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Sierra Academy of Expeditionary Learning

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

Sierra Academy of Expeditionary Learning ranks 1143 rd of 2162 California high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public, Charter Grades 9-12

1143^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,162 California High Schools

Better than 47% of California high schools

Summary

Sierra Academy of Expeditionary Learning (SAEL) is a small public high school serving about 190 students in grades 9-12 in Nevada City, CA, known for its hands-on, project-based learning model and a low student-to-teacher ratio that allows for personalized attention.

Recent state data shows a significant and concerning drop in SAEL's academic ranking, placing it well below nearby comprehensive high schools like Bear River High and Colfax High. This decline is driven by a critical weakness in mathematics, where proficiency is less than a third of the state average, though science performance remains a relative strength. Despite this academic volatility, the school continues to excel in a crucial area: it graduates nearly all of its students, with rates consistently above the state average.

When compared to other alternative or charter school options in the area, such as John Muir Charter or Bitney Prep High, SAEL's performance is more middling. The school spends a moderate amount per student within the Sierra Academy of Expeditionary Learning District, but the sharp, one-year decline in scores across the board suggests a specific challenge in the 2024-2025 school year that the district is likely addressing. For parents, SAEL presents a trade-off: a unique, supportive educational environment with a strong record of getting students to graduation, but with recent and severe academic performance issues that require close monitoring.

191

Students ?

13.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$16,194

Per pupil spending ?

47.6%

Free/discounted lunch ?

505 Main St.
Nevada City, CA 95959-2218

(530) 268-2200

District: Sierra Academy of Expeditionary Learning District

Racial breakdown:

White:

65.4%

Two or more races:

17.3%

Hispanic:

13.1%

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Compare Sierra Academy of Expeditionary Learning to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 79th percentile in 2019 → 47th in 2025

Strengths

✓100% graduate in 4 years — above the California average (86%)

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (29% vs 41% meeting standards)

!Ranking has slipped — down 32 percentile points since 2019

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school29%

California avg41%

1,143^rd of 2,162

California public high schools ?

Bottom 47%▼ down 32 pts since 2019

From top 21% (2019) to bottom 47% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

824^th of 1,543Sierra Academy of Expeditionary Learning District among California districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	44.9	1143 of 2162	47.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	80.7	402 of 2159	81.4%	★★★★☆
2023	69.4	580 of 2170	73.3%	★★★★☆
2022	68.7	556 of 2123	73.8%	★★★★☆
2019	75.8	441 of 2133	79.3%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	47.3	960 of 1906	49.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	92.3	141 of 1915	92.6%	★★★★★
2023	54.3	793 of 1915	58.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	56.0	695 of 1858	62.6%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	45.0	1091 of 2013	45.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	78.3	358 of 2026	82.3%	★★★★☆
2023	65.8	572 of 2030	71.8%	★★★★☆
2022	66.8	506 of 1943	74.0%	★★★★☆
2019	86.9	177 of 1937	90.9%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	36.1	1213 of 1942	37.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	63.1	626 of 1948	67.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	77.7	405 of 1963	79.4%	★★★★☆
2022	74.9	410 of 1916	78.6%	★★★★☆
2019	71.8	467 of 1880	75.2%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	18.5	963 of 1155	16.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	52.1	573 of 1173	51.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	52.1	575 of 1193	51.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	54.6	533 of 1204	55.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	67.7	368 of 1222	69.9%	★★★★☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

Female (2025)50th percentile+3 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)46th percentile~ school

Male (2025)38th percentile-10 vs school

White (2025)17th percentile-31 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy42%-6 vs state

Science34%~ state avg

Mathematics12%-25 vs state

★

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Schools Near Sierra Academy of Expeditionary Learning

