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Burroughs High

Q: Is Burroughs High a good school?

Burroughs High ranks 531 st of 2162 California high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

531^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,162 California High Schools

Better than 75% of California high schools

Summary

Burroughs High is a large public high school serving about 1,536 students in grades 9-12 within the Sierra Sands Unified School District in the remote desert community of Ridgecrest, CA.

Academically, the school is a strong performer in English Language Arts, where it consistently beats state averages, though math and science scores are areas for growth. It maintains a solid graduation rate and operates efficiently, spending less per student than nearby schools like Trona High and Mesquite Continuation High while achieving better outcomes. The school also shows effectiveness in supporting students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds, with performance rankings for these groups often exceeding the school's overall rating.

When compared to local alternatives, Burroughs High stands out. It significantly outperforms both Trona High and Mesquite Continuation High in core subjects and has a much lower rate of chronic absenteeism. However, parents should note that performance for specific groups of students can vary significantly from year to year, and a notable gap exists where male students currently outperform female students. The school continues to recover from pandemic disruptions, with attendance improving and test scores rebounding after a recent dip.

1,536

Students ?

20.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$15,876

Per pupil spending ?

52.9%

Free/discounted lunch ?

500 East French St.
Ridgecrest, CA 93555-3832

(760) 499-1800

District: Sierra Sands Unified

Feeder schools for Burroughs High:

Elementary:	Faller Elementary
	Gateway Elementary
	Inyokern Elementary
	Las Flores Elementary
	More...
	Pierce Elementary
	Richmond Elementary
Middle:	James Monroe Middle
	Murray Middle

Racial breakdown:

White:

47.7%

Hispanic:

33.1%

African American:

7.8%

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Compare Burroughs High to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 84th percentile in 2015 → 75th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the California average (46% vs 41% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 25% of California high schools

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 9 percentile points since 2015

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school46%

District avg33%

California avg41%

531^st of 2,162

California public high schools ?

Top 25%▼ down 8 pts since 2015

From top 16% (2015) to top 25% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 2High Schools in the Sierra Sands Unified

882^nd of 1,543Sierra Sands Unified 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	73.2	531 of 2162	75.4%	★★★★☆
2024	60.8	749 of 2159	65.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	71.6	551 of 2170	74.6%	★★★★☆
2022	65.9	604 of 2123	71.5%	★★★★☆
2021	71.9	328 of 1290	74.6%	★★★★☆
2019	80.2	360 of 2133	83.1%	★★★★☆
2018	75.0	493 of 2017	75.6%	★★★★☆
2017	76.2	478 of 2021	76.3%	★★★★☆
2016	76.1	443 of 2039	78.3%	★★★★☆
2015	81.8	325 of 1994	83.7%	★★★★☆
2013	73.0	252 of 2426	89.6%	★★★★☆
2012	71.2	279 of 2354	88.1%	★★★★☆
2011	75.2	207 of 2367	91.3%	★★★★★
2010	71.8	251 of 2281	89.0%	★★★★☆
2009	73.6	210 of 2238	90.6%	★★★★★
2008	77.1	165 of 2117	92.2%	★★★★★
2007	75.7	180 of 2063	91.3%	★★★★★
2006	84.3	70 of 1968	96.4%	★★★★★
2005	88.7	32 of 1901	98.3%	★★★★★
2004	89.6	22 of 1653	98.7%	★★★★★

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	64.6	153 of 523	70.7%	★★★★☆
2024	67.5	131 of 517	74.7%	★★★★☆
2023	46.8	230 of 521	55.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	45.5	236 of 522	54.8%	★★★☆☆
2019	81.6	79 of 592	86.7%	★★★★☆
2018	70.2	157 of 582	73.0%	★★★★☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2023	63.2	257 of 591	56.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	60.8	256 of 582	56.0%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	63.8	248 of 1161	78.6%	★★★★☆
2021	44.5	248 of 555	55.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	44.1	496 of 1117	55.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	57.9	307 of 1052	70.8%	★★★★☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	48.5	376 of 1085	65.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	52.8	278 of 938	70.4%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	63.1	647 of 1906	66.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	59.4	684 of 1915	64.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	64.1	602 of 1915	68.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	66.5	513 of 1858	72.4%	★★★★☆
2021	69.5	296 of 1054	71.9%	★★★★☆
2019	79.4	335 of 1833	81.7%	★★★★☆
2018	68.6	552 of 1760	68.6%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	69.0	509 of 1900	73.2%	★★★★☆
2024	44.8	1029 of 1902	45.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	63.5	597 of 1917	68.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	59.8	619 of 1861	66.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	61.8	595 of 1814	67.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	67.1	549 of 1742	68.5%	★★★☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	72.8	64 of 328	80.5%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	72.5	479 of 2013	76.2%	★★★★☆
2024	42.5	1132 of 2026	44.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	62.6	637 of 2030	68.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	57.1	699 of 1943	64.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	69.9	283 of 1126	74.9%	★★★★☆
2019	81.6	260 of 1937	86.6%	★★★★☆
2018	72.1	479 of 1862	74.3%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	76.9	408 of 1942	79.0%	★★★★☆
2024	57.8	735 of 1948	62.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	75.0	444 of 1963	77.4%	★★★★☆
2022	60.8	629 of 1916	67.2%	★★★☆☆
2021	67.8	312 of 1122	72.2%	★★★★☆
2019	74.4	421 of 1880	77.6%	★★★★☆
2018	76.4	427 of 1834	76.7%	★★★★☆

