1
What's the vibe like in the hallways at Pierce High right now?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
463
High
DISTRICT 237 · STATE 838
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·PIERCE JOINT UNIFIED·NCES 063036004736
Pierce High
960 Wildwood Rd., Arbuckle, CA 95912 · (530) 476-2277 · Colusa County
GRADES 09–12HIGH42-RURALTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL463 STUDENTS
B
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 55% of California public high schools
- C+Test scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- BBeats 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
17.3:1
27 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 15.3:1 · STATE 18.2:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
76%
352 students
DISTRICT 72% · 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 | 107 | 23% |
| Grade 10 | 109 | 24% |
| Grade 11 | 123 | 27% |
| Grade 12 | 124 | 27% |
Student demographics
30%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 32% · 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
63.9%
CA avg 49.1% . +17.9pp since 2014
Math
21.0%
CA avg 37.7% . -1.0pp since 2014
What this means: On the CAASPP, California's statewide test, about 64 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 21 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 18 points since 2014, while math scores have held steady.
Performance levels, 2024-25
| Subject | Standard Exceeded | Standard Met | Standard Nearly Met | Standard Not Met |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| English Language Arts | 30.3% | 33.6% | 22.7% | 13.4% |
| Math | 5.0% | 16.0% | 24.4% | 54.6% |
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 | 63.9% | 21.0% |
| 2023-24 | 45.4% | 15.0% |
| 2022-23 | 34.1% | 15.2% |
| 2021-22 | 33.0% | 16.5% |
| 2018-19 | 56.3% | 17.5% |
| 2017-18 | 59.2% | 16.3% |
| 2016-17 | 57.7% | 17.1% |
| 2015-16 | 41.0% | 15.0% |
| 2014-15 | 46.0% | 22.0% |
% 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
36.3%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
35.0%
based on CA schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+1.3pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 36% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 35% 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 Pierce High
Pierce High's state test result (36.3% proficient) is higher than 3 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pierce High this school | 463 | 76.0% | 36.3% |
| Holtville High Holtville | 516 | 74.2% | 33.5% |
| Gustine High Gustine | 531 | 79.5% | 26.8% |
| Nuview Bridge Early College High Nuevo | 667 | 75.7% | 41.5% |
| Harmony Magnet Academy Strathmore | 509 | 73.1% | 70.3% |
| Riverbank High Riverbank | 744 | 73.1% | 24.7% |
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 Pierce High ranks
Among high schools| Measure | This school | In California | In Colusa County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 36.3% | #630 of 1,052 | N/A |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 21.0% | #640 of 1,056 ▲ 125 | N/A |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 63.9% | #382 of 1,056 ▲ 382 | N/A |
| 3-year test score change ranked biggest gain first | +17.7pp | #21 of 1,044 | N/A |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 463 | #1,059 of 2,093 | #2 of 9 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 17.3:1 | #229 of 1,352 | N/A |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 30.3% | #979 of 1,351 | N/A |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 76.0% | #723 of 1,575 | N/A |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked fastest growth first | +6.2% | #181 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
463
-12 (-3%) vs 2020
+77% since 1990-91, when it was 261
Student : Teacher
17.3:1
was 19.8:1
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 | 463 | 26.7 | 17.3:1 | 76% (352) |
| 2023-24 | 503 | 27.2 | 18.5:1 | 72% (361) |
| 2022-23 | 511 | 26.4 | 19.4:1 | 65% (330) |
| 2020-21 | 475 | 24 | 19.8:1 | 54% (257) |
| 2017-18 | 436 | 21.5 | 20.3:1 | 63% (273) |
| 2015-16 | 442 | 20 | 22.1:1 | 63% (279) |
| 2010-11 | 354 | N/A | N/A | 60% (211) |
| 2000-01 | 363 | 18 | 20.2:1 | 36% (131) |
| 1990-91 | 261 | 17 | 15.3:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Pierce High.
Since 2017-18: students up 6% (436 to 463); teachers up 24% (21.5 to 26.7).
About Pierce High
Arbuckle, California, is home to Pierce High, a small high school. A federal count lists 463 students at the school, in grades 9 through 12. Average enrollment for high schools in California is about 838, so this school runs 45% smaller than that.
Pierce High is part of a district of 5 schools: Pierce Joint Unified, with 1,447 students.
The student body at Pierce High is 82% Hispanic. The rest of enrollment is 14% White. Among all residents of Colusa County, the Hispanic share is about 63%. Pierce High's diversity index is 30%, against a US figure of 70%.
The ratio of students to teachers is 17.3:1, with 26.7 full-time-equivalent teachers on staff. That is 0.9 students per teacher below the 18.2:1 average for high schools in California. The percentage of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch is 76%. That tracks the 78% average for public schools in Colusa County.
Pierce High is graded B by allk12, scoring above 55% of California public high schools once test results, poverty-adjusted performance, and the recent trend are combined.
BeatsExpectations compares each school's average proficiency rate on state tests with a prediction based on free or reduced-price lunch eligibility. For Pierce High, the prediction is 35.0% and the result is 36.3%.
Census Bureau estimates for Colusa County show that the median household income is $75,672, the share of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher is 16%, and roughly 10% of residents are in poverty. Pierce High is one of 23 public schools in the county.
Nearest public school: Arbuckle Alternative High (Continuation), less than a tenth of a mile away. A five-mile radius around the school includes 3 other public schools. Ranking the closest schools with test data puts Pierce High at 1st of 5.
The school's locale code, Rural: Distant, means it is in rural territory some distance from an urban area.
The school enrolled 463 students in 2024-25, 12 fewer than the 475 it had in 2020-21. There were fewer students per teacher in 2024-25 (17.3:1) than in 2020-21 (19.8:1).
Discussion on this page can cover school events, clubs, and volunteer needs. Posting is open to anyone connected to the school.
Colusa County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
21,984
Census ACS
Median income
$75,672
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
16%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
10%
Below federal line
Schools in county
23
4,732 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Pierce Joint Unified
- Arbuckle ElementaryElementary · 604 students
- Lloyd G. Johnson Junior HighMiddle · 321 students
- Grand Island ElementaryElementary · 49 students
- Arbuckle Alternative High (Continuation)High · 10 students
Other schools in Arbuckle
- Arbuckle ElementaryElementary · 604 students
- Lloyd G. Johnson Junior HighMiddle · 321 students
- Arbuckle Alternative High (Continuation)High · 10 students
Nearby schools
- Arbuckle Alternative High (Continuation)0.0 mi · 10
- Lloyd G. Johnson Junior High0.2 mi · 321
- Arbuckle Elementary0.5 mi · 604
- Grand Island Elementary9.5 mi · 49
- S. William Abel Academy11.3 mi · 43
- Coastal Buttes Academy11.3 mi · 12
Frequently asked questions
About Pierce HighHow large is Pierce High?
Pierce High enrolls approximately 463 students in grades 09-12.
What age range does Pierce High serve?
Pierce High serves students from grade 09 through grade 12.
How many students per teacher at Pierce High?
Approximately 17.3:1 students per teacher at Pierce High.
What is the racial breakdown of students at Pierce High?
At Pierce High, the student body is approximately 14% White, 82% Hispanic, 1% Black, 1% Asian, 1% Two or more.
Is Pierce High public or private?
Pierce High is a public K-12 school, overseen by Pierce Joint Unified.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.