Enrollment
328
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Sacramento, CA
Rio Tierra Junior High
Federal NCES profile for Rio Tierra Junior High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 32/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 060133201993
👥 S:T ratio 23
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 34
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Rio Tierra Junior High earns 32/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 71% of California schools.
- #7 of 18
- middle schools in Sacramento · Resource Index
- 32
- Resource Index · Typical
- 19.3:1
- small classes for California
- 76.4%
- free-lunch eligible
Rio Tierra Junior High has class sizes smaller than 71% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Rio Tierra Junior High ranks #7 of 18 middle schools in Sacramento, CA.
School address
District: Twin Rivers Unified · California
NCES ID 060133201993 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
17.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
19.3:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-10% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
76.4%
vs 55.5% California avg
+38% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Rio Tierra Junior High compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Rio Tierra Junior High
Rio Tierra Junior High is a high-poverty, mid-sized middle school in Sacramento, California, enrolling 328 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 19.3:1 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 76.4% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 328 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 9,998 scored California schools.
Against 1,440 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #471.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (58%) and African American (17%) (diversity index 62/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 328 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 42.7% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 21.0% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Discipline events run high: 85 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 328 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
Among Sacramento's middle schools, it stands alongside Sutter Middle (1,181 students): Rio Tierra Junior High is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (19.3:1 vs 27.5:1).
Twin Rivers Unified also operates Grant Union High (1,987 students) and Rio Linda High (1,594 students) alongside Rio Tierra Junior 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 Rio Tierra Junior High compares
Rio Tierra Junior 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 | 19.3:1 | ▼ 10% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 76.4% | ▲ 38% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 328 | top 70% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
19.3:1
Leaner classes than 19% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
328
Bigger than 36% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
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
19.3:1
students per teacher
- 10% below state mean
Top 29% in California - lower ratio than 71% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
42.7%
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
$17,365
per pupil, district-wide
- above California avg of $16,509
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 328 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
4
in-school suspensions + 81 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 25.9 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 57.5%
African American 17.4%
Asian 8.9%
Two or More 8.3%
White 4.9%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 2.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 57.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 62.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 62.1, Rio Tierra Junior High is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Twin Rivers Unified, which includes Rio Tierra Junior High.
$17,365
Per student
+5%
vs California
Avg $16,509
+5%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 19.3%
State 59.8%
Federal 21.0%
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 Rio Tierra Junior High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grant Union High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Rio Linda High | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Foothill High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Smythe Academy of Arts and Sciences | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Las Palmas Elementary | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Rio Tierra Junior High's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,987
- Students per teacher
- 20.9:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 1,594
- Students per teacher
- 19.4:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
- Enrollment
- 1,417
- Students per teacher
- 26.2:1
- Resource Index
- 19/100
- Enrollment
- 1,091
- Students per teacher
- 23.7:1
- Resource Index
- 19/100
- Enrollment
- 1,001
- Students per teacher
- 25.7:1
- Resource Index
- 10/100
Similar middle schools in Sacramento
6 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) serving the same city.
Sutter Middle
Standard public school
1,181 students 27.5:1 students per teacher
T. R. Smedberg Middle
Standard public school
1,065 students 23.7:1 students per teacher
Arden Middle
Standard public school
1,010 students 27.3:1 students per teacher
Samuel Jackman Middle
Standard public school
909 students 21.1:1 students per teacher
James Rutter Middle
Standard public school
871 students 19.8:1 students per teacher
California Middle
Standard public school
782 students 19.1:1 students per teacher
Similar middle 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 (~328 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~19.3:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Rio Tierra Junior High's federal record.
- Compare Rio Tierra Junior High against another school. Compare schools
- Twin Rivers 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 Rio Tierra Junior High
How many students attend Rio Tierra Junior High?
Rio Tierra Junior High has 328 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Sacramento, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Rio Tierra Junior High?
The student-teacher ratio at Rio Tierra Junior High is 19.3:1, which is 10% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 23% 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 Rio Tierra Junior High?
76.4% of students at Rio Tierra Junior High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Rio Tierra Junior High?
The largest demographic group at Rio Tierra Junior High is Hispanic or Latino at 57.5% of enrollment, in Sacramento, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 62.1/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Rio Tierra Junior High?
Rio Tierra Junior High has a Resource Investment Index of 32/100 (typical 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 Rio Tierra Junior High rank among middle schools in Sacramento?
By Resource Investment Index, Rio Tierra Junior High ranks #7 of 18 middle schools in Sacramento, CA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all middle schools in Sacramento on the city page.
Is Rio Tierra Junior High a good school?
Rio Tierra Junior High earns 32/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 71% 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 Twin Rivers Unified?
Besides Rio Tierra Junior High, Twin Rivers Unified also operates Grant Union High (1,987 students), Rio Linda High (1,594 students), and Foothill High (1,417 students). See the Twin Rivers 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.