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.
San Juan Capistrano, California - 59 schools
An equity score of 32/100 ranks Capistrano Unified #1194 of 1517 districts in California (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $14,421 per pupil, Capistrano Unified ranks #1104 of 1862 California districts by per-pupil spending (California districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
Capistrano Unified operates 59 public schools serving 41,855 students, placing it among the larger districts in California. The school portfolio breaks down into 37 elementary, 13 middle, 8 high, 1 combined schools, giving families a clear picture of grade-band coverage across a sizeable portfolio 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 Orange County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $14,421 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, in the lower half of 1862 California districts by per-pupil spending. See how California compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 61.2% local, 31.0% state, and 7.7% federal, a local-revenue-heavy mix that leaves the district more exposed to property-tax swings and local ballot measures than state-funded peers. The district's equity score is 32/100, ranked #1194 of 1517 in California against a state average of 50, notably less even than the typical district in the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.
Academic infrastructure includes 7 of 59 schools offering Advanced Placement (119 AP courses district-wide), a 526.7:1 student-counselor ratio, above both the ASCA benchmark and the roughly 408:1 national average, and 27.8% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 49.5% White, 28.7% Hispanic or Latino, 8.0% Asian across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Marian Bergeson Elementary, with a diversity index of 73.3/100.
Its largest campus is San Clemente High, enrolling 2,740 students (7% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Bridges Community Day, at 12 students, a 228x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
Capistrano Unified school enrollment ranges from 12 students (lowest) to 2,740 students (highest), a spread of 2,728 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
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.
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 Variation between sub-units within Capistrano Unified is typically wider than the Capistrano Unified-aggregate figure suggests.
Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection 2021-22 NCES Civil Rights Data Collection 2021-22
This district scores below average on funding equity. High reliance on local revenue or lower spending may contribute.
Average demographic composition across 59 schools in Capistrano Unified.
Source: NCES CCD School Membership 2024-25.
Average Simpson diversity index across Capistrano Unified's schools, above the California average of 46.0.
Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) 2021-22.
The California districts closest to this one in total enrollment.
| District | Enrollment | Spending | Funding Mix |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clovis Unified | Similar size | Similar spending | Less locally funded |
| Kern High | Similar size | Similar spending | Less locally funded |
| Santa Ana Unified | Similar size | Higher spending | Less locally funded |
| Riverside Unified | Similar size | Similar spending | Less locally funded |
| Sacramento City Unified | Similar size | Higher spending | Less locally funded |
Comparisons are relative to Capistrano Unified'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 →Capistrano Unified has 59 schools, including 8 high, 13 middle, 37 elementary, 1 combined. Total enrollment is 41,855 students.
Capistrano Unified spends $14,421 per student. The district has an equity score of 32/100, ranking #1194 in California.
Capistrano Unified students are 49.5% White, 28.7% Hispanic or Latino, 8.0% Asian, 0.7% African American, averaged across 59 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
Capistrano Unified has an equity score of 32/100, ranking #1194 out of 1517 districts in California.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.