Enrollment
60
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Herlong, CA
Sierra Primary
Federal NCES profile for Sierra Primary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 10/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 060001109068
👥 S:T ratio 0
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Sierra Primary earns 10/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 96% of California schools.
- #4 of 4
- public schools in Herlong · Resource Index
- 10
- Resource Index · Lower
- 30:1
- large classes for California
- 76.1%
- free-lunch eligible
Sierra Primary has class sizes larger than 96% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Sierra Primary ranks #4 of 4 public schools in Herlong, CA.
School address
District: Fort Sage Unified · California
NCES ID 060001109068 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
2.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
30:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
+40% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
76.1%
vs 55.5% California avg
+37% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Sierra Primary compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Sierra Primary
Sierra Primary is a high-poverty, small elementary school in Herlong, California, enrolling 60 students.
Class loads run heavy: 30:1 is larger than about 96% of California schools and 40% above the 21.5:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 76.1% of students eligible for free meals.
This is a small campus: fewer students than 93% of California schools, with 60 enrolled.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 98% of the 9,998 California schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.
Among 174 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need California schools statewide, it ranks #168, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (62%) and Hispanic or Latino (30%) (diversity index 53/100).
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 60.0% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Fort Sage Unified also operates Mt. Lassen Charter (154 students) and Herlong High (46 students) alongside Sierra Primary.
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 Primary compares
Sierra Primary on the metrics families compare, against California and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs California | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 30:1 | ▲ 40% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 76.1% | ▲ 37% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 60 | top 93% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
30:1
Leaner classes than 2% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
60
Bigger than 6% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
76.1%
free-lunch eligible
- 37% 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
30:1
students per teacher
- 40% above state mean
Top 96% in California - lower ratio than 4% of state schools
Well above 20:1, one of the more stretched staffing loads nationally relative to enrollment.
Engagement
60.0%
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
$16,452
per pupil, district-wide
- below 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
0
in-school suspensions + 5 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 8.3 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 61.7%
Hispanic or Latino 30.0%
Two or More 5.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.7%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 1.7%
Largest group: White at 61.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 52.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 52.6, Sierra Primary is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Fort Sage Unified, which includes Sierra Primary.
$16,452
Per student
0%
vs California
Avg $16,509
-1%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 13.8%
State 79.8%
Federal 6.4%
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 Primary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mt. Lassen Charter | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Herlong High | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Fort Sage Middle | Smaller | Lower economic need | No ratio data |
Comparisons are relative to Sierra Primary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 154
- Students per teacher
- 25.7:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 46
- Students per teacher
- 11.5:1
- Resource Index
- 28/100
- Enrollment
- 9
- Students per teacher
- -
- Resource Index
- 30/100
Similar elementary 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 (~60 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Sierra Primary's federal record.
- Compare Sierra Primary against another school. Compare schools
- Fort Sage 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 Primary
How many students attend Sierra Primary?
Sierra Primary has 60 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Herlong, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Sierra Primary?
The student-teacher ratio at Sierra Primary is 30:1, which is 40% higher than the California average of 21.5:1 and 91% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Sierra Primary?
76.1% of students at Sierra Primary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Sierra Primary?
The largest demographic group at Sierra Primary is White at 61.7% of enrollment, in Herlong, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 52.6/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Sierra Primary?
Sierra Primary has a Resource Investment Index of 10/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Sierra Primary rank among public schools in Herlong?
By Resource Investment Index, Sierra Primary ranks #4 of 4 public schools in Herlong, 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 Herlong on the city page.
Is Sierra Primary a good school?
Sierra Primary earns 10/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 96% 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 Fort Sage Unified?
Besides Sierra Primary, Fort Sage Unified also operates Mt. Lassen Charter (154 students), Herlong High (46 students), and Fort Sage Middle (9 students). See the Fort Sage 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.