Enrollment
2,368
California · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 061233007226
Sheldon High — Sacramento, CA
Federal NCES profile for Sheldon High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 40/100.
👥 Class size 8
📚 AP courses 50
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 32
📋 Attendance 40
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
District: Elk Grove Unified · California
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
109.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
22.9:1
vs 21.6:1 California avg
+6% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
39.0%
vs 55.5% California avg
-30% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Sheldon High compares with California and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
Sheldon High reports 2,368 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 109.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 22.9:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 6% above the California state mean of 21.6:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 44% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 39.0% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 30% below the California average and 25% below the national baseline. The school offers 10 Advanced Placement courses, a stronger academic pipeline indicator than enrollment alone. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 338 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 24.0% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Elk Grove Unified spends $16,975 per pupil district-wide, below the California average of $18,039 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 22.1% from local sources (property taxes), 65.7% from the state, and 12.2% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 40/100 (D), calculated from 5 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Sheldon High compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against California state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs California | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 22.9:1 | ▲ 6% | 21.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 39.0% | ▼ 30% | 55.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 2,368 | top 98% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Economic need
39.0%
free-lunch eligible
— 30% 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
22.9:1
students per teacher
— 6% above state mean
Top 60% in California — lower ratio than 40% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Engagement
24.0%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$16,975
per pupil, district-wide
— below California avg of $18,039
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors7.0 FTE
Per 338 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
79
in-school suspensions + 102 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 3.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 7.6 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 1 expulsion.
Overview
Enrollment 2,368 Top 98% in California — larger than 2% of 10,006 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 109.0
Students per teacher 22.9:1 +6% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 39.0% -30% vs state
NCES ID 061233007226
Student demographics
Asian 42.4%
Hispanic or Latino 25.4%
African American 11.0%
White 9.9%
Two or More 8.9%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 1.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.8%
Largest group: Asian at 42.4% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 10
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 7.0
Students per counselor 338:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 24.0%
In-school suspensions 79
Out-of-school suspensions 102
Expulsions 1
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Elk Grove Unified, which includes Sheldon High.
$16,975
Per student
-6%
vs California
Avg $18,039
-13%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 22.1%
State 65.7%
Federal 12.2%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,650
- Students per teacher
- 22.7:1
- Enrollment
- 2,536
- Students per teacher
- 22.5:1
- Enrollment
- 2,263
- Students per teacher
- 22:1
- Enrollment
- 2,142
- Students per teacher
- 21.9:1
- Enrollment
- 2,109
- Students per teacher
- 22.8:1
Similar high schools in Sacramento
6 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
C. K. Mcclatchy High
Standard public school
2,569 students 27.3:1 students per teacher
Inderkum High
Standard public school
2,194 students 24.9:1 students per teacher
Grant Union High
Standard public school
1,987 students 21.5:1 students per teacher
Rio Americano High
Standard public school
1,891 students 24.8:1 students per teacher
Hiram W. Johnson High
Standard public school
1,682 students 21.4:1 students per teacher
Florin High
Standard public school
1,679 students 18:1 students per teacher
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about Sheldon High
How many students attend Sheldon High?
Sheldon High has 2,368 students enrolled. It is a high school in Sacramento, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Sheldon High?
The student-teacher ratio at Sheldon High is 22.9:1, which is 6% higher than the California average of 21.6:1 and 44% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Sheldon High?
39.0% of students at Sheldon High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Sheldon High?
The largest demographic group at Sheldon High is Asian at 42.4%. The school serves a diverse student body in Sacramento, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Sheldon High?
Sheldon High has a Resource Investment Index of 40/100 (D) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.