Enrollment
74
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Riverside, CA
Sunshine Special Education
Federal NCES profile for Sunshine Special Education, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 19/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 063315005159
👥 S:T ratio 26
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 2
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Sunshine Special Education earns 19/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 76% of California schools.
- #9 of 9
- schools in Riverside · Resource Index
- 19
- Resource Index · Lower
- 18.5:1
- small classes for California
- 44.4%
- free-lunch eligible
Sunshine Special Education has class sizes smaller than 76% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Sunshine Special Education ranks #9 of 9 schools in Riverside, CA.
School address
District: Riverside Unified · California
NCES ID 063315005159 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
4.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18.5:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-14% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
44.4%
vs 55.5% California avg
-20% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Sunshine Special Education compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Sunshine Special Education
Sunshine Special Education is a small combined-grade school in Riverside, California, enrolling 74 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 18.5:1 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 44.4% of students eligible for free meals.
This is a small campus: fewer students than 92% of California schools, with 74 enrolled.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 9,998 scored California schools.
Among 174 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need California schools statewide, it ranks #157, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (60%) and White (23%) (diversity index 58/100).
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 39.2% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Among Riverside's public schools, it stands alongside Riverside Stem Academy (665 students): Sunshine Special Education is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (18.5:1 vs 27.7:1).
Riverside Unified also operates Martin Luther King Jr. High (2,699 students) and Polytechnic High (2,484 students) alongside Sunshine 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 Sunshine Special Education compares
Sunshine 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 | 18.5:1 | ▼ 14% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 44.4% | ▼ 20% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 74 | top 92% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
18.5:1
Leaner classes than 22% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
74
Bigger than 8% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
44.4%
free-lunch eligible
- 20% below the California average of 55.5%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
18.5:1
students per teacher
- 14% below state mean
Top 24% in California - lower ratio than 76% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
39.2%
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
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
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
- 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 59.5%
White 23.0%
Asian 8.1%
Two or More 5.4%
African American 1.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 1.4%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 59.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 58.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 58.3, Sunshine Special Education is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Riverside Unified, which includes Sunshine Special Education.
$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 Sunshine Special Education Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Martin Luther King Jr. High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Polytechnic High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Ramona High | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| John W. North High | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Arlington High | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Sunshine Special Education'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 other schools in Riverside
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Riverside Stem Academy
Standard public school
665 students 27.7:1 students per teacher
Riverside County Special Education
Special-education school
584 students 10.1:1 students per teacher
Riverside Virtual
Standard public school
524 students 7.1:1 students per teacher
California School for the Deaf-Riverside
Special-education school
350 students 5.7:1 students per teacher
Riverside County Community
Alternative education program
181 students 11.3:1 students per teacher
Riverside County Juvenile Court
Alternative education program
104 students 13:1 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 (~74 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Sunshine Special Education's federal record.
- Compare Sunshine Special Education 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 Sunshine Special Education
How many students attend Sunshine Special Education?
Sunshine Special Education has 74 students enrolled. It is a special-education school in Riverside, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Sunshine Special Education?
The student-teacher ratio at Sunshine Special Education is 18.5:1, which is 14% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 18% higher 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 Sunshine Special Education?
44.4% of students at Sunshine Special Education are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Sunshine Special Education?
The largest demographic group at Sunshine Special Education is Hispanic or Latino at 59.5% of enrollment, in Riverside, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 58.3/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Sunshine Special Education?
Sunshine Special Education has a Resource Investment Index of 19/100 (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 Sunshine Special Education rank among schools in Riverside?
By Resource Investment Index, Sunshine Special Education ranks #9 of 9 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 schools in Riverside on the city page.
Is Sunshine Special Education a good school?
Sunshine Special Education earns 19/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 76% 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 Riverside Unified?
Besides Sunshine Special Education, 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.