Enrollment
293
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Auburn, CA
Placer County Pathways Charter
Federal NCES profile for Placer County Pathways Charter, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 24/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 069102513072Charter school
👥 S:T ratio 38
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 29
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Placer County Pathways Charter earns 24/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 88% of California schools.
- #3 of 3
- schools in Auburn · Resource Index
- 24
- Resource Index · Lower
- 15.4:1
- small classes for California
- 35.3%
- free-lunch eligible
Placer County Pathways Charter has class sizes smaller than 88% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Placer County Pathways Charter ranks #3 of 3 schools in Auburn, CA.
School address
District: Placer County Office of Education · California
NCES ID 069102513072 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
19.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.4:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-28% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
35.3%
vs 55.5% California avg
-36% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Placer County Pathways Charter compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Placer County Pathways Charter
Placer County Pathways Charter is a mid-sized charter combined-grade school in Auburn, California, enrolling 293 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 15.4:1, Placer County Pathways Charter is leaner than roughly 88% of California schools and 28% under the state's 21.5:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 35.3% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 293 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 9,998 scored California schools.
Among 670 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need California schools statewide, it ranks #506, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (62%) and Hispanic or Latino (29%) (diversity index 53/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 586 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 28.3% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 15.6% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Auburn's public schools, it stands alongside Placer County Special Education (85 students): Placer County Pathways Charter is larger than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (15.4:1 vs 7.1:1).
Placer County Office of Education also operates Placer County Special Education (85 students) and Sierra Vista (16 students) alongside Placer County Pathways Charter.
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 Placer County Pathways Charter compares
Placer County Pathways Charter on the metrics families compare, against California and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs California | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 15.4:1 | ▼ 28% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 35.3% | ▼ 36% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 293 | top 75% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
15.4:1
Leaner classes than 43% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
293
Bigger than 31% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
35.3%
free-lunch eligible
- 36% below the California average of 55.5%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
15.4:1
students per teacher
- 28% below state mean
Top 12% in California - lower ratio than 88% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
28.3%
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.
Support staff
Counselors0.5 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 1 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.3 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 62.0%
Hispanic or Latino 29.1%
Two or More 6.2%
African American 1.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.0%
Asian 0.3%
Largest group: White at 62.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 52.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 52.7, Placer County Pathways Charter is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
How Placer County Pathways Charter Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Placer County Special Education | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Sierra Vista | Smaller | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Placer County Court Schools | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Placer County Pathways Charter's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 85
- Students per teacher
- 7.1:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 16
- Students per teacher
- 16:1
- Resource Index
- 22/100
- Enrollment
- 14
- Students per teacher
- 4.7:1
- Resource Index
- 69/100
Similar other schools in Auburn
2 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
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 (~293 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~15.4:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Placer County Pathways Charter's federal record.
- Compare Placer County Pathways Charter against another school. Compare schools
- Placer County Office of Education'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 Placer County Pathways Charter
How many students attend Placer County Pathways Charter?
Placer County Pathways Charter has 293 students enrolled. It is an alternative school in Auburn, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Placer County Pathways Charter?
The student-teacher ratio at Placer County Pathways Charter is 15.4:1, which is 28% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 2% lower 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 Placer County Pathways Charter?
35.3% of students at Placer County Pathways Charter are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Placer County Pathways Charter?
The largest demographic group at Placer County Pathways Charter is White at 62.0% of enrollment, in Auburn, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 52.7/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Placer County Pathways Charter?
Placer County Pathways Charter has a Resource Investment Index of 24/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Placer County Pathways Charter rank among schools in Auburn?
By Resource Investment Index, Placer County Pathways Charter ranks #3 of 3 schools in Auburn, CA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Auburn on the city page.
Is Placer County Pathways Charter a good school?
Placer County Pathways Charter earns 24/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 88% 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 Placer County Office of Education?
Besides Placer County Pathways Charter, Placer County Office of Education also operates Placer County Special Education (85 students), Sierra Vista (16 students), and Placer County Court Schools (14 students). See the Placer County Office of Education 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.