Atascadero Unified
Public school district · San Luis Obispo County · California · NCES district ID 0603300
Atascadero Unified spent $14,952 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23, below the middle: 78% of the other California districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022 spent more (median $16,855). Its 12 schools enrolled 4,355 students in 2024-25; 39.9% of its revenue came from the state. Census Bureau figures for 2023-24 put it at $15,853 per student, up 6.0% on the year before (U.S. $17,619 that year). Its four-year graduation rate for the class of 2023 was 90% (California: 86.2%).
NCES F-33 finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23 · Census Bureau school finances 2023-24 · NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 · method
Spending per student among California districts of similar size
Current spending per student excludes construction and debt. The 9 districts closest to Atascadero Unified in enrollment (4,260 to 4,344 students) and Atascadero Unified itself.
Where the money came from
$94,740,000 in revenue: 39.9% state, 53.2% local and 6.9% federal. Total spending including $6,927,000 of capital outlay was $75,717,000, or $17,625 per student; the figure above leaves capital out.
- State$37,809,000 40%
- Local$50,422,000 53%
- Federal$6,509,000 7%
Source: NCES F-33 school district finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23: current expenditures for elementary and secondary education divided by fall membership; the state median covers 646 districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022. Revenue by source (TOTALREV, TFEDREV, TSTREV, TLOCREV).
Enrollment rose from 2022-23 to 2024-25
4,293 students in 2022-23, 4,337 students in 2023-24, 4,355 students in 2024-25, counted across the schools that reported each year.
Teachers and students per teacher
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Per teacher |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-23 | 4,293 | 194.9 | 22.0 |
| 2023-24 | 4,337 | 198.0 | 21.9 |
| 2024-25 | 4,355 | 200.8 | 21.7 |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data membership and staff files, 2022-23, 2023-24, 2024-25; sums over the schools reporting each year.
$19,070,000 in teacher salaries in fiscal year 2022-23, $4,439 per student
Atascadero Unified booked $19,070,000 of teacher salaries in its 2022-23 finance report and counted 195 full-time teachers in its Common Core of Data district staff file for 2022-23 (the school files behind the staffing figures on this page count teachers separately, so the two can differ), or $97,840 of salary spending per teacher. That is more than 46 in 100 California districts with a figure (state median $99,744, 1,149 districts). It is spending, not what a teacher is paid: the salary lines and the teacher count come from different files, so the result can differ widely from the average salary the district publishes (its salary schedule gives pay); benefits are left out, and states book salaries differently, so compare districts within one state. For pay, the National Education Association put the average California teacher salary at $87,275 in 2021-22 (NCES Digest table 211.60).
| Program | Teacher salaries | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Regular programs | $14,082,000 | 73.8% |
| Special education | $3,174,000 | 16.6% |
| Vocational | $677,000 | 3.6% |
| Other programs | $1,137,000 | 6.0% |
Teacher salaries per student, fiscal years 2018-19 to 2022-23
The district's teacher salary bill divided by its fall enrollment each year: $3,534 in 2018-19, $3,597 in 2019-20, $3,602 in 2020-21, $3,921 in 2021-22, $4,439 in 2022-23.
Source: NCES F-33 school district finance survey, fiscal years 2019 to 2023: teacher salaries in regular, special, vocational and other programs (Z35 to Z38) and fall membership (V33); NCES Common Core of Data LEA staff file 2022-23, teachers (full-time equivalent).
State test results, 2021-22
In 2021-22, the students tested in Atascadero Unified scored proficient or above: 51-53% in reading and 40-42% in math, against 45% in reading and 34% in math across California. Each state writes its own test and sets its own proficiency bar, so compare these within California, not across states. Where a state published results by grade only, the grades tested are combined, weighted by the students tested in each.
| Subject | This district | California | Students tested |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading and language arts | 51-53% | 45% | 1,821 |
| Math | 40-42% | 34% | 1,821 |
Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts state assessment results 2021-22, all students, from ED Data Express (the Data Rescue Project archive; ED has no 2022-23 result for this district): ED shows district results as ranges (for example 20-24%) to protect small groups.
