Enrollment
597
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Sierra Madre, CA
Sierra Madre Middle
Federal NCES profile for Sierra Madre Middle, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 25/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 062994013343
👥 S:T ratio 0
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 29
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Sierra Madre Middle earns 25/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 79% of California schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most California schools.
- 25
- Resource Index · Lower
- 24.9:1
- large classes for California
- 27.2%
- free-lunch eligible
- 597
- students enrolled
Sierra Madre Middle has class sizes larger than 79% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Pasadena Unified · California
NCES ID 062994013343 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
24.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
24.9:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
+16% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
27.2%
vs 55.5% California avg
-51% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Sierra Madre Middle compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Sierra Madre Middle
Sierra Madre Middle is a mid-sized middle school in Sierra Madre, California, enrolling 597 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 24.9:1 puts it in the larger third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 27.2% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 597 puts it in the larger third of California schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 9,998 scored California schools.
Among 1,392 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need California schools statewide, it ranks #1,066, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (33%) and Hispanic or Latino (30%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 74/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 597 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 28.3% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Pasadena Unified also operates Marshall Fundamental (1,689 students) and Pasadena High (1,303 students) alongside Sierra Madre Middle.
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 Madre Middle compares
Sierra Madre Middle on the metrics families compare, against California and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs California | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 24.9:1 | ▲ 16% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 27.2% | ▼ 51% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 597 | top 33% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
24.9:1
Leaner classes than 5% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
597
Bigger than 72% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
27.2%
free-lunch eligible
- 51% 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
24.9:1
students per teacher
- 16% above state mean
Top 79% in California - lower ratio than 21% of state schools
Well above 20:1, one of the more stretched staffing loads nationally relative to enrollment.
Engagement
28.3%
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
$17,889
per pupil, district-wide
- above California avg of $16,509
Somewhat above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 597 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 5 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.8 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 33.2%
Hispanic or Latino 30.3%
Asian 19.4%
Two or More 12.1%
African American 4.7%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.3%
Largest group: White at 33.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 74.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 74.3, Sierra Madre Middle is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Pasadena Unified, which includes Sierra Madre Middle.
$17,889
Per student
+8%
vs California
Avg $16,509
+8%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 45.4%
State 40.3%
Federal 14.3%
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 Madre Middle Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marshall Fundamental | Larger | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Pasadena High | Larger | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| John Muir High | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Blair High | Larger | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Jackson Elementary | Similar size | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Sierra Madre Middle's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,689
- Students per teacher
- 22.8:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 1,303
- Students per teacher
- 17.6:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 1,206
- Students per teacher
- 25.7:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 1,053
- Students per teacher
- 19.9:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 658
- Students per teacher
- 26.3:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
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 (~597 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~24.9:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Sierra Madre Middle's federal record.
- Compare Sierra Madre Middle against another school. Compare schools
- Pasadena 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 Madre Middle
How many students attend Sierra Madre Middle?
Sierra Madre Middle has 597 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Sierra Madre, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Sierra Madre Middle?
The student-teacher ratio at Sierra Madre Middle is 24.9:1, which is 16% higher than the California average of 21.5:1 and 59% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Sierra Madre Middle?
27.2% of students at Sierra Madre Middle are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Sierra Madre Middle?
The largest demographic group at Sierra Madre Middle is White at 33.2% of enrollment, in Sierra Madre, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 74.3/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Sierra Madre Middle?
Sierra Madre Middle has a Resource Investment Index of 25/100 (lower 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).
Is Sierra Madre Middle a good school?
Sierra Madre Middle earns 25/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 79% of California schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most 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 Pasadena Unified?
Besides Sierra Madre Middle, Pasadena Unified also operates Marshall Fundamental (1,689 students), Pasadena High (1,303 students), and John Muir High (1,206 students). See the Pasadena 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.