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, the data changelog, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.
San Juan Capistrano, California - 59 schools
An equity score of 30/100 ranks Capistrano Unified #1234 of 1526 districts in California (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $15,820 per pupil, Capistrano Unified ranks #1225 of 1880 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 $15,820 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, in the lower half of 1880 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 30/100, ranked #1234 of 1526 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
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.
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.
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 | Similar 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.
Out-of-state peers matched by enrollment and by per-pupil expenditure, not the same-state lists above.
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 $15,820 per student. The district has an equity score of 30/100, ranking #1234 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 30/100, ranking #1234 out of 1526 districts in California.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.