Graduation rate, class of 2023
90% of the 360 students in Atascadero Unified's class of 2023 graduated within four years, against 86.2% across California. The four-year rate follows the students who started ninth grade in fall 2019, adjusted for those who moved in or out, and counts those who earned a regular diploma by 2023. Every state computes it the same way under federal law, though each sets its own diploma requirements.
| This district | California | |
|---|---|---|
| Four-year graduation rate | 90% | 86.2% |
| Students in the class | 360 | 495,492 |
Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rates 2022-23, all students, from ED Data Express: ED shows district rates as ranges (for example 90-94%) and leaves out small classes.
7 elementary schools, 1,901 students
| School | Students | Per teacher | Free lunch | Title I, 2021‑22 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Benito Elementary | 403 | 27.3 | 41.9% | Not reported |
| Monterey Road Elementary | 382 | 23.9 | 29.8% | Not reported |
| Santa Rosa Road Academic Academy | 377 | 19.9 | 56.8% | Not reported |
| San Gabriel Elementary | 360 | 25.7 | 31.9% | Not reported |
| Santa Margarita Elementary | 297 | 25.6 | 22.9% | Not reported |
| Creston Elementary | 61 | 20.3 | 37.7% | Not reported |
| Carrisa Plains Elementary | 21 | 10.6 | 71.4% | Not reported |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25; Title I status CCD 2021-22, the last year NCES published it. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count; not reported: the school sent NCES no meal count.
2 middle schools, 1,083 students
| School | Students | Per teacher | Free lunch | Title I, 2021‑22 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atascadero Middle | 845 | 20.7 | 35.1% | Not reported |
| Fine Arts Academy | 238 | 20.8 | 25.6% | Not reported |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25; Title I status CCD 2021-22, the last year NCES published it. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count; not reported: the school sent NCES no meal count.
3 high schools, 1,371 students
| School | Students | Per teacher | Free lunch | Title I, 2021‑22 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atascadero High | 1,157 | 19.6 | 32.7% | Not reported |
| Atascadero Choices in Education Academy (ACE) | 159 | 28.5 | 24.5% | Not reported |
| Paloma Creek High | 55 | 16.0 | 58.2% | Not reported |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25; Title I status CCD 2021-22, the last year NCES published it. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count; not reported: the school sent NCES no meal count.
Contact Atascadero Unified
- Website: atasusd.org
- Phone: (805) 462-4200
- Office: 5601 West Mall, Atascadero, CA 93422
Source: NCES Common Core of Data, local education agency directory 2024-25. Enrollment, boundaries and school assignment are the district's to confirm.
What to look at next about Atascadero Unified
- California districts by spending per studentAtascadero Unified ranks 506 of 646 California districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022 on current spending per student in fiscal year 2022-23 ($14,952).#506 of 646
- Every school district in CaliforniaAtascadero Unified is the number 305 by size of 1,991 California districts, with 4,296 students in fall 2022 (F-33).#305 of 1,991
- National School DistrictThe next larger California district: 4,344 students in fall 2022, $20,866 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$20,866
- San Rafael City ElementaryThe next smaller California district: 4,290 students in fall 2022, $20,143 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$20,143
- Compare Atascadero Unified with National School DistrictEnrollment, spending, revenue sources and schools, side by side.
- Atascadero High, its largest high school1,157 students in 2024-25, 19.6 per teacher.1,157
- Teacher salary spending across CaliforniaAtascadero Unified spent $97,840 in salaries per full-time teacher in fiscal year 2022-23 (state median $99,744); spending, not a salary.$97,840
- Find the school district for an addressA home's district decides which public schools it can enroll in.
Source: NCES F-33 finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23 (spending per student and fall 2022 membership; ranks among the state's districts that reported them); NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (schools).
