Carlsbad Unified

Public school district · San Diego County · California · NCES district ID 0607500

Carlsbad Unified spent $15,022 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23, below the middle: 77% of the other California districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022 spent more (median $16,855). Its 16 schools enrolled 10,678 students in 2024-25; 16.7% of its revenue came from the state. Census Bureau figures for 2023-24 put it at $15,702 per student, up 4.5% on the year before (U.S. $17,619 that year). Its four-year graduation rate for the class of 2023 was 92% (California: 86.2%).

NCES F-33 finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23 · Census Bureau school finances 2023-24 · NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 · method

Spending per student among California districts of similar size

Current spending per student excludes construction and debt. The 9 districts closest to Carlsbad Unified in enrollment (10,570 to 11,357 students) and Carlsbad Unified itself.

Current spending per student, California districts closest in size to Carlsbad Unified, FY23Whittier Union High $21,281; Victor Valley Union High $18,531; Covina-Valley Unified $18,183; Pittsburg Unified $18,011; La Mesa-Spring Valley Schools $16,770; Merced Union High $16,578; Los Banos Unified $16,392; Roseville Joint Union High $16,067; Merced City Elementary $15,186; Carlsbad Unified $15,022; State median, 1,000+ students $16,855.12.5k15k17.5k20k22.5kWhittier Union High$21,281Victor Valley Union High$18,531Covina-Valley Unified$18,183Pittsburg Unified$18,011La Mesa-Spring Valley Schools$16,770Merced Union High$16,578Los Banos Unified$16,392Roseville Joint Union High$16,067Merced City Elementary$15,186Carlsbad Unified$15,022State median, 1,000+ students $16,855
Current spending per student, California districts closest in size to Carlsbad Unified, FY23Whittier Union High $21,281; Victor Valley Union High $18,531; Covina-Valley Unified $18,183; Pittsburg Unified $18,011; La Mesa-Spring Valley Schools $16,770; Merced Union High $16,578; Los Banos Unified $16,392; Roseville Joint Union High $16,067; Merced City Elementary $15,186; Carlsbad Unified $15,022; State median, 1,000+ students $16,855.12.5k15k17.5k20k22.5kWhittier Union High$21,281Victor Valley Union High$18,531Covina-Valley Unified$18,183Pittsburg Unified$18,011La Mesa-Spring Valley Schools$16,770Merced Union High$16,578Los Banos Unified$16,392Roseville Joint Union High$16,067Merced City Elementary$15,186Carlsbad Unified$15,022State median, 1,000+ students $16,855
Current spending per student, California districts closest in size to Carlsbad Unified, FY23Whittier Union High $21,281; Victor Valley Union High $18,531; Covina-Valley Unified $18,183; Pittsburg Unified $18,011; La Mesa-Spring Valley Schools $16,770; Merced Union High $16,578; Los Banos Unified $16,392; Roseville Joint Union High $16,067; Merced City Elementary $15,186; Carlsbad Unified $15,022; State median, 1,000+ students $16,855.12.5k17.5k22.5kWhittier Union High$21,281Victor Valley Union High$18,531Covina-Valley Unified$18,183Pittsburg Unified$18,011La Mesa-Spring Valley Schools$16,770Merced Union High$16,578Los Banos Unified$16,392Roseville Joint Union High$16,067Merced City Elementary$15,186Carlsbad Unified$15,022State median, 1,000+ students $16,855
Current spending per student, California districts closest in size to Carlsbad Unified, FY23Whittier Union High $21,281; Victor Valley Union High $18,531; Covina-Valley Unified $18,183; Pittsburg Unified $18,011; La Mesa-Spring Valley Schools $16,770; Merced Union High $16,578; Los Banos Unified $16,392; Roseville Joint Union High $16,067; Merced City Elementary $15,186; Carlsbad Unified $15,022; State median, 1,000+ students $16,855.12.5k17.5k22.5kWhittier Union High$21,281Victor Valley Union High$18,531Covina-Valley Unified$18,183Pittsburg Unified$18,011La Mesa-Spring Valley Schools$16,770Merced Union High$16,578Los Banos Unified$16,392Roseville Joint Union High$16,067Merced City Elementary$15,186Carlsbad Unified$15,022State median, 1,000+ students $16,855

Where the money came from

$214,041,000 in revenue: 16.7% state, 76.7% local and 6.6% federal. Total spending including $21,826,000 of capital outlay was $203,054,000, or $18,491 per student; the figure above leaves capital out.

