Enrollment
69
California · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 060156312209 Charter school
Sherman Thomas Charter High — Madera, CA
Federal NCES profile for Sherman Thomas Charter High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 18/100.
👥 Class size 33
📚 AP courses 10
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 0
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: Sherman Thomas Charter High District · 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)
5.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.8:1
vs 21.6:1 California avg
-22% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
47.6%
vs 55.5% California avg
-14% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Sherman Thomas Charter 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
Sherman Thomas Charter High reports 69 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 5.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 16.8:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 22% below the California state mean of 21.6:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 6% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 47.6% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 14% below the California average and 8% below the national baseline. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 49.3% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Sherman Thomas Charter High District spends $11,975 per pupil district-wide, below the California average of $18,039 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 12.4% from local sources (property taxes), 86.2% from the state, and 1.4% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 18/100 (F), calculated from 4 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 Sherman Thomas Charter 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 | 16.8:1 | ▼ 22% | 21.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 47.6% | ▼ 14% | 55.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 69 | top 8% | — | — |
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
47.6%
free-lunch eligible
— 14% below the California average of 55.5%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
16.8:1
students per teacher
— 22% below state mean
Top 13% in California — lower ratio than 87% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
49.3%
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
$11,975
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
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 2 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.9 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 69 Top 8% in California — larger than 92% of 10,006 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 5.0
Students per teacher 16.8:1 -22% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 47.6% -14% vs state
NCES ID 060156312209
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 72.5%
White 21.7%
African American 2.9%
Asian 1.4%
Two or More 1.4%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 72.5% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP program Not offered
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 49.3%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 2
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Sherman Thomas Charter High District, which includes Sherman Thomas Charter High.
$11,975
Per student
-34%
vs California
Avg $18,039
-39%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 12.4%
State 86.2%
Federal 1.4%
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.
Similar high schools in Madera
6 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
Matilda Torres High
Standard public school
2,017 students 23.3:1 students per teacher
Madera High
Standard public school
1,869 students 23.5:1 students per teacher
Madera South High
Standard public school
1,859 students 22.4:1 students per teacher
Liberty High
Standard public school
748 students 21:1 students per teacher
Mountain Vista High
Alternative education program
162 students 13.8:1 students per teacher
Independence Continuation High
Alternative education program
45 students 21.5:1 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 Sherman Thomas Charter High
How many students attend Sherman Thomas Charter High?
Sherman Thomas Charter High has 69 students enrolled. It is a high school in Madera, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Sherman Thomas Charter High?
The student-teacher ratio at Sherman Thomas Charter High is 16.8:1, which is 22% lower than the California average of 21.6:1 and 6% higher than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Sherman Thomas Charter High?
47.6% of students at Sherman Thomas Charter High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Sherman Thomas Charter High?
The largest demographic group at Sherman Thomas Charter High is Hispanic or Latino at 72.5%. The school serves a diverse student body in Madera, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Sherman Thomas Charter High?
Sherman Thomas Charter High has a Resource Investment Index of 18/100 (F) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.