Questions about Atascadero Unified
How many schools and students are in Atascadero Unified?
12 schools were open in 2024-25 (7 elementary, 2 middle, 3 high), enrolling 4,355 students, according to the NCES Common Core of Data.How much does Atascadero Unified spend per student?
$14,952 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23 (NCES F-33), which leaves out construction and debt; the California median for districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022 is $16,855 and the U.S. figure is $16,260. Census Bureau figures for 2023-24 put it at $15,853 per student, up 6.0% on the year before (U.S. $17,619 that year).Where does Atascadero Unified's money come from?
$94,740,000 in revenue in fiscal year 2022-23: 39.9% state, 53.2% local and 6.9% federal (NCES F-33).How many children in Atascadero Unified live in poverty?
The Census Bureau estimates that 461 of the 5,465 children aged 5 to 17 living within the district's boundaries in 2024, 8.4%, were in families in poverty (Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). It is a model-based estimate for everyone living in the district, not a count of its students; the free-meal shares in the school tables are counts of enrolled students.How much does Atascadero Unified spend on teacher salaries?
$19,070,000 in fiscal year 2022-23 (NCES F-33), or $4,439 per student. Divided by the 195 full-time teachers in the NCES Common Core of Data for 2022-23 that is $97,840 per teacher, more than 46 in 100 California districts (state median $99,744). That is spending, not what a teacher is paid: the salary lines and the teacher count come from different files, and the result can differ widely from the average salary a district publishes. The district's salary schedule gives pay. For pay, the National Education Association put the average California teacher salary at $87,275 in 2021-22 (NCES Digest table 211.60).How do students in Atascadero Unified do on state tests?
In 2021-22, the students tested in Atascadero Unified scored proficient or above: 51-53% in reading and 40-42% in math, against 45% in reading and 34% in math across California. California's own test sets what proficient means, so results compare within the state, not across states. Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts state assessment results, 2021-22.What is the graduation rate in Atascadero Unified?
90% of the 360 students in Atascadero Unified's class of 2023 graduated within four years, against 86.2% across California. The four-year rate follows the students who started ninth grade in fall 2019, adjusted for those who moved in or out. Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rates, 2022-23.What is Atascadero Unified's NCES district ID?
0603300. Each of its schools' 12-digit NCES IDs begins with these seven digits.
Reading these figures: how to choose a school district, what Title I means and what an absenteeism rate means. They are for information and are not a substitute for the school's or district's own records.
Sources
Every federal file behind this record
- NCES Common Core of Data, 2024-25: directory, membership, staff and lunch files. nces.ed.gov
- NCES Common Core of Data, 2021-22 school characteristics: Title I status. nces.ed.gov
- Civil Rights Data Collection, 2021-22: AP courses, gifted programs, counselors, discipline. civilrightsdata.ed.gov
- EDFacts, 2022-23: chronic absenteeism. ed.gov
- EDFacts four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rates, 2022-23: the class of 2023 for the district and its state (ED Data Express). eddataexpress.ed.gov
- EDFacts state assessment results, 2021-22: reading and math proficiency for the district and its state (ED Data Express). eddataexpress.ed.gov
- NCES Digest of Education Statistics, table 211.60 (2021-22): the state's average teacher salary, from the National Education Association. nces.ed.gov
- U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, 2024: children aged 5 to 17 and those in families in poverty, by school district. census.gov
- U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of School System Finances, fiscal year 2023-24: per pupil current spending for 2023-24 and 2022-23. census.gov
- NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, fiscal year 2022-23: district spending and revenue. nces.ed.gov
- U.S. Census Bureau geocoder and TIGER school districts: the district boundary used by the district finder. census.gov
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of School System Finances Per pupil current spending by school system · FY 2023-24
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey Revenue and expenditures by district · FY 2022-23
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School directory, membership, staff and lunch files · 2024-25