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.
El Cajon, California - 25 schools
An equity score of 57/100 ranks Cajon Valley Union #566 of 1517 districts in California (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $17,179 per pupil, Cajon Valley Union ranks #508 of 1862 California districts by per-pupil spending (California districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
Cajon Valley Union operates 25 public schools serving 15,337 students, placing it in the mid-size range in California. The school portfolio breaks down into 20 elementary, 5 middle schools, giving families a clear picture of grade-band coverage 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 San Diego County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $17,179 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 28.3% local, 58.5% state, and 13.2% 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 57/100, ranked #566 of 1517 in California against a state average of 50, in line with the typical spread seen across the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.
a 477.7:1 student-counselor ratio, above both the ASCA benchmark and the roughly 408:1 national average, and 34.4% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 42.7% White, 34.1% Hispanic or Latino, 8.3% Asian across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Anza Elementary, with a diversity index of 74.2/100.
Its largest campus is Hillsdale Middle, enrolling 1,481 students (9% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Empower, at 21 students, a 71x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
Cajon Valley Union school enrollment ranges from 21 students (lowest) to 1,481 students (highest), a spread of 1,460 students. That ratio is an extreme outlier spread — among the widest gaps observed anywhere in this dataset. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.
Source: NCES Common Core of Data NCES Common Core of Data
free or reduced-price lunch eligibility is the federal threshold for Title I funding allocations, established under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA, 2015). Eligibility here is approaching the 75% concentration-grant threshold; it does not yet unlock the extra funding tier but sits meaningfully above the baseline 50% majority mark. 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.
Source: ESSA Title I Part A; ED EDFacts file system ESSA Title I Part A; ED EDFacts file system
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 Higher values may reflect larger urban scale or recent resource constraints that have widened the gap.
Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection NCES Civil Rights Data Collection
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.
Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection 2021-22 NCES Civil Rights Data Collection 2021-22
This district has moderate funding equity. There may be room to improve funding diversity or resource allocation.
Average demographic composition across 25 schools in Cajon Valley Union.
Source: NCES CCD School Membership 2024-25.
Average Simpson diversity index across Cajon Valley Union's schools, above the California average of 46.0.
Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) 2021-22.
| School | Enrollment |
|---|---|
| Hillsdale Middle | 1,481 |
| Naranca Elementary | 985 |
| Cajon Valley Middle | 942 |
| Montgomery Middle | 929 |
| Lexington Elementary | 878 |
| Johnson Elementary | 766 |
| Chase Avenue Elementary | 757 |
| Flying Hills School of Arts | 742 |
| Greenfield Middle | 730 |
| Magnolia Elementary | 703 |
| Anza Elementary | 687 |
| Fuerte Elementary | 686 |
| Madison Avenue Elementary | 670 |
| Vista Grande Elementary | 633 |
| W. D. Hall Elementary | 579 |
| Avocado Elementary | 573 |
| Meridian Elementary | 570 |
| Blossom Valley Elementary | 533 |
| Rancho San Diego Elementary | 533 |
| Los Coches Creek Middle | 518 |
| Jamacha Elementary | 415 |
| Crest Elementary | 271 |
| Rios Elementary | 255 |
| Cajon Valley Home | 117 |
| Empower | 21 |
The California districts closest to this one in total enrollment.
| District | Enrollment | Spending | Funding Mix |
|---|---|---|---|
| Norwalk-La Mirada Unified | Similar size | Similar spending | Similar funding mix |
| Antioch Unified | Similar size | Similar spending | Similar funding mix |
| Modesto City High | Similar size | No spending data | No revenue-mix data |
| Ventura Unified | Similar size | Lower spending | More locally funded |
| Central Unified | Similar size | Lower spending | Similar funding mix |
Comparisons are relative to Cajon Valley Union's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data and the F-33 Finance Survey.
Top districts in the same state, compare side-by-side for enrollment, spending, and demographics.
See how this district compares to others in enrollment, spending, demographics, and academic resources.
Compare vs Los Angeles Unified →Cajon Valley Union has 25 schools, including 5 middle, 20 elementary. Total enrollment is 15,337 students.
Cajon Valley Union spends $17,179 per student. The district has an equity score of 57/100, ranking #566 in California.
Cajon Valley Union students are 42.7% White, 34.1% Hispanic or Latino, 8.3% Asian, 6.3% African American, averaged across 25 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
Cajon Valley Union has an equity score of 57/100, ranking #566 out of 1517 districts in California.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.