study
Alternative education program
348 students 16.6:1 students per teacher
Madera County Independent Academy
Alternative education program
61 students 30.5:1 students per teacher
Freedom Home
Alternative education program
53 students 53:1 students per teacher
Ripperdan Community Day
Alternative education program
49 students 9.8:1 students per teacher
Juvenile Hall (Endeavor/Voyager Secondary)
Alternative education program
29 students 9.7:1 students per teacher
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 (~207 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Pioneer Technical Center's federal record.
- Compare Pioneer Technical Center against another school. Compare schools
- Madera County Superintendent of Schools'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 Pioneer Technical Center
How many students attend Pioneer Technical Center?
Pioneer Technical Center has 207 students enrolled. It is an alternative school in Madera, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Pioneer Technical Center?
The student-teacher ratio at Pioneer Technical Center is 17.3:1, which is 20% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 10% 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 Pioneer Technical Center?
80.2% of students at Pioneer Technical Center are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Pioneer Technical Center?
The largest demographic group at Pioneer Technical Center is Hispanic or Latino at 85.5% of enrollment, in Madera, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Pioneer Technical Center?
Pioneer Technical Center has a Resource Investment Index of 40/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Pioneer Technical Center rank among schools in Madera?
By Resource Investment Index, Pioneer Technical Center ranks #7 of 10 schools in Madera, CA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Madera on the city page.
Is Pioneer Technical Center a good school?
Pioneer Technical Center earns 40/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 82% 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 Madera County Superintendent of Schools?
Besides Pioneer Technical Center, Madera County Superintendent of Schools also operates Gould Educational Center (351 students), Madera County Independent Academy (61 students), and Juvenile Hall (Endeavor/Voyager Secondary) (29 students). See the Madera County Superintendent of Schools 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.