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				CAST Science (2025)			Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy (2025)		Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics (2025)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
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 (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	CAST Science 11th Grade	CAST Science 12th Grade	CAST Science All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 11th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 11th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
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	191	14	13.3	47.6%	125 (65.4%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (13.1%)	2 (1.0%)	2 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	33 (17.3%)	44.9	1143^rd of 2162 public high schools	47.1%		80.7	402^nd of 2159 public high schools	81.4%	741	35.7		34.1	42.5	42.5	11.9	11.9	$16,194	$715	$15,479
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	5	1	4.9		4 (80.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (20.0%)								(n/a)								$11,452	$00	$11,452
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	155	5	32.0	21.3%	115 (74.2%)	1 (0.6%)	20 (12.9%)	6 (3.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (6.5%)	99.4	3^rd of 2162 public high schools	99.9%		99.5	3^rd of 2159 public high schools	99.9%		91.4		91.7	100.0	100.0	88.9	88.9	$16,407	$559	$15,848
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	13.0	57.1%	47 (51.6%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (7.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	27 (29.7%)	69.8	605^th of 2162 public high schools	72.0%		70	566^th of 2159 public high schools	73.8%	39		47.1	47.1	63.6	63.6	21.7	21.7	$16,780	$949	$15,831
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	1,561	78	20.1	37.0%	1,101 (70.5%)	16 (1.0%)	293 (18.8%)	16 (1.0%)	13 (0.8%)	2 (0.1%)	115 (7.4%)	74.8	498^th of 2162 public high schools	77.0%		73.7	512^th of 2159 public high schools	76.3%	14	50.9		50.6	60.1	60.1	32.0	32.0	$22,114	$1,630	$20,484
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	111	5	20.4	39.6%	80 (72.1%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (18.9%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (2.7%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (4.5%)	64.1	709^th of 2162 public high schools	67.2%		51.5	970^th of 2159 public high schools	55.1%	261	44.1		39.5	51.6	51.6	25.8	25.8	$17,636	$233	$17,403
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	80	9	8.4	97.5%	59 (73.8%)	1 (1.3%)	8 (10.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.3%)	1 (1.3%)	6 (7.5%)	13.5	1855^th of 2162 public high schools	14.2%		15.1	1817^th of 2159 public high schools	15.8%	38	6.9		5.9	19.4	19.4	3.3	3.3	$28,704	$2,808	$25,896
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	629	38	16.6	94.3%	56 (8.9%)	56 (8.9%)	459 (73.0%)	6 (1.0%)	4 (0.6%)	2 (0.3%)	40 (6.4%)	18.9	1716^th of 2162 public high schools	20.6%		13.5	1870^th of 2159 public high schools	13.4%	154		19.6	19.2	14.1	13.9	6.4	6.3	$18,096	$498	$17,598
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	611	28	22.0	21.3%	465 (76.1%)	3 (0.5%)	61 (10.0%)	5 (0.8%)	4 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	68 (11.1%)	83.9	337^th of 2162 public high schools	84.4%		90.8	204^th of 2159 public high schools	90.6%	133	51.8		52.1	61.7	61.7	49.7	49.7	$20,203	$915	$19,288
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	664	27	24.1	25.2%	486 (73.2%)	1 (0.2%)	114 (17.2%)	14 (2.1%)	4 (0.6%)	1 (0.2%)	38 (5.7%)	82.4	370^th of 2162 public high schools	82.9%		75.8	473^rd of 2159 public high schools	78.1%	103	46.1		46.2	75.2	75.2	38.3	38.3	$21,616	$1,048	$20,568

Frequently Asked Questions about Sierra Academy of Expeditionary Learning

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

Students at Sierra Academy of Expeditionary Learning are 65% White, 17% Two or more races, 13% Hispanic, 2% Not Specified, 1% Asian, 1% American Indian.

Is Sierra Academy of Expeditionary Learning a good school?

Sierra Academy of Expeditionary Learning ranks 1143^rd of 2162 California high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 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 2024-25 school year, 191 students attended Sierra Academy of Expeditionary Learning.

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Schools in Nevada City, CA

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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.