Sierra Sands Unified School District

113 W. Felspar Ave.
Ridgecrest, CA 93555-3520
(District boundaries shown in map)
5/
10
Bottom 50%

Top Rankings

Sierra Sands Unified School District ranks among the top 20% of public school district in California for:

Category
Attribute
Diversity
Most diverse schools (Top 1%)
Community Size
Largest student body (number of students) (Top 1%)
For the 2025 school year, there are 2 public high schools serving 1,621 students in Sierra Sands Unified School District. This district's average high testing ranking is 8/10, which is in the top 30% of public high schools in California.
Public High Schools in Sierra Sands Unified School District have an average math proficiency score of 27% (versus the California public high school average of 28%), and reading proficiency score of 67% (versus the 51% statewide average).
Public High School in Sierra Sands Unified School District have a Graduation Rate of 81%, which is less than the California average of 87%.
The school with highest graduation rate is Burroughs High School, with 88% graduation rate. Read more about public school graduation rate statistics in California or national school graduation rate statistics.
Minority enrollment is 49% of the student body (majority Hispanic), which is less than the California public high school average of 79% (majority Hispanic).

Overview

This School District
This State (CA)
# Schools
11 Schools
2,817 Schools
# Students
5,122 Students
2,139,525 Students
# Teachers
241 Teachers
100,737 Teachers
Student : Teacher Ratio
21:1
21:1

District Rank

Sierra Sands Unified School District, which is ranked #1063 of all 1,925 school districts in California (based off of combined math and reading proficiency testing data) for the 2021-2022 school year.
The school district's graduation rate of 81% has decreased from 90% over five school years.
This School District
State Average (CA)
#1044 out of 1941 school districts
(Bottom 50%)
This chart displays the overall district rank of Sierra Sands Unified  School District, with the latest 2021-22 school year data.
25%
33%
This chart displays the percentage of public school students that scored at or above 'proficient' levels in Math of Sierra Sands Unified  School District and the percentage of public school students that scored at or above 'proficient' levels in Math of California by year, with the latest 2021-22 school year data.
41%
47%
This chart displays the percentage of public school students that scored at or above 'proficient' levels in Reading/Language Arts of Sierra Sands Unified  School District and the percentage of public school students that scored at or above 'proficient' levels in Reading/Language Arts of California by year, with the latest 2021-22 school year data.
24%
29%
This chart displays the percentage of public school students that scored at or above 'proficient' levels in Science of Sierra Sands Unified  School District and the percentage of public school students that scored at or above 'proficient' levels in Science of California by year, with the latest 2021-22 school year data.
81%
87%
This chart displays public school graduation rate of Sierra Sands Unified  School District and public school graduation rate of California by year, with the latest 2021-22 school year data.

Students by Ethnicity:

0.65
0.63
# American Indian Students
55 Students
10,468 Students
% American Indian Students
1%
1%
# Asian Students
177 Students
244,247 Students
% Asian Students
3%
11%
# Hispanic Students
1,673 Students
1,190,384 Students
% Hispanic Students
33%
56%
# Black Students
375 Students
110,575 Students
% Black Students
7%
5%
# White Students
2,488 Students
458,887 Students
% White Students
49%
22%
# Hawaiian Students
32 Students
9,060 Students
% Hawaiian Students
1%
n/a
# Two or more races Students
311 Students
108,483 Students
% of Two or more races Students
6%
5%

Students by Grade:

# Students in PK Grade:
-
18
# Students in K Grade:
445
25,126
# Students in 1st Grade:
345
19,346
# Students in 2nd Grade:
356
19,826
# Students in 3rd Grade:
389
19,554
# Students in 4th Grade:
390
19,798
# Students in 5th Grade:
348
20,237
# Students in 6th Grade:
395
29,089
# Students in 7th Grade:
420
39,371
# Students in 8th Grade:
413
41,955
# Students in 9th Grade:
430
466,491
# Students in 10th Grade:
417
476,582
# Students in 11th Grade:
402
469,509
# Students in 12th Grade:
372
492,623
# Ungraded Students:
-
-

District Revenue and Spending

The revenue/student of $19,944 in this school district is less than the state median of $19,974. The school district revenue/student has stayed relatively flat over four school years.
The school district's spending/student of $13,945 is less than the state median of $18,396. The school district spending/student has stayed relatively flat over four school years.
This School District
This State (CA)
Total Revenue
$102 MM
$116,387 MM
This chart displays total revenue of Sierra Sands Unified  School District and median value from total revenues of all school districts in California by year, with the latest 2020-21 school year data.
Spending
$71 MM
$107,188 MM
This chart displays total spending of Sierra Sands Unified  School District and median value from total spendings of all school districts in California by year, with the latest 2020-21 school year data.
Revenue / Student
$19,944
$19,974
This chart displays average revenue per public school student in Sierra Sands Unified  School District and average revenue per public school student of all school districts in California by year, with the latest 2020-21 school year data.
Spending / Student
$13,945
$18,396
This chart displays average spending per public school student in Sierra Sands Unified  School District and average spending per public school student of all school districts in California by year, with the latest 2020-21 school year data.

Best Sierra Sands Unified School District Public High Schools (2025)

School
(Math and Reading Proficiency)
Location
Grades
Students
Rank: #11.
Burroughs High School
(Math: 28% | Reading: 72%)
Rank:
8/
10
Top 30%
500 East French St.
Ridgecrest, CA 93555
(760) 499-1800
Grades: 9-12
| 1,518 students
Rank: #22.
Mesquite Continuation High School
Alternative School
(Math: ≤20% | Reading: ≤20%)
Rank:
2/
10
Bottom 50%
140 West Drummond
Ridgecrest, CA 93555
(760) 499-1810
Grades: 9-12
| 103 students

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Quick Stats (2025)

  • District size: 11 schools
  • Grades: KG-12
  • Enrollment: 5,122 students
  • Student:Teacher Ratio: 21:1
  • Minority Enrollment: 51%
  • : 81% (Btm 50% in CA)
  • : Bottom 50%
  • : 25% (Btm 50%)
  • : 41% (Btm 50%)
  • : 24% (Btm 50%)
  • Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), CA Dept. of Education

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