Enrollment
354
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Fresno, CA
Sierra Charter
Federal NCES profile for Sierra Charter, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 44/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 060160911846Charter school
👥 S:T ratio 46
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 99
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Sierra Charter earns 44/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 91% of California schools.
- #8 of 21
- schools in Fresno · Resource Index
- 44
- Resource Index · Typical
- 13.6:1
- small classes for California
- 67.9%
- free-lunch eligible
Sierra Charter has class sizes smaller than 91% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Sierra Charter ranks #8 of 21 schools in Fresno, CA.
School address
District: Sierra Charter District · California
NCES ID 060160911846 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
26.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.6:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-37% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
67.9%
vs 55.5% California avg
+22% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Sierra Charter compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Sierra Charter
Sierra Charter is a higher-need, mid-sized charter combined-grade school in Fresno, California, enrolling 354 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 13.6:1, Sierra Charter is leaner than roughly 91% of California schools and 37% under the state's 21.5:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 67.9% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 354 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 9,998 scored California schools.
Among 1,560 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need California schools statewide, it ranks #101, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (73%) and White (18%) (diversity index 43/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 499 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance holds up well here: only 0.6% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
Among Fresno's public schools, it stands alongside Yosemite Valley Charter (3,065 students): Sierra Charter is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (13.6:1 vs 36.5:1).
Sierra Charter District is a single-school charter district, so Sierra Charter operates independently rather than alongside district-mates.
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 Charter compares
Sierra Charter on the metrics families compare, against California and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs California | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 13.6:1 | ▼ 37% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 67.9% | ▲ 22% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 354 | top 67% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13.6:1
Leaner classes than 61% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
354
Bigger than 40% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
67.9%
free-lunch eligible
- 22% 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
13.6:1
students per teacher
- 37% below state mean
Top 9% in California - lower ratio than 91% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
0.6%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 5%, comfortably under the pre-pandemic national baseline for chronic absenteeism.
Funding equity
$15,437
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
Counselors0.7 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 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
Hispanic or Latino 72.9%
White 18.1%
African American 2.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 2.3%
Two or More 2.3%
Asian 2.0%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 72.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 43.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 43.4, Sierra Charter is less mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Sierra Charter District, which includes Sierra Charter.
$15,437
Per student
-6%
vs California
Avg $16,509
-7%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 10.2%
State 76.4%
Federal 13.4%
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 other schools in Fresno
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Yosemite Valley Charter
Standard public school
3,065 students 36.5:1 students per teacher
Crescent View West Public Charter
Standard public school
1,703 students 30.4:1 students per teacher
Crescent View South Ii
Standard public school
1,260 students 28.6:1 students per teacher
J. E. Young Academic Center
Alternative education program
976 students 12.5:1 students per teacher
Fresno County Special Education
Special-education school
597 students 8.4:1 students per teacher
Big Picture Educational Academy
Standard public school
520 students 18.6:1 students per teacher
Similar other 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 (~354 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~13.6:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Sierra Charter's federal record.
- Compare Sierra Charter against another school. Compare schools
- Sierra Charter District'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 Charter
How many students attend Sierra Charter?
Sierra Charter has 354 students enrolled. It is a public school in Fresno, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Sierra Charter?
The student-teacher ratio at Sierra Charter is 13.6:1, which is 37% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 13% 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 Charter?
67.9% of students at Sierra Charter are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Sierra Charter?
The largest demographic group at Sierra Charter is Hispanic or Latino at 72.9% of enrollment, in Fresno, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Sierra Charter?
Sierra Charter has a Resource Investment Index of 44/100 (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 Sierra Charter rank among schools in Fresno?
By Resource Investment Index, Sierra Charter ranks #8 of 21 schools in Fresno, CA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Fresno on the city page.
Is Sierra Charter a good school?
Sierra Charter earns 44/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 91% 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 Sierra Charter District?
None; Sierra Charter District is a single-school charter district, and Sierra Charter is its only campus.
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.