Enrollment
169
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Santa Rosa, CA
Sonoma County Special Education
Federal NCES profile for Sonoma County Special Education, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 34/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 069104007225
👥 S:T ratio 72
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Sonoma County Special Education earns 34/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 98% of California schools.
- #5 of 7
- schools in Santa Rosa · Resource Index
- 34
- Resource Index · Typical
- 7:1
- small classes for California
- 35.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Sonoma County Special Education has class sizes smaller than 98% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Sonoma County Special Education ranks #5 of 7 schools in Santa Rosa, CA.
School address
District: Sonoma County Office of Education · California
NCES ID 069104007225 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
24.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
7:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-67% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
35.0%
vs 55.5% California avg
-37% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Sonoma County Special Education compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Sonoma County Special Education
Sonoma County Special Education is a small combined-grade school in Santa Rosa, California, enrolling 169 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 7:1, Sonoma County Special Education is leaner than roughly 98% of California schools and 67% under the state's 21.5:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 35.0% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 169 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 9,998 scored California schools.
Against 281 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #135.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (54%) and White (36%) (diversity index 58/100).
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 97.6% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Among Santa Rosa's public schools, it stands alongside Roseland Charter (1,254 students): Sonoma County Special Education is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (7:1 vs 19.6:1).
Sonoma County Office of Education also operates Sonoma County Alternative Education Programs (55 students) and Sonoma County Court (42 students) alongside Sonoma County Special Education.
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 Sonoma County Special Education compares
Sonoma County Special Education on the metrics families compare, against California and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs California | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 7:1 | ▼ 67% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 35.0% | ▼ 37% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 169 | top 85% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
7:1
Leaner classes than 97% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
169
Bigger than 16% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
35.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 37% 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
7:1
students per teacher
- 67% below state mean
Top 2% in California - lower ratio than 98% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
97.6%
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.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 16 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 9.5 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
Hispanic or Latino 53.8%
White 35.5%
Two or More 4.1%
African American 3.6%
Asian 1.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.2%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 53.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 58.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 58.1, Sonoma County Special Education is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
How Sonoma County Special Education Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sonoma County Alternative Education Programs | Smaller | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Sonoma County Court | Smaller | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Sonoma County Special Education's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 55
- Students per teacher
- 13.8:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 42
- Students per teacher
- 42:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
Similar other schools in Santa Rosa
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Roseland Charter
Standard public school
1,254 students 19.6:1 students per teacher
Pivot Charter School - North Bay
Standard public school
437 students 19:1 students per teacher
Northwest Prep Charter
Standard public school
138 students 19.7:1 students per teacher
Sonoma County Alternative Education Programs
Alternative education program
55 students 13.8:1 students per teacher
Sonoma County Court
Alternative education program
42 students 42:1 students per teacher
Learning House
Standard public school
25 students 25:1 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 (~169 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Sonoma County Special Education's federal record.
- Compare Sonoma County Special Education against another school. Compare schools
- Sonoma County Office of Education'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 Sonoma County Special Education
How many students attend Sonoma County Special Education?
Sonoma County Special Education has 169 students enrolled. It is a special-education school in Santa Rosa, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Sonoma County Special Education?
The student-teacher ratio at Sonoma County Special Education is 7:1, which is 67% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 55% 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 Sonoma County Special Education?
35.0% of students at Sonoma County Special Education are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Sonoma County Special Education?
The largest demographic group at Sonoma County Special Education is Hispanic or Latino at 53.8% of enrollment, in Santa Rosa, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 58.1/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Sonoma County Special Education?
Sonoma County Special Education has a Resource Investment Index of 34/100 (typical 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 Sonoma County Special Education rank among schools in Santa Rosa?
By Resource Investment Index, Sonoma County Special Education ranks #5 of 7 schools in Santa Rosa, CA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Santa Rosa on the city page.
Is Sonoma County Special Education a good school?
Sonoma County Special Education earns 34/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 98% 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 Sonoma County Office of Education?
Besides Sonoma County Special Education, Sonoma County Office of Education also operates Sonoma County Alternative Education Programs (55 students) and Sonoma County Court (42 students). See the Sonoma County Office of Education 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.