Public schools in Salinas, CA
Salinas has 61 public schools with a 2024-25 address in the city: 11 high, 8 middle, 39 elementary, 3 other, enrolling 37,639 students. They are run by 11 districts and agencies; Salinas City Elementary School District runs 15 of them.
NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25: schools open that year with enrollment · method
The 11 districts and agencies that run Salinas's public schools
Each district decides who can enroll where; its page holds its schools, spending and teachers.
| District | Schools in Salinas | District students, fall 2022 | Spending per student, FY23 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Salinas City Elementary School District | 15 | 8,273 | $20,429 |
| Alisal Union | 13 | 7,509 | $17,675 |
| Salinas Union High School District | 12 | 16,337 | $18,321 |
| Santa Rita Union School District | 6 | 3,231 | $16,217 |
| North Monterey County Unified | 4 | 4,483 | $20,398 |
| Monterey County Office of Education | 4 | 633 | not reported |
| Washington Union School District | 3 | 734 | $14,614 |
| Spreckels Union School District | 1 | 918 | $12,385 |
| Oasis Charter Public District | 1 | 162 | $21,840 |
| Lagunita Elementary | 1 | 76 | $15,118 |
| Graves Elementary | 1 | 31 | $19,806 |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25: school location city and operating agency; NCES F-33 fiscal year 2022-23: district fall membership and current spending per student. Schools on a city's edge can serve students from outside it.
11 high schools in Salinas, 11,574 students
| School | Students 2024‑25 | Per teacher | Free lunch | District |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alisal High | 2,742 | 22.9 | 79.4% | Salinas Union High |
| Salinas High | 2,380 | 21.6 | 54.5% | Salinas Union High |
| North Salinas High | 2,106 | 20.1 | 71.9% | Salinas Union High |
| Everett Alvarez High | 1,978 | 21.8 | 74.2% | Salinas Union High |
| Rancho San Juan High | 1,600 | 20.8 | 64.9% | Salinas Union High |
| El Puente | 326 | 16.4 | 77.0% | Salinas Union High |
| Mount Toro High | 204 | 14.8 | 86.3% | Salinas Union High |
| Salinas Community | 101 | 20.4 | 82.2% | Monterey County Office of Education |
| North Monterey County Center for Independent Study | 96 | 23.5 | 78.1% | North Monterey County Unified |
| Central Bay High (Continuation) | 23 | 7.6 | 91.3% | North Monterey County Unified |
One more high school
| School | Students 2024‑25 | Per teacher | Free lunch | District |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carr Lake Community Day | 18 | 9.0 | 83.3% | Salinas Union High |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (membership, staff, lunch); level from the directory. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count.
8 middle schools in Salinas, 6,055 students
| School | Students 2024‑25 | Per teacher | Free lunch | District |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harden Middle | 1,101 | 21.1 | 68.8% | Salinas Union High |
| La Paz Middle | 1,099 | 20.0 | 85.3% | Salinas Union High |
| Washington Middle | 1,082 | 21.3 | 71.3% | Salinas Union High |
| El Sausal Middle | 1,067 | 22.2 | 80.9% | Salinas Union High |
| John Gutierrez Middle | 568 | 19.5 | 66.0% | Santa Rita Union |
| Gavilan View Middle | 556 | 18.5 | 73.2% | Santa Rita Union |
| Buena Vista Middle | 321 | 17.6 | 16.8% | Spreckels Union |
| San Benancio Middle | 261 | 21.7 | 10.3% | Washington Union |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (membership, staff, lunch); level from the directory. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count.
39 elementary schools in Salinas, 19,431 students
| School | Students 2024‑25 | Per teacher | Free lunch | District |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sherwood Elementary | 859 | 21.5 | 90.2% | Salinas City Elementary |
| Monte Bella Elementary | 812 | 26.2 | 70.6% | Alisal Union |
| Henry F. Kammann Elementary | 743 | 24.0 | 73.2% | Salinas City Elementary |
| Fremont Elementary | 711 | 24.1 | 90.9% | Alisal Union |
| Natividad Elementary | 705 | 23.1 | 78.9% | Salinas City Elementary |
| Mission Park Elementary | 657 | 24.3 | 54.6% | Salinas City Elementary |
| Jesse G. Sanchez Elementary | 646 | 23.9 | 92.1% | Alisal Union |
| Lincoln Elementary | 646 | 23.9 | 27.6% | Salinas City Elementary |
| Prunedale Elementary | 644 | 23.9 | 79.7% | North Monterey County Unified |
| Frank Paul Elementary | 638 | 24.1 | 86.5% | Alisal Union |
The other 29 elementary schools
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (membership, staff, lunch); level from the directory. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count.
3 other schools in Salinas, 579 students
| School | Students 2024‑25 | Per teacher | Free lunch | District |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monterey County Special Education | 274 | 6.9 | 58.8% | Monterey County Office of Education |
| Monterey County Home Charter | 255 | 18.8 | 62.0% | Monterey County Office of Education |
| Wellington M. Smith Jr. | 50 | 12.4 | 94.0% | Monterey County Office of Education |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (membership, staff, lunch); level from the directory. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count.
How Salinas's public schools compare with California's
The median Salinas school has 22.2 students per full-time teacher, more than the California median of 21.6. Its median school enrolls 545 students (state 471).
| Salinas | California | |
|---|---|---|
| Median students per teacher | 22.2 | 21.6 |
| Median school size (students) | 545 | 471 |
| Schools with a schoolwide Title I program (2021-22) | not reported | not reported |
| Schools where every student eats free (CEP) | 79% | 74% |
| Charter schools | 3.3% | 13% |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (membership, staff, lunch program, charter status; the 61 Salinas schools and the 9,918 California schools open that year with students); Title I status CCD 2021-22. Students per teacher counts 2024-25 teachers and ratios from 3 to 99.
What to look at next in Salinas
- Salinas City Elementary School DistrictRuns 15 of Salinas's 61 public schools and spent $20,429 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$20,429
- Alisal High, the largest high school in Salinas2,742 students in 2024-25, 22.9 per teacher.2,742
- Compare Salinas City Elementary School District with Alisal UnionSalinas's two largest operators side by side: enrollment, spending and schools.
- The largest public schools in CaliforniaCalifornia's 50 largest schools open in 2024-25, by enrollment.
- Find the school district for a Salinas addressA home's district, not its city, decides which public schools it can enroll in.
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (schools and their operating agencies); NCES F-33 finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23 (spending per student).
Choosing among them: how to choose a school district with the federal data, and what a Title I school is.
Other cities in California
- Los Angeles564 schools
- San Diego283 schools
- San Jose232 schools
- Sacramento197 schools
- Fresno179 schools
- Bakersfield146 schools
- San Francisco123 schools
- Stockton122 schools
Questions about schools in Salinas
How many public schools are in Salinas, CA?
61 public schools with an address in Salinas were open in 2024-25: 11 high, 8 middle, 39 elementary, 3 other, enrolling 37,639 students. 2 are charter schools.What is the largest high school in Salinas?
Alisal High, with 2,742 students in 2024-25 (Salinas Union High School District).Which districts run Salinas's schools?
Salinas City Elementary School District (15 schools), Alisal Union (13 schools), Salinas Union High School District (12 schools), Santa Rita Union School District (6 schools), and 7 more. A school's district, not its city, decides who can enroll.
These figures are for information and are not a substitute for the district's enrollment office, which confirms the school a home is assigned to.
Sources
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School directory, membership, staff and lunch files · 2024-25
Source: NCES Common Core of Data Public school search (the official record of each school) · 2024-25