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Alumni: what's one memory from Nevada Union High that still sticks with you?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
1,561
High
DISTRICT 514 · STATE 838
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·NEVADA JOINT UNION HIGH·NCES 062688004064
Nevada Union High
11761 Ridge Rd., Grass Valley, CA 95945 · (530) 273-4431 · Nevada County
GRADES 09–12HIGH32-TOWNREGULAR SCHOOL1,561 STUDENTS
B-
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 45% of California public high schools
- BTest scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- DBeats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
- A-Three-year trend Change in reading and math proficiency over the last three test years.
Grades compare a school only with schools in the same state, because every state gives its own test. How grades work · Top-graded California public high schools
Student : Teacher
20.1:1
78 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 21.1:1 · STATE 18.2:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
37%
578 students
DISTRICT 44% · 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 | 438 | 28% |
| Grade 10 | 390 | 25% |
| Grade 11 | 383 | 25% |
| Grade 12 | 350 | 22% |
Student demographics
46%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 44% · 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
60.1%
CA avg 49.1% . +5.1pp since 2014
Math
32.0%
CA avg 37.7% . +2.0pp since 2014
What this means: On the CAASPP, California's statewide test, about 60 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 up about 5 points since 2014, while math scores are up about 2 points.
Performance levels, 2024-25
| Subject | Standard Exceeded | Standard Met | Standard Nearly Met | Standard Not Met |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| English Language Arts | 33.6% | 26.5% | 19.7% | 20.2% |
| Math | 15.3% | 16.7% | 28.3% | 39.7% |
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 | 60.1% | 32.0% |
| 2023-24 | 57.7% | 28.5% |
| 2022-23 | 40.8% | 20.2% |
| 2021-22 | 47.7% | 28.1% |
| 2020-21 | 54.7% | N/A |
| 2018-19 | 72.8% | 40.1% |
| 2017-18 | 67.5% | 40.9% |
| 2016-17 | 74.7% | 39.2% |
| 2015-16 | 70.0% | 46.0% |
| 2014-15 | 55.0% | 30.0% |
% 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
44.6%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
57.8%
based on CA schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-13.2pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 45% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 58% 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 Nevada Union High
Nevada Union High's state test result (44.6% proficient) is higher than 1 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nevada Union High this school | 1,561 | 37.0% | 44.6% |
| Union Mine High El Dorado | 1,033 | 37.3% | 44.4% |
| El Dorado High Placerville | 1,135 | 38.0% | 46.7% |
| Foothill High Palo Cedro | 1,487 | 45.0% | 58.5% |
| Analy High Sebastopol | 1,473 | 40.9% | 49.1% |
| Arcata High Arcata | 1,007 | 40.3% | 50.0% |
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 Nevada Union High ranks
Among high schools| Measure | This school | In California | In Nevada County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 44.6% | #412 of 1,052 | N/A |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 32.0% | #389 of 1,056 ▲ 9 | N/A |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 60.1% | #475 of 1,056 ▼ 2 | N/A |
| 3-year test score change ranked biggest gain first | +8.2pp | #208 of 1,044 | N/A |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 1,561 | #539 of 2,093 | #1 of 10 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 20.1:1 | #569 of 1,352 | N/A |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 45.8% | #755 of 1,351 | N/A |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 37.0% | #1,334 of 1,575 | #3 of 6 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked fastest growth first | +1.0% | #292 of 327 | N/A |
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
1,561
+92 (+6%) vs 2020
-25% since 1990-91, when it was 2,077
Student : Teacher
20.1:1
was 19.6:1
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 | 1,561 | 77.6 | 20.1:1 | 37% (578) |
| 2023-24 | 1,457 | 62 | 23.5:1 | 39% (573) |
| 2022-23 | 1,458 | 58.6 | 24.9:1 | 41% (597) |
| 2020-21 | 1,469 | 75 | 19.6:1 | 40% (585) |
| 2017-18 | 1,546 | 79.3 | 19.5:1 | 41% (629) |
| 2015-16 | 1,653 | 78 | 21.2:1 | 35% (584) |
| 2010-11 | 2,192 | N/A | N/A | 26% (560) |
| 2000-01 | 2,754 | 115 | 23.9:1 | 6% (178) |
| 1990-91 | 2,077 | 88 | 23.6:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Nevada Union High.
