Enrollment
423
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Gridley, CA
Sycamore Middle
Federal NCES profile for Sycamore Middle, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 26/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 060005102013
👥 S:T ratio 23
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 15
📋 Attendance 35
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Sycamore Middle earns 26/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 71% of California schools.
- #4 of 6
- public schools in Gridley · Resource Index
- 26
- Resource Index · Lower
- 19.2:1
- small classes for California
- 64.2%
- free-lunch eligible
Sycamore Middle has class sizes smaller than 71% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Sycamore Middle ranks #4 of 6 public schools in Gridley, CA.
School address
District: Gridley Unified · California
NCES ID 060005102013 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
22.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
19.2:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-11% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
64.2%
vs 55.5% California avg
+16% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Sycamore Middle compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Sycamore Middle
Sycamore Middle is a higher-need, mid-sized middle school in Gridley, California, enrolling 423 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 19.2:1 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 64.2% lands close to the California typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
With 423 students, its enrollment sits close to the California median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 9,998 scored California schools.
Against 1,839 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #862.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (61%) and White (33%) (diversity index 52/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 423 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 26.0% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Gridley Unified also operates Gridley High (670 students) and Wilson Elementary (544 students) alongside Sycamore 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 Sycamore Middle compares
Sycamore 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 | 19.2:1 | ▼ 11% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 64.2% | ▲ 16% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 423 | top 57% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
19.2:1
Leaner classes than 19% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
423
Bigger than 51% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
64.2%
free-lunch eligible
- 16% 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
19.2:1
students per teacher
- 11% below state mean
Top 29% in California - lower ratio than 71% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
26.0%
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
$14,655
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 423 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
28
in-school suspensions + 46 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 6.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 17.5 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 60.5%
White 32.9%
Asian 3.1%
Two or More 2.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.9%
African American 0.5%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 60.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 52.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 52.4, Sycamore Middle is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Gridley Unified, which includes Sycamore Middle.
$14,655
Per student
-11%
vs California
Avg $16,509
-12%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 22.3%
State 67.6%
Federal 10.2%
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 Sycamore Middle Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gridley High | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Wilson Elementary | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Mckinley Elementary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Esperanza High (Continuation) | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Sycamore Middle's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 670
- Students per teacher
- 19.7:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 544
- Students per teacher
- 21.8:1
- Resource Index
- 20/100
- Enrollment
- 341
- Students per teacher
- 21.3:1
- Resource Index
- 21/100
- Enrollment
- 23
- Students per teacher
- 23:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
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 (~423 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~19.2:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Sycamore Middle's federal record.
- Compare Sycamore Middle against another school. Compare schools
- Gridley 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 Sycamore Middle
How many students attend Sycamore Middle?
Sycamore Middle has 423 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Gridley, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Sycamore Middle?
The student-teacher ratio at Sycamore Middle is 19.2:1, which is 11% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 22% 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 Sycamore Middle?
64.2% of students at Sycamore Middle are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Sycamore Middle?
The largest demographic group at Sycamore Middle is Hispanic or Latino at 60.5% of enrollment, in Gridley, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 52.4/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Sycamore Middle?
Sycamore Middle has a Resource Investment Index of 26/100 (lower 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 Sycamore Middle rank among public schools in Gridley?
By Resource Investment Index, Sycamore Middle ranks #4 of 6 public schools in Gridley, 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 Gridley on the city page.
Is Sycamore Middle a good school?
Sycamore Middle earns 26/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 71% 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 Gridley Unified?
Besides Sycamore Middle, Gridley Unified also operates Gridley High (670 students), Wilson Elementary (544 students), and Mckinley Elementary (341 students). See the Gridley 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.