Enrollment
184
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Tollhouse, CA
Sierra Junior High
Federal NCES profile for Sierra Junior High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 39/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 063680512899
👥 S:T ratio 18
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 45
📋 Attendance 21
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Sierra Junior High earns 39/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median.
- #2 of 4
- public schools in Tollhouse · Resource Index
- 39
- Resource Index · Typical
- 20.4:1
- students per teacher
- 32.4%
- free-lunch eligible
Sierra Junior High has class sizes near the California median. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Sierra Junior High ranks #2 of 4 public schools in Tollhouse, CA.
School address
District: Sierra Unified · California
NCES ID 063680512899 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
9.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
20.4:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-5% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
32.4%
vs 55.5% California avg
-42% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Sierra Junior High compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Sierra Junior High
Sierra Junior High is a mid-sized middle school in Tollhouse, California, enrolling 184 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 20.4:1 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 32.4% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 184 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.
Against 273 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #91.
Its student body is led by White (58%) and Hispanic or Latino (19%) (diversity index 60/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 275 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 31.5% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Sierra Unified also operates Foothill Elementary (609 students) and Sierra High (367 students) alongside Sierra Junior 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 Junior High compares
Sierra Junior 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 | 20.4:1 | ▼ 5% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 32.4% | ▼ 42% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 184 | top 84% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
20.4:1
Leaner classes than 15% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
184
Bigger than 18% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
32.4%
free-lunch eligible
- 42% 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
20.4:1
students per teacher
- 5% below state mean
Top 38% in California - lower ratio than 62% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
31.5%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
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
Counselors0.7 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
9
in-school suspensions + 25 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 4.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 18.5 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 57.6%
Hispanic or Latino 19.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native 15.2%
Two or More 7.1%
Asian 1.1%
Largest group: White at 57.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 60.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 60.4, Sierra Junior High is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Sierra Unified, which includes Sierra Junior 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 Junior High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foothill Elementary | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Sierra High | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Sierra@Home | Smaller | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Sierra Alternative High | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Sierra Junior 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
- 81
- Students per teacher
- 20.3:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
- Enrollment
- 10
- Students per teacher
- 5:1
- Resource Index
- 75/100
Similar middle 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 (~184 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~20.4:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Sierra Junior High's federal record.
- Compare Sierra Junior 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 Junior High
How many students attend Sierra Junior High?
Sierra Junior High has 184 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Tollhouse, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Sierra Junior High?
The student-teacher ratio at Sierra Junior High is 20.4:1, which is 5% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 30% higher 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 Junior High?
32.4% of students at Sierra Junior High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Sierra Junior High?
The largest demographic group at Sierra Junior High is White at 57.6% of enrollment, in Tollhouse, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 60.4/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Sierra Junior High?
Sierra Junior High has a Resource Investment Index of 39/100 (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 Junior High rank among public schools in Tollhouse?
By Resource Investment Index, Sierra Junior High ranks #2 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 Junior High a good school?
Sierra Junior High earns 39/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median. 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 Junior High, Sierra Unified also operates Foothill Elementary (609 students), Sierra High (367 students), and Sierra@Home (81 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.