Enrollment
829
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Riverside, CA
Sierra Middle
Federal NCES profile for Sierra Middle, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 36/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 063315005158
👥 S:T ratio 8
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 34
📋 Attendance 32
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Sierra Middle earns 36/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median.
- #3 of 11
- middle schools in Riverside · Resource Index
- 36
- Resource Index · Typical
- 23:1
- students per teacher
- 74.6%
- free-lunch eligible
Sierra Middle has class sizes near the California median. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Sierra Middle ranks #3 of 11 middle schools in Riverside, CA.
School address
District: Riverside Unified · California
NCES ID 063315005158 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
36.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
23:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
+7% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
74.6%
vs 55.5% California avg
+34% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Sierra Middle compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Sierra Middle
Sierra Middle is a higher-need, mid-sized middle school in Riverside, California, enrolling 829 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 23:1 puts it in the larger third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 74.6% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 829 puts it in the larger third of California schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 9,998 scored California schools.
Against 1,475 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #162.
Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (83% of enrollment) (diversity index 30/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 332 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 27.3% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The federal civil-rights collection also records 1 expulsion at this campus for 2021-22.
Among Riverside's middle schools, it stands alongside Ysmael Villegas Middle (1,136 students): Sierra Middle is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (23:1 vs 21:1).
Riverside Unified also operates Martin Luther King Jr. High (2,699 students) and Polytechnic High (2,484 students) alongside Sierra 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 Middle compares
Sierra 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 | 23:1 | ▲ 7% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 74.6% | ▲ 34% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 829 | top 16% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
23:1
Leaner classes than 8% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
829
Bigger than 87% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
74.6%
free-lunch eligible
- 34% 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
23:1
students per teacher
- 7% above state mean
Top 62% in California - lower ratio than 38% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
27.3%
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
$14,545
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
Counselors2.5 FTE
Per 332 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
9
in-school suspensions + 99 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 13.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 1 expulsion.
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 83.3%
White 7.6%
African American 5.6%
Two or More 1.7%
Asian 1.6%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 83.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 29.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 29.7, Sierra Middle is less mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Riverside Unified, which includes Sierra Middle.
$14,545
Per student
-12%
vs California
Avg $16,509
-12%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 24.1%
State 64.5%
Federal 11.4%
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.
How Sierra Middle Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Martin Luther King Jr. High | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Polytechnic High | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Ramona High | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| John W. North High | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Arlington High | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Sierra Middle's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,699
- Students per teacher
- 23.7:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 2,484
- Students per teacher
- 24.1:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 2,142
- Students per teacher
- 23:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 2,011
- Students per teacher
- 22.1:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 1,920
- Students per teacher
- 24.3:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
Similar middle schools in Riverside
6 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) serving the same city.
Ysmael Villegas Middle
Standard public school
1,136 students 21:1 students per teacher
Loma Vista Middle
Standard public school
1,027 students 22.3:1 students per teacher
Chemawa Middle
Standard public school
885 students 25.3:1 students per teacher
University Heights Middle
Standard public school
870 students 24.2:1 students per teacher
Frank Augustus Miller Middle
Standard public school
844 students 25.6:1 students per teacher
Matthew Gage Middle
Standard public school
840 students 21.5:1 students per teacher
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 (~829 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~23:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Sierra Middle's federal record.
- Compare Sierra Middle against another school. Compare schools
- Riverside 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 Middle
How many students attend Sierra Middle?
Sierra Middle has 829 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Riverside, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Sierra Middle?
The student-teacher ratio at Sierra Middle is 23:1, which is 7% higher than the California average of 21.5:1 and 46% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Sierra Middle?
74.6% of students at Sierra Middle are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Sierra Middle?
The largest demographic group at Sierra Middle is Hispanic or Latino at 83.3% of enrollment, in Riverside, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Sierra Middle?
Sierra Middle has a Resource Investment Index of 36/100 (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 Middle rank among middle schools in Riverside?
By Resource Investment Index, Sierra Middle ranks #3 of 11 middle schools in Riverside, CA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all middle schools in Riverside on the city page.
Is Sierra Middle a good school?
Sierra Middle earns 36/100 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 Riverside Unified?
Besides Sierra Middle, Riverside Unified also operates Martin Luther King Jr. High (2,699 students), Polytechnic High (2,484 students), and Ramona High (2,142 students). See the Riverside 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.