Military Connected

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	48.6	89 of 168	47.0%	★★☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	59.6	236 of 577	59.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	17.2	479 of 574	16.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	51.3	459 of 1252	63.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	59.4	341 of 1216	72.0%	★★★★☆
2023	52.8	396 of 1197	66.9%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	57.1	514 of 1155	55.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	51.1	590 of 1173	49.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	56.8	521 of 1193	56.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	48.8	610 of 1204	49.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	67.6	371 of 1222	69.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	61.7	515 of 1173	56.1%	★★★☆☆

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)

Homeless (2024)80th percentile+15 vs school

Male (2025)79th percentile+4 vs school

Disabled (2022)79th percentile+7 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)76th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2025)73rd percentile~ school

African American (2025)71st percentile-5 vs school

Female (2025)66th percentile-9 vs school

English Language Learner (2024)65th percentile~ school

Special Education (2025)63rd percentile-12 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)59th percentile-16 vs school

Asian (2023)57th percentile-18 vs school

White (2025)55th percentile-20 vs school

Military Connected (2022)47th percentile-25 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy69%+20 vs state

Science38%+6 vs state

Mathematics32%-5 vs state

★

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Schools Near Burroughs High

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 8th Grade	CAST Science 10th Grade	CAST Science 11th Grade	CAST Science All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 7th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 8th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 11th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 7th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 8th Grade	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
Burroughs High	Public	9-12	500 East French St.	Ridgecrest	93555	Kern County	Sierra Sands Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 499-1800	1,536	75	20.4	52.9%	732 (47.7%)	120 (7.8%)	508 (33.1%)	62 (4.0%)	20 (1.3%)	11 (0.7%)	77 (5.0%)	73.2	531^st of 2162 public high schools	75.4%		60.8	749^th of 2159 public high schools	65.3%	218			39.4	38.3			68.8	68.8			32.0	32.0	$15,876	$1,030	$14,846
Mesquite Continuation High	Public	9-12	140 West Drummond	Ridgecrest	93555	Kern County	Sierra Sands Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 499-1810	95	7	13.8	76.8%	49 (51.6%)	6 (6.3%)	33 (34.7%)	2 (2.1%)	3 (3.2%)	1 (1.1%)	1 (1.1%)	11.5	1941^st of 2162 public high schools	10.2%		13.8	1855^th of 2159 public high schools	14.1%	86			0.0	0.0			23.1	23.1			0.0	0.0	$20,746	$4,484	$16,262
Trona High	Public	7-12	83600 Trona Rd.	Trona	93562	San Bernardino County	Trona Joint Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 372-2824	111	10	11.6	73.9%	65 (58.6%)	5 (4.5%)	39 (35.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.8%)								(n/a)	18.2	5.3		12.0	6.7	14.3		12.5	6.7	13.6		12.2	$32,734	$5,563	$27,171

Frequently Asked Questions about Burroughs High

What district is Burroughs High in?

Sierra Sands Unified

Is Burroughs High a good school?

Burroughs High ranks 531^st of 2162 California high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What schools feed into Burroughs High?

Burroughs High is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Faller Elementary
Elementary : Gateway Elementary
Elementary : Inyokern Elementary
Elementary : Las Flores Elementary
Elementary : Pierce Elementary
Elementary : Richmond Elementary
Middle : James Monroe Middle
Middle : Murray Middle

How many students attend Burroughs High?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,536 students attended Burroughs High.

What is the racial makeup of Burroughs High?

Students at Burroughs High are 48% White, 33% Hispanic, 8% African American, 5% Two or more races, 4% Asian, 1% American Indian.

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Schools in Ridgecrest, 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.