Enrollment
77
California · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Merced, CA
Sequoia High
Federal NCES profile for Sequoia High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 48/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 062466011689
👥 S:T ratio 66
📚 AP courses 10
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 85
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Sequoia High earns 48/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 97% of California schools.
- #1 of 7
- high schools in Merced · Resource Index
- 48
- Resource Index · Typical
- 8.6:1
- small classes for California
- 86.5%
- free-lunch eligible
Sequoia High has class sizes smaller than 97% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Sequoia High ranks #1 of 7 high schools in Merced, CA.
School address
District: Merced Union High · California
NCES ID 062466011689 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
9.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
8.6:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-60% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
86.5%
vs 55.5% California avg
+56% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Sequoia High compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Sequoia High
Sequoia High is a high-poverty, small high school in Merced, California, enrolling 77 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 8.6:1, Sequoia High is leaner than roughly 97% of California schools and 60% under the state's 21.5:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Economic need is high: 86.5% of students qualify for free meals, 56% above the California average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
This is a small campus: fewer students than 91% of California schools, with 77 enrolled.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 97% of the 9,998 California schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Against 190 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #33.
Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (82% of enrollment) (diversity index 31/100).
No Advanced Placement courses are reported for this campus in the federal data.
Counselor coverage is strong, about 77 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 28 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Among Merced's high schools, it stands alongside Merced High (1,943 students): Sequoia High is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (8.6:1 vs 23.1:1).
Merced Union High also operates Atwater High (2,029 students) and Merced High (1,943 students) alongside Sequoia 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 Sequoia High compares
Sequoia 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 | 8.6:1 | ▼ 60% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 86.5% | ▲ 56% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 77 | top 91% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
8.6:1
Leaner classes than 94% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
77
Bigger than 8% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
86.5%
free-lunch eligible
- 56% above the California average of 55.5%
Well above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold, among the highest-need profiles in the state; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
8.6:1
students per teacher
- 60% below state mean
Top 3% in California - lower ratio than 97% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Funding equity
$14,866
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 77 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 8 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 10.4 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 28 expulsions.
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 81.8%
White 13.0%
African American 3.9%
Asian 1.3%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 81.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 31.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 31.2, Sequoia High is less mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
AP program Not offered
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Merced Union High, which includes Sequoia High.
$14,866
Per student
-10%
vs California
Avg $16,509
-10%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 19.9%
State 67.1%
Federal 13.0%
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 Sequoia High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Atwater High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Merced High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Golden Valley High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| El Capitan High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Buhach Colony High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Sequoia High's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,029
- Students per teacher
- 21.1:1
- Resource Index
- 21/100
- Enrollment
- 1,943
- Students per teacher
- 23.1:1
- Resource Index
- 20/100
- Enrollment
- 1,917
- Students per teacher
- 21.5:1
- Resource Index
- 22/100
- Enrollment
- 1,793
- Students per teacher
- 21.3:1
- Resource Index
- 24/100
- Enrollment
- 1,704
- Students per teacher
- 20.3:1
- Resource Index
- 29/100
Similar high schools in Merced
6 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
Merced High
Standard public school
1,943 students 23.1:1 students per teacher
Golden Valley High
Standard public school
1,917 students 21.5:1 students per teacher
El Capitan High
Standard public school
1,793 students 21.3:1 students per teacher
Yosemite High (Continuation)
Alternative education program
342 students 15.5:1 students per teacher
Come Back Charter
Standard public school
128 students 42.7:1 students per teacher
Independence High (Alternative)
Alternative education program
87 students 9.7:1 students per teacher
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 (~77 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Sequoia High's federal record.
- Compare Sequoia High against another school. Compare schools
- Merced Union High'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 Sequoia High
How many students attend Sequoia High?
Sequoia High has 77 students enrolled. It is a high school in Merced, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Sequoia High?
The student-teacher ratio at Sequoia High is 8.6:1, which is 60% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 45% 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 Sequoia High?
86.5% of students at Sequoia High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Sequoia High?
The largest demographic group at Sequoia High is Hispanic or Latino at 81.8% of enrollment, in Merced, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Sequoia High?
Sequoia High has a Resource Investment Index of 48/100 (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 Sequoia High rank among high schools in Merced?
By Resource Investment Index, Sequoia High ranks #1 of 7 high schools in Merced, CA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all high schools in Merced on the city page.
Is Sequoia High a good school?
Sequoia High earns 48/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 97% 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 Merced Union High?
Besides Sequoia High, Merced Union High also operates Atwater High (2,029 students), Merced High (1,943 students), and Golden Valley High (1,917 students). See the Merced Union High 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.