Enrollment
10
California · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Tollhouse, CA
Sierra Alternative High
Federal NCES profile for Sierra Alternative High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 53/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 063680500399
👥 S:T ratio 80
📚 AP courses 10
🌟 Gifted program 70
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Sierra Alternative High earns 53/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 99% of California schools. It is also one of the smallest schools in California.
- #1 of 4
- public schools in Tollhouse · Resource Index
- 53
- Resource Index · Higher
- 5:1
- small classes for California
- 57.1%
- free-lunch eligible
Sierra Alternative High has class sizes smaller than 99% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Sierra Alternative High ranks #1 of 4 public schools in Tollhouse, CA.
School address
District: Sierra Unified · California
NCES ID 063680500399 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
2.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
5:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-77% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
57.1%
vs 55.5% California avg
+3% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Sierra Alternative High compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Sierra Alternative High
Sierra Alternative High is a higher-need, small high school in Tollhouse, California, enrolling 10 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 5:1, Sierra Alternative High is leaner than roughly 99% of California schools and 77% under the state's 21.5:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 57.1% lands close to the California typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
This is a small campus: fewer students than 98% of California schools, with 10 enrolled.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 100% of the 9,998 California schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Among 48 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need California schools statewide, it ranks #1, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (60%) and American Indian / Alaska Native (40%) (diversity index 48/100).
No Advanced Placement courses are reported for this campus in the federal data.
Discipline events run high: 13 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 10 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
Among Tollhouse's high schools, it stands alongside Sierra High (367 students): Sierra Alternative High is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (5:1 vs 17.5:1).
Sierra Unified also operates Foothill Elementary (609 students) and Sierra High (367 students) alongside Sierra Alternative 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 Sierra Alternative High compares
Sierra Alternative 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 | 5:1 | ▼ 77% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 57.1% | ▲ 3% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 10 | top 98% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
5:1
Leaner classes than 98% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
10
Bigger than 1% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
57.1%
free-lunch eligible
- 3% 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
5:1
students per teacher
- 77% below state mean
Top 1% in California - lower ratio than 99% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Funding equity
$16,775
per pupil, district-wide
- above California avg of $16,509
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
7
in-school suspensions + 6 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 70.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 130.0 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 60.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native 40.0%
Largest group: White at 60.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 48.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 48.0, Sierra Alternative High is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
AP program Not offered
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Sierra Unified, which includes Sierra Alternative High.
$16,775
Per student
+2%
vs California
Avg $16,509
+1%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 46.6%
State 44.9%
Federal 8.6%
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 Sierra Alternative High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foothill Elementary | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Sierra High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Sierra Junior High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Sierra@Home | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Sierra Alternative High's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 609
- Students per teacher
- 21.8:1
- Resource Index
- 28/100
- Enrollment
- 367
- Students per teacher
- 17.5:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 184
- Students per teacher
- 20.4:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
- Enrollment
- 81
- Students per teacher
- 20.3:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
Similar high schools in Tollhouse
1 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
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 (~10 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~5:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Sierra Alternative High's federal record.
- Compare Sierra Alternative High against another school. Compare schools
- Sierra 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 Sierra Alternative High
How many students attend Sierra Alternative High?
Sierra Alternative High has 10 students enrolled. It is a high school in Tollhouse, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Sierra Alternative High?
The student-teacher ratio at Sierra Alternative High is 5:1, which is 77% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 68% 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 Sierra Alternative High?
57.1% of students at Sierra Alternative High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Sierra Alternative High?
The largest demographic group at Sierra Alternative High is White at 60.0% of enrollment, in Tollhouse, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Sierra Alternative High?
Sierra Alternative High has a Resource Investment Index of 53/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Sierra Alternative High rank among public schools in Tollhouse?
By Resource Investment Index, Sierra Alternative High ranks #1 of 4 public schools in Tollhouse, CA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Tollhouse on the city page.
Is Sierra Alternative High a good school?
Sierra Alternative High earns 53/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 99% of California schools. It is also one of the smallest schools in California. 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 Sierra Unified?
Besides Sierra Alternative High, Sierra Unified also operates Foothill Elementary (609 students), Sierra High (367 students), and Sierra Junior High (184 students). See the Sierra 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.