Carlsbad Unified revenue by source, fiscal year 2022-23State $35,677,000; Local $164,256,000; Federal $14,108,000; total $214,041,000.
  • State$35,677,000 17%
  • Local$164,256,000 77%
  • Federal$14,108,000 7%

Source: NCES F-33 school district finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23: current expenditures for elementary and secondary education divided by fall membership; the state median covers 646 districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022. Revenue by source (TOTALREV, TFEDREV, TSTREV, TLOCREV).

Enrollment fell from 2022-23 to 2024-25

10,942 students in 2022-23, 10,795 students in 2023-24, 10,678 students in 2024-25, counted across the schools that reported each year.

Carlsbad Unified enrollment by school year2022-23: 10,942, 2023-24: 10,795, 2024-25: 10,67805k10k15k2022-2310,9422023-2410,7952024-2510,678
Carlsbad Unified enrollment by school year2022-23: 10,942, 2023-24: 10,795, 2024-25: 10,67805k10k15k2022-2310,9422023-2410,7952024-2510,678
Carlsbad Unified enrollment by school year2022-23: 10,942, 2023-24: 10,795, 2024-25: 10,67805k10k15k2022-2310,9422023-2410,7952024-2510,678
Carlsbad Unified enrollment by school year2022-23: 10,942, 2023-24: 10,795, 2024-25: 10,67805k10k15k2022-2310,9422023-2410,7952024-2510,678

Teachers and students per teacher

School yearStudentsTeachers (FTE)Per teacher
2022-2310,942485.022.6
2023-2410,795483.922.3
2024-2510,678470.722.7

Source: NCES Common Core of Data membership and staff files, 2022-23, 2023-24, 2024-25; sums over the schools reporting each year.

$52,031,000 in teacher salaries in fiscal year 2022-23, $4,738 per student

Carlsbad Unified booked $52,031,000 of teacher salaries in its 2022-23 finance report and counted 485 full-time teachers in its Common Core of Data district staff file for 2022-23 (the school files behind the staffing figures on this page count teachers separately, so the two can differ), or $107,274 of salary spending per teacher. That is more than 63 in 100 California districts with a figure (state median $99,744, 1,149 districts). It is spending, not what a teacher is paid: the salary lines and the teacher count come from different files, so the result can differ widely from the average salary the district publishes (its salary schedule gives pay); benefits are left out, and states book salaries differently, so compare districts within one state. For pay, the National Education Association put the average California teacher salary at $87,275 in 2021-22 (NCES Digest table 211.60).

ProgramTeacher salariesShare
Regular programs$41,571,00079.9%
Special education$7,988,00015.4%
Vocational$1,177,0002.3%
Other programs$1,295,0002.5%

Teacher salaries per student, fiscal years 2018-19 to 2022-23

The district's teacher salary bill divided by its fall enrollment each year: $3,836 in 2018-19, $3,954 in 2019-20, $4,367 in 2020-21, $4,590 in 2021-22, $4,738 in 2022-23.

Carlsbad Unified teacher salaries per student by fiscal year2018-19: $3,836, 2019-20: $3,954, 2020-21: $4,367, 2021-22: $4,590, 2022-23: $4,73802k4k6k2018-19$3,8362019-20$3,9542020-21$4,3672021-22$4,5902022-23$4,738
Carlsbad Unified teacher salaries per student by fiscal year2018-19: $3,836, 2019-20: $3,954, 2020-21: $4,367, 2021-22: $4,590, 2022-23: $4,73802k4k6k2018-19$3,8362019-20$3,9542020-21$4,3672021-22$4,5902022-23$4,738
Carlsbad Unified teacher salaries per student by fiscal year2018-19: $3,836, 2019-20: $3,954, 2020-21: $4,367, 2021-22: $4,590, 2022-23: $4,73802k4k6k2018-19$3,8362019-20$3,9542020-21$4,3672021-22$4,5902022-23$4,738
Carlsbad Unified teacher salaries per student by fiscal year2018-19: $3,836, 2019-20: $3,954, 2020-21: $4,367, 2021-22: $4,590, 2022-23: $4,73802k4k6k2018-19$3,8362019-20$3,9542020-21$4,3672021-22$4,5902022-23$4,738

Source: NCES F-33 school district finance survey, fiscal years 2019 to 2023: teacher salaries in regular, special, vocational and other programs (Z35 to Z38) and fall membership (V33); NCES Common Core of Data LEA staff file 2022-23, teachers (full-time equivalent).