Since 2017-18: students up 1% (1,546 to 1,561); teachers down 2% (79.3 to 77.6).
About Nevada Union High
Nevada Union High is a public high school in Grass Valley, California. Students in grades 9 through 12 attend, and enrollment is 1,561 students. The school's enrollment is 86% above the 838 average for high schools in California.
Nevada Union High is one of the 5 schools that make up Nevada Joint Union High (2,571 students in total).
Nevada Union High is 71% White by enrollment. Other reported shares: 19% Hispanic and 7% multiracial. That compares with about 84% White among all Nevada County residents. The school's diversity index is 46%, meaning two students picked at random have a 46% chance of belonging to different racial or ethnic groups.
The school reports 77.6 full-time-equivalent teachers, which works out to about 20.1 students per teacher. The school has more students per teacher than the 18.2:1 average for high schools in California. The free or reduced-price lunch share, often used to gauge student poverty, is 37%.
The allk12 Grade for Nevada Union High is B-. Compared with California public high schools, the school scored higher than 45% on a mix of test scores, poverty-adjusted results, and recent trend.
BeatsExpectations compares each school's average proficiency rate on state tests with a prediction based on free or reduced-price lunch eligibility. For Nevada Union High, the prediction is 57.8% and the result is 44.6%.
Within Nevada County, the median household income is $89,882, the share of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher is 42%, and about 7% of people live in poverty. Besides Nevada Union High, Nevada County has 45 other public schools.
The closest public school to Nevada Union High is North Point Academy, less than a tenth of a mile away. Counting only straight-line distance, at least 8 other public schools are within five miles. Among its closest neighbors with test data, Nevada Union High is 3rd of 5 on proficiency.
Federal records code the school's setting as Town: Distant.
Federal data show a 6% enrollment rise, from 1,469 in 2020-21 to 1,561 in 2024-25.
Conversations here can range across school safety, transportation, and start times. Posting is open to anyone connected to the school.
Nevada County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
102,481
Census ACS
Median income
$89,882
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
42%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
7%
Below federal line
Schools in county
46
13,561 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Nevada Joint Union High
- Bear River HighHigh · 664 students
- William & Marian Ghidotti HighHigh · 155 students
- North Point AcademyHigh · 111 students
- Silver Springs High (Continuation)High · 80 students
Other schools in Grass Valley
- Bear River HighHigh · 664 students
- John Muir CharterHigh · 629 students
- Grass Valley CharterElementary · 546 students
- Union Hill ElementaryElementary · 542 students
- Cottage Hill ElementaryElementary · 485 students
- Lyman Gilmore MiddleMiddle · 464 students
Nearby schools
- North Point Academy0.1 mi · 111
- William & Marian Ghidotti High0.5 mi · 155
- Bitney Prep High0.8 mi · 91
- Earle Jamieson Educational Options1.5 mi · 5
- Deer Creek Elementary1.6 mi · 259
- Nevada County Special Education1.6 mi · 51
Frequently asked questions
About Nevada Union HighWhat is the total enrollment at Nevada Union High?
Nevada Union High enrolls approximately 1,561 students in grades 09-12.
What age range does Nevada Union High serve?
Nevada Union High serves students from grade 09 through grade 12.
How many students per teacher at Nevada Union High?
Approximately 20.1:1 students per teacher at Nevada Union High.
What is the racial breakdown of students at Nevada Union High?
At Nevada Union High, the student body is approximately 71% White, 19% Hispanic, 1% Black, 1% Asian, 7% Two or more.
What district is Nevada Union High in?
Nevada Union High is part of Nevada Joint Union High.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.