Sierra Academy of Expeditionary Learning

Q: Is Sierra Academy of Expeditionary Learning a good school?

Sierra Academy of Expeditionary Learning ranks 371 st of 2323 California high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Summary:

Sierra Academy of Expeditionary Learning is a public charter high school located in Nevada City, California, serving grades 9-12 with an enrollment of 164 students. This high-performing school consistently ranks in the top 25% of California high schools, with students significantly outperforming the state average on standardized tests in English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science.

Sierra Academy's academic excellence is evident across various metrics. The school maintains a high 4-year graduation rate, ranging from 94.4% to 95.6% over the past two years, which is significantly higher than the state average. Additionally, the school's dropout rate is low at 2.8% in 2022-2023, compared to the state average. Sierra Academy's female students, male students, and low socioeconomic status students all perform exceptionally well, ranking in the top 7%, 29%, and 15% of their respective subgroups in California. However, the school's chronic absenteeism rate of 27.3% is higher than the state average, which may be an area for improvement.

Compared to nearby public high schools, such as Foresthill High, Bear River High, and Colfax High, Sierra Academy's academic performance is generally stronger. However, the nearby William & Marian Ghidotti High, a public charter school, outperforms Sierra Academy in several academic areas. Despite having a relatively high percentage of students from low socioeconomic backgrounds, Sierra Academy's low-income students perform better than the state average, indicating the school's effective support for this population.

Detail:

Public, Charter 9-12

505 Main St.
Nevada City, CA 95959-2218

(530) 268-2200

District: Sierra Academy of Expeditionary Learning District

SchoolDigger Rank:
371^st of 2,323 California High Schools

Student/teacher ratio: 14.0

Number of students: 197

Racial breakdown:

White:

68.5%

Two or more races:

15.2%

Hispanic:

11.7%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 53.8%

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Performance Trends

Compare Details Sierra Academy of Expeditionary Learning ranks better than 84% of high schools in California. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 76.82. (See more...)

The four-year cohort graduation rate measures the percentage of students at Sierra Academy of Expeditionary Learning who earn a standard high school diploma within four years of starting ninth grade.

The high school dropout rate measures the percentage of students who do not complete their high school education.

Chronic absenteeism in a school refers to a situation where students repeatedly miss school, with the threshold often defined as missing 10% or more of school days for any reason, excused or unexcused.

Student Body

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Teachers

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Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Sierra Academy of Expeditionary Learning:

SchoolDigger ranks Sierra Academy of Expeditionary Learning 371^st of 2323 California public high schools. (See Sierra Academy of Expeditionary Learning in the ranking list.)

High School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Male students:

White students:

Sierra Academy of Expeditionary Learning District:

SchoolDigger ranks Sierra Academy of Expeditionary Learning District 176^th of 1568 California school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for Sierra Academy of Expeditionary Learning

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Rank History for all students at Sierra Academy of Expeditionary Learning

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	CA State Percentile
2019	75.81	441^st	2133	79.3%
2022	68.72	556^th	2123	73.8%
2023	64.34	571^st	2348	75.7%
2024	76.82	371^st	2323	84.0%

See the entire list of California High School Rankings!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Sierra Academy of Expeditionary Learning

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	CA State Percentile
2019	86.95	177^th	1937	90.9%
2022	66.76	506^th	1943	74.0%
2023	62.35	580^th	2247	74.2%
2024	76.28	327^th	2235	85.4%

See the entire list of Best California High Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Sierra Academy of Expeditionary Learning

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	CA State Percentile
2022	56.02	695^th	1858	62.6%
2023	51.40	794^th	2118	62.5%
2024	89.29	151^st	2098	92.8%

See the entire list of Best California High Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Male students at Sierra Academy of Expeditionary Learning

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	CA State Percentile
2019	71.82	467^th	1880	75.2%
2022	74.91	410^th	1916	78.6%
2023	73.55	411^th	2207	81.4%
2024	58.69	628^th	2172	71.1%

See the entire list of Best California High Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for White students at Sierra Academy of Expeditionary Learning

