1
What clubs or activities at Burroughs High are worth joining?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
1,536
High
DISTRICT 816 · STATE 838
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·SIERRA SANDS UNIFIED·NCES 063680006232
Burroughs High
500 East French St., Ridgecrest, CA 93555 · (760) 499-1800 · Kern County
GRADES 09–12HIGH41-RURALTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL1,536 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
20.4:1
75 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 17.1:1 · STATE 18.2:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
53%
812 students
DISTRICT 64% · STATE 65%
Community
6
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other high schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 9 | 433 | 28% |
| Grade 10 | 403 | 26% |
| Grade 11 | 355 | 23% |
| Grade 12 | 345 | 22% |
Student demographics
65%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 66% · STATE 62% · US 70%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
Test scores
CAASPP 2024-25 . % met or exceeded standardEnglish Language Arts
68.8%
CA avg 49.1% . -6.2pp since 2014
Math
32.0%
CA avg 37.7% . -5.0pp since 2014
What this means: On the CAASPP, California's statewide test, about 69 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 32 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all California schools, those numbers are about 49 and 38. Reading and writing scores are down about 6 points since 2014, while math scores are down about 5 points.
Performance levels, 2024-25
| Subject | Standard Exceeded | Standard Met | Standard Nearly Met | Standard Not Met |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| English Language Arts | 37.2% | 31.6% | 16.7% | 14.5% |
| Math | 16.8% | 15.2% | 19.3% | 48.7% |
Share of tested students at each CAASPP level. Each student counts in one level, so a row adds to about 100%.
CAASPP results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 68.8% | 32.0% |
| 2023-24 | 54.3% | 23.0% |
| 2022-23 | 66.8% | 30.9% |
| 2021-22 | 72.1% | 27.6% |
| 2020-21 | 70.0% | 36.8% |
| 2018-19 | 73.3% | 34.9% |
| 2017-18 | 72.3% | 30.3% |
| 2016-17 | 75.2% | 32.9% |
| 2015-16 | 78.0% | 35.0% |
| 2014-15 | 75.0% | 37.0% |
% met or exceeded standard, all students and all tested grades.
Source: CAASPP. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
44.5%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
48.6%
based on CA schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-4.0pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 45% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 49% typical for California schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations measures results against demographically similar schools rather than by raw scores, and this school falls within the typical range, neither among California's top nor bottom 10%.
BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →
Schools most like Burroughs High
Burroughs High's state test result (44.5% proficient) is higher than 4 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Burroughs High this school | 1,536 | 52.9% | 44.5% |
| Del Campo High Fair Oaks | 1,548 | 53.2% | 25.1% |
| El Camino Fundamental High Sacramento | 1,226 | 54.6% | 33.5% |
| Chico High Chico | 1,804 | 56.8% | 53.3% |
| Roseville High Roseville | 1,443 | 50.6% | 42.7% |
| El Capitan High Lakeside | 1,810 | 52.2% | 38.0% |
Matched among California high schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.
Where Burroughs High ranks
Among high schools| Measure | This school | In California | In Kern County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 44.5% | #416 of 1,052 | #8 of 34 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 32.0% | #391 of 1,056 ▲ 133 | #6 of 34 ▲ 2 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 68.8% | #275 of 1,056 ▲ 282 | #4 of 34 ▲ 11 |
| 3-year test score change ranked biggest gain first | +0.5pp | #630 of 1,044 | #21 of 32 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 1,536 | #553 of 2,093 | #20 of 48 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 20.4:1 | #614 of 1,352 | #11 of 38 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 65.0% | #253 of 1,351 | #5 of 38 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 52.9% | #1,137 of 1,575 | #32 of 39 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked fastest growth first | +5.7% | #195 of 327 | #17 of 22 |
Ranked against other public high schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
1,536
+31 (+2%) vs 2020
+26% since 1990-91, when it was 1,221
Student : Teacher
20.4:1
was 21.8:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 1,536 | 75.2 | 20.4:1 | 53% (812) |
| 2023-24 | 1,518 | 74.9 | 20.3:1 | 48% (728) |
| 2022-23 | 1,479 | 72.9 | 20.3:1 | 40% (594) |
| 2020-21 | 1,505 | 69 | 21.8:1 | 58% (877) |
| 2017-18 | 1,453 | 63.3 | 23.0:1 | 54% (780) |
| 2015-16 | 1,403 | 60 | 23.4:1 | 37% (524) |
| 2010-11 | 1,502 | N/A | N/A | 27% (401) |
| 2000-01 | 1,566 | 70 | 22.4:1 | 20% (309) |
| 1990-91 | 1,221 | 59 | 20.7:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Burroughs High.
Since 2017-18: students up 6% (1,453 to 1,536); teachers up 19% (63.3 to 75.2).
About Burroughs High
In Ridgecrest, California, part of Kern County, Burroughs High is a high school. Students in grades 9 through 12 attend the school, which enrolls 1,536 students. The average among high schools in California is roughly 838 students; this school is 83% larger than that.
Burroughs High is one school in a 10-school district, Sierra Sands Unified, which enrolls 4,974 students.
White students are the largest group at Burroughs High, with 48% of enrollment. The rest of enrollment is 33% Hispanic, 8% Black, 5% multiracial, and 4% Asian. That is close to the 44% White share among all Kern County residents. The chance that two students picked at random at Burroughs High belong to different racial or ethnic groups, known as the diversity index, is 65%.
The school's student-to-teacher ratio is about 20.4:1, with 75.2 full-time-equivalent teachers. The average ratio among high schools in California is 18.2:1, lower than at this school. Students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch make up 53% of enrollment. By comparison, the figure for public schools in Kern County is 76%.
On a poverty-adjusted basis, Burroughs High falls in the middle 80% of California schools: 44.5% actual against 48.6% predicted.
Census Bureau estimates for Kern County show that median household income is about $70,210, a bachelor's degree or higher is held by about 19% of adults, and the share of residents below the poverty line is 15%. Burroughs High is one of 279 public schools in Kern County, which together enroll about 197,431 students.
The closest other public school is Murray Middle, about 0.1 miles away. There are at least 8 other public schools within five miles. Nearby schools average 34.0% on proficiency, and Burroughs High is above that at 44.5%.
Locale data from NCES put Burroughs High in rural territory close to an urban area (Rural: Fringe).
Enrollment has been fairly stable: 1,505 in 2020-21 and 1,536 in 2024-25. Federal data show the ratio falling from 21.8:1 to 20.4:1.
To ask about sports tryouts, band and choir, and theater, start a discussion on this page. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.
Kern County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
915,075
Census ACS
Median income
$70,210
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
19%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
15%
Below federal line
Schools in county
279
197,431 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Sierra Sands Unified
- Murray MiddleMiddle · 643 students
- Las Flores ElementaryElementary · 526 students
- Faller ElementaryElementary · 516 students
- James Monroe MiddleMiddle · 490 students
- Richmond ElementaryElementary · 364 students
- Gateway ElementaryElementary · 346 students
Other schools in Ridgecrest
- Murray MiddleMiddle · 643 students
- Las Flores ElementaryElementary · 526 students
- Faller ElementaryElementary · 516 students
- James Monroe MiddleMiddle · 490 students
- Richmond ElementaryElementary · 364 students
- Gateway ElementaryElementary · 346 students
Other Burroughs High schools
One other US public school is named Burroughs High. Burroughs High is the 2nd largest of the 2.
- Burroughs HighBurbank, CA · 2,283 students
Nearby schools
- Murray Middle0.1 mi · 643
- Richmond Elementary0.4 mi · 364
- Pierce Elementary0.4 mi · 297
- Mesquite Continuation High0.7 mi · 95
- Las Flores Elementary1.4 mi · 526
- James Monroe Middle1.4 mi · 490
Frequently asked questions
About Burroughs HighHow large is Burroughs High?
Burroughs High enrolls approximately 1,536 students in grades 09-12.
What grades does Burroughs High serve?
Burroughs High serves grades 09-12.
How many teachers does Burroughs High have?
Burroughs High employs 75 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 20.4:1.
What is the student diversity at Burroughs High?
Student demographics at Burroughs High are roughly 48% White, 33% Hispanic, 8% Black, 4% Asian, 5% Two or more.
What district is Burroughs High in?
Burroughs High is part of Sierra Sands Unified.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.