Enrollment
2,653
California · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 060174011518 Charter school
South Sutter Charter — East Nicolaus, CA
Federal NCES profile for South Sutter Charter, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 32/100.
👥 Class size 7
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 90
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
District: South Sutter Charter District · California
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
99.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
23.2:1
vs 21.6:1 California avg
+7% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
32.7%
vs 55.5% California avg
-41% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How South Sutter Charter compares with California and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
South Sutter Charter reports 2,653 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 99.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 23.2:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 7% above the California state mean of 21.6:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 46% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 32.7% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 41% below the California average and 37% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 1442 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 3.9% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding South Sutter Charter District spends $11,062 per pupil district-wide, below the California average of $18,039 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 14.9% from local sources (property taxes), 80.5% from the state, and 4.6% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 32/100 (F), calculated from 4 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How South Sutter Charter compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against California state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs California | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 23.2:1 | ▲ 7% | 21.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 32.7% | ▼ 41% | 55.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 2,653 | top 99% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Economic need
32.7%
free-lunch eligible
— 41% 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
23.2:1
students per teacher
— 7% above state mean
Top 63% in California — lower ratio than 37% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Engagement
3.9%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 10% — strong attendance relative to the post-pandemic national landscape.
Funding equity
$11,062
per pupil, district-wide
— below California avg of $18,039
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.8 FTE
Per 1442 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 2,653 Top 99% in California — larger than 1% of 10,006 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 99.0
Students per teacher 23.2:1 +7% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 32.7% -41% vs state
NCES ID 060174011518
Student demographics
White 56.9%
Two or More 20.0%
Hispanic or Latino 17.2%
Asian 3.6%
African American 1.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: White at 56.9% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 1
Counselors (FTE) 1.8
Students per counselor 1442:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 3.9%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for South Sutter Charter District, which includes South Sutter Charter.
$11,062
Per student
-39%
vs California
Avg $18,039
-43%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 14.9%
State 80.5%
Federal 4.6%
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.
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about South Sutter Charter
How many students attend South Sutter Charter?
South Sutter Charter has 2,653 students enrolled. It is a other school in East Nicolaus, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at South Sutter Charter?
The student-teacher ratio at South Sutter Charter is 23.2:1, which is 7% higher than the California average of 21.6:1 and 46% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at South Sutter Charter?
32.7% of students at South Sutter Charter are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of South Sutter Charter?
The largest demographic group at South Sutter Charter is White at 56.9%. The school serves a diverse student body in East Nicolaus, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for South Sutter Charter?
South Sutter Charter has a Resource Investment Index of 32/100 (F) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.