Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal
records, no number is typed in by an editor. District totals are aggregated directly from the schools reporting under this district in the source records. See our
editorial standards & corrections policy, the
methodology behind these numbers, or
report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.
Salinas, California - 13 schools
An equity score of 67/100 ranks Alisal Union #324 of 1517 districts in California (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $15,875 per pupil, Alisal Union ranks #755 of 1862 California districts by per-pupil spending (California districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
7,509
Total Enrollment
13
Schools
$15,875
Per-Pupil Spending
Elementary
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Alisal Union operates 13 public schools serving 7,509 students, placing it among the smaller districts in California. The school portfolio breaks down into 13 elementary schools, a compact enough portfolio that families can compare every campus directly before they move, rent, or enrol. These enrollment and school figures come from the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 release, and the district is based in Monterey County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $15,875 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, in the upper half of 1862 California districts by per-pupil spending. See how California compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 17.0% local, 69.9% state, and 13.1% federal, a state-revenue-heavy mix that insulates the district somewhat from local property-tax volatility, though it ties funding to state budget cycles. The district's equity score is 67/100, ranked #324 of 1517 in California against a state average of 50, notably more even than the typical district in the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.
a 606.8:1 student-counselor ratio, above both the ASCA benchmark and the roughly 408:1 national average, and 37.6% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 96.7% Hispanic or Latino, 1.8% Asian, 0.8% White across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is John E. Steinbeck Elementary, with a diversity index of 18.5/100.
Its largest campus is Monte Bella Elementary, enrolling 812 students (11% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Alisal Virtual Academy, at 22 students, a 37x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
Alisal Union school enrollment varies 37× across entities
Alisal Union school enrollment ranges from 22 students (lowest) to 812 students (highest), a spread of 790 students. That ratio is among the widest observed and reflects extreme enrollment heterogeneity, the district operates both small specialty programs and large comprehensive campuses inside a single budgeting unit. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.
Alisal Union has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 80.8% of the population qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch
free or reduced-price lunch eligibility is the federal threshold for Title I funding allocations, established under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA, 2015). Areas above 75% eligibility — including this one — receive concentration grants on top of the basic Title I formula. Regions with eligibility this high typically draw a substantially larger federal funding share relative to their local tax base, which can either offset or reinforce existing gaps depending on allocation policy.
Alisal Union student-counselor ratio is 607:1 — well above typical (typically associated with unusually large scale or acute resource constraints)
student-counselor ratio is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: the ratio counts FTE counselors against total enrollment, districts that contract intervention or social-emotional staff outside the counselor classification may be under-counted Values this far above typical often signal acute resource constraints or a structurally different scale than most peers — worth reading alongside the underlying counts, not the ratio alone.
Alisal Union chronic absenteeism rate is 37.6% — high (typically associated with higher-than-average disruption; recent CRDC data showed elevated rates persisting after pandemic-era schooling changes)
chronic absenteeism rate is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: a student is chronically absent if they miss ≥10% of enrolled days for any reason, illness, family obligations, or disengagement Higher values may reflect larger urban scale or recent resource constraints that have widened the gap.
Alisal Union has 13 schools, including 13 elementary. Total enrollment is 7,509 students.
How much does Alisal Union spend per student?
Alisal Union spends $15,875 per student. The district has an equity score of 67/100, ranking #324 in California.
What is the demographic composition of Alisal Union?
Alisal Union students are 96.7% Hispanic or Latino, 1.8% Asian, 0.8% White, 0.1% African American, averaged across 13 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Alisal Union?
Alisal Union has an equity score of 67/100, ranking #324 out of 1517 districts in California.