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	CA State Percentile
2019	67.71	368^th	1222	69.9%
2022	54.63	533^rd	1204	55.7%
2023	48.53	620^th	1434	56.8%
2024	49.27	604^th	1406	57.0%

See the entire list of Best California High Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: California Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Data source: California Department of Education

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Enrollment information for Sierra Academy of Expeditionary Learning

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
2019	129	2	3	24	5	16	0	179
2020	129	1	1	29	4	19	0	183
2021	134	1	0	27	4	27	1	194
2022	119	2	1	24	4	24	2	176
2023	110	0	2	22	4	22	4	164
2024	135	0	0	23	4	30	5	197

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Sierra Academy of Expeditionary Learning

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2019	179	12.6	14.1	31.3
2020	183	n/a	n/a	44.8
2021	194	12.4	15.5	47.9
2022	176	13.0	13.5	40.9
2023	164	14.0	11.6	50
2024	197	14.0	14.0	53.8

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Sierra Academy of Expeditionary Learning

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2019	179	12.6	14.1	31.3
2020	183	n/a	n/a	44.8
2021	194	12.4	15.5	47.9
2022	176	13.0	13.5	40.9
2023	164	14.0	11.6	50
2024	197	14.0	14.0	53.8

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.

Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Sierra Academy of Expeditionary Learning

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Rankings

Rank Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Rank Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Ranks 441^st of 2133 High schools	Ranks 571^st of 2348 High schools	3.6%

Test Scores

	% proficient Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	% proficient Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
11th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (Sierra Academy of Expeditionary Learning)	84	71.1	12.9%
11th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (California)	57.3	55.4	1.9%
11th Grade Mathematics (Sierra Academy of Expeditionary Learning)	50	22.7	27.3%
11th Grade Mathematics (California)	32.2	27.4	4.9%
12th Grade Science (Sierra Academy of Expeditionary Learning)	22	31.3	9.3%
12th Grade Science (California)	25.6	26.9	1.3%

Student Body

	Number of students Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Number of students Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Total Students	179	164	8.4%
African American	2	0	100%
American Indian	5	4	20%
Asian	3	2	33.3%
Hispanic	24	22	8.3%
Pacific Islander	0	0
White	129	110	14.7%
Two or More Races	16	22	37.5%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	31.3%	50%	18.7%