State test results, 2021-22

In 2021-22, the students tested in Carlsbad Unified scored proficient or above: 73% in reading and 63% in math, against 45% in reading and 34% in math across California. Each state writes its own test and sets its own proficiency bar, so compare these within California, not across states. Where a state published results by grade only, the grades tested are combined, weighted by the students tested in each.

Students proficient or above, 2021-22
SubjectThis districtCaliforniaStudents tested
Reading and language arts73%45%4,808
Math63%34%4,800

Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts state assessment results 2021-22, all students, from ED Data Express (the Data Rescue Project archive; ED has no 2022-23 result for this district): ED shows district results as ranges (for example 20-24%) to protect small groups.

Graduation rate, class of 2023

92% of the 955 students in Carlsbad Unified's class of 2023 graduated within four years, against 86.2% across California. The four-year rate follows the students who started ninth grade in fall 2019, adjusted for those who moved in or out, and counts those who earned a regular diploma by 2023. Every state computes it the same way under federal law, though each sets its own diploma requirements.

Four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rate, class of 2023
This districtCalifornia
Four-year graduation rate92%86.2%
Students in the class955495,492

Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rates 2022-23, all students, from ED Data Express: ED shows district rates as ranges (for example 90-94%) and leaves out small classes.

9 elementary schools, 4,524 students

SchoolStudentsPer teacherFree lunchTitle I, 2021‑22
Hope Elementary65922.016.8%Not reported
Pacific Rim Elementary64224.712.8%Not reported
Aviara Oaks Elementary61224.518.5%Not reported
Magnolia Elementary48824.412.9%Not reported
Poinsettia Elementary48122.425.4%Not reported
Jefferson Elementary47120.244.6%Not reported
Kelly Elementary44920.014.3%Not reported
Calavera Hills Elementary44122.135.6%Not reported
Buena Vista Elementary28123.428.5%Not reported

Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25; Title I status CCD 2021-22, the last year NCES published it. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count; not reported: the school sent NCES no meal count.

3 middle schools, 2,453 students

SchoolStudentsPer teacherFree lunchTitle I, 2021‑22
Aviara Oaks Middle99122.315.0%Not reported
Valley Middle80722.226.6%Not reported
Calavera Hills Middle65520.924.0%Not reported

Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25; Title I status CCD 2021-22, the last year NCES published it. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count; not reported: the school sent NCES no meal count.

3 high schools, 3,663 students

SchoolStudentsPer teacherFree lunchTitle I, 2021‑22
Carlsbad High2,33623.823.5%Not reported
Sage Creek High1,28924.720.9%Not reported
Carlsbad Village Academy386.663.2%Not reported

Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25; Title I status CCD 2021-22, the last year NCES published it. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count; not reported: the school sent NCES no meal count.

1 other school, 38 students

SchoolStudentsPer teacherFree lunchTitle I, 2021‑22
Carlsbad Seaside Academy3817.026.3%Not reported

Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25; Title I status CCD 2021-22, the last year NCES published it. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count; not reported: the school sent NCES no meal count.

Contact Carlsbad Unified

Source: NCES Common Core of Data, local education agency directory 2024-25. Enrollment, boundaries and school assignment are the district's to confirm.

What to look at next about Carlsbad Unified

  1. California districts by spending per studentCarlsbad Unified ranks 497 of 646 California districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022 on current spending per student in fiscal year 2022-23 ($15,022).#497 of 646
  2. Every school district in CaliforniaCarlsbad Unified is the number 137 by size of 1,991 California districts, with 10,981 students in fall 2022 (F-33).#137 of 1,991
  3. Los Banos UnifiedThe next larger California district: 11,020 students in fall 2022, $16,392 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$16,392
  4. Merced City ElementaryThe next smaller California district: 10,973 students in fall 2022, $15,186 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$15,186
  5. Compare Carlsbad Unified with Los Banos UnifiedEnrollment, spending, revenue sources and schools, side by side.
  6. Carlsbad High, its largest high school2,336 students in 2024-25, 23.8 per teacher.2,336
  7. Teacher salary spending across CaliforniaCarlsbad Unified spent $107,274 in salaries per full-time teacher in fiscal year 2022-23 (state median $99,744); spending, not a salary.$107,274
  8. Find the school district for an addressA home's district decides which public schools it can enroll in.

Source: NCES F-33 finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23 (spending per student and fall 2022 membership; ranks among the state's districