James Monroe Middle

James Monroe Middle is a junior high of low-enrollment scale in Ridgecrest, California, overseen by Sierra Sands Unified, teacheing 490 students in grades 6 through 8. Enrollment runs roughly 26% below the state mean of about 659.

Sierra Sands Unified runs 10 schools in total, collectively educating 4,974 students. James Monroe Middle is one of those campuses.

On the student-mix side, James Monroe Middle reports that the largest single group is White at 47%, but no single group is in the majority. Other groups include 34% Hispanic, 8% Black, 7% multiracial, 3% Asian. That composition is broadly in line with Kern County as a whole.

Looking at the economic backdrop, On paper, James Monroe Middle has 25 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 19.4:1. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 20.7:1, putting James Monroe Middle tighter than the state norm the norm. An estimated 58% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment. Set against Kern County (around 76%), the school's rate is south of typical.

On a demographically-adjusted basis, James Monroe Middle is in the bottom 10% of California public schools. The BeatsExpectations model predicts schools with this FRL share to land around 44.7%; James Monroe Middle posts 25.5%, -19.2 points below that line.

Around the school, Kern County reports that the typical household earns roughly $70,210 per year, 19% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and the poverty rate sits near 15%. James Monroe Middle is one of 279 public schools in Kern County (combined enrollment of about 197,431 students).

The closest other public school is Ridgecrest Elem Acad for Language Music and Sci, roughly 0.7 miles away. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools. On composite proficiency, James Monroe Middle comes 6th of 7 in the immediate cluster, below the nearby-schools average of 33.7%.

The campus sits in a small-town setting.

Looking at the recent track record. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at James Monroe Middle has stayed largely flat, going from 479 students in 2018 to 490 in 2025. Over the same period, the White share edged down from 57% to 47%.

On allk12, members of the James Monroe Middle community share and discuss sports schedules, lunch menu changes, and school spirit week. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.