Schools Near Sierra Academy of Expeditionary Learning

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2024)				Ranking (2023)				CAST Science (2024)			Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy (2024)		Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics (2024)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2018)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	SchoolDigger Rating (2024)	Average Standard Score (2023)	Statewide Rank (2023)	State Percentile (2023)	Rank Change from Previous Year	CAST Science 11th Grade	CAST Science 12th Grade	CAST Science End of Course	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 11th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy End of Course	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 11th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics End of Course	Total
Sierra Academy of Expeditionary Learning	Public, Charter	9-12	505 Main St.	Nevada City	95959	Nevada County	Sierra Academy of Expeditionary Learning District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(530) 268-2200	197	14	14.0	53.8%	135 (68.5%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (11.7%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (2.0%)	0 (0.0%)	30 (15.2%)	76.8	371^st of 2323 public high schools	84.0%		64.3	571^st of 2348 public high schools	75.7%	200	44.7		43.6	66.7	66.7	35.1	35.1
Earle Jamieson Educational Options	Public	6-12	112 Nevada City Hwy.	Nevada City	95959	Nevada County	Nevada County Office of Education	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(530) 272-5464	3	2	1.5		2 (66.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (33.3%)								(n/a)								$37,914
William & Marian Ghidotti High	Public	9-12	250 Sierra College Dr.	Grass Valley	95945	Nevada County	Nevada Joint Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(530) 274-5270	154	6	25.3	26.0%	114 (74.0%)	2 (1.3%)	20 (13.0%)	6 (3.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (7.1%)	99.5	6^th of 2323 public high schools	99.7%		96.7	62^nd of 2348 public high schools	97.4%	56	94.1		94.7	100.0	100.0	82.4	82.4	$5,586
Bitney Prep High	Public, Charter	9-12	135 Joerschke Dr.	Grass Valley	95945	Nevada County	Nevada County Office of Education	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(530) 477-1235	91	7	12.2	58.2%	37 (40.7%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (9.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	37 (40.7%)	65.5	543^rd of 2323 public high schools	76.6%		42.8	1051^st of 2348 public high schools	55.2%	508				61.9	61.9	28.6	28.6	$9,207
Nevada Union High	Public	9-12	11761 Ridge Rd.	Grass Valley	95945	Nevada County	Nevada Joint Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(530) 273-4431	1,457	62	23.5	39.3%	1,008 (69.2%)	8 (0.5%)	298 (20.5%)	15 (1.0%)	15 (1.0%)	2 (0.1%)	103 (7.1%)	69.8	485^th of 2323 public high schools	79.1%		38.7	1183^rd of 2348 public high schools	49.6%	698	47.0	27.3	46.3	57.7	57.7	28.5	28.5	$11,545
North Point Academy	Public, Virtual	9-12	11761 Ridge Rd.	Grass Valley	95945	Nevada County	Nevada Joint Union High	No	(n/a)	Yes	(n/a)	(530) 477-1225	130	6	21.5	37.7%	103 (79.2%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (14.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (5.4%)	49.1	889^th of 2323 public high schools	61.7%		62	617^th of 2348 public high schools	73.7%	272	27.5		28.3	59.3	59.3	11.1	11.1	$8,968
Silver Springs High (Continuation)	Public	9-12	130 Park Ave.	Grass Valley	95945	Nevada County	Nevada Joint Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(530) 272-2635	164	12	13.6	61.0%	121 (73.8%)	2 (1.2%)	22 (13.4%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.2%)	1 (0.6%)	14 (8.5%)	13.1	1873^rd of 2323 public high schools	19.4%		7.1	2260^th of 2348 public high schools	3.7%	387	5.9		7.5	20.0	20.0	2.9	2.9	$18,848
John Muir Charter	Public, Charter	6-12	960 McCourtney Rd.	Grass Valley	95949	Nevada County	John Muir Charter District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(530) 272-4008	589	37	16.1	92.9%	53 (9.0%)	44 (7.5%)	449 (76.2%)	9 (1.5%)	8 (1.4%)	2 (0.3%)	24 (4.1%)	10.3	1996^th of 2323 public high schools	14.1%		10.1	2051^st of 2348 public high schools	12.6%	55		11.1	10.8	10.1	9.9	1.5	1.5
Colfax High	Public	9-12	24995 Ben Taylor Rd.	Colfax	95713	Placer County	Placer Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(530) 346-2284	628	30	20.7	25.3%	481 (76.6%)	2 (0.3%)	65 (10.4%)	6 (1.0%)	6 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	65 (10.4%)	88.8	186^th of 2323 public high schools	92.0%		74.3	419^th of 2348 public high schools	82.2%	233	60.9		61.2	68.4	68.4	49.7	49.7	$13,653
Bear River High	Public	9-12	11130 Magnolia Rd.	Grass Valley	95949	Nevada County	Nevada Joint Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(530) 268-3700	634	31	20.3	27.0%	463 (73.0%)	3 (0.5%)	112 (17.7%)	12 (1.9%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	37 (5.8%)	71.3	454^th of 2323 public high schools	80.5%		64.2	575^th of 2348 public high schools	75.5%	121	33.6	31.6	33.3	68.7	68.7	35.8	35.8	$11,881

Frequently Asked Questions about Sierra Academy of Expeditionary Learning

Is Sierra Academy of Expeditionary Learning a good school?

Sierra Academy of Expeditionary Learning ranks 371^st of 2323 California high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What district is Sierra Academy of Expeditionary Learning in?

Sierra Academy of Expeditionary Learning District

How many students attend Sierra Academy of Expeditionary Learning?

In the 2023-24 school year, 197 students attended Sierra Academy of Expeditionary Learning.

What is the racial makeup of Sierra Academy of Expeditionary Learning?

Students at Sierra Academy of Expeditionary Learning are 69% White, 15% Two or more races, 12% Hispanic, 3% Not Specified, 2% American Indian.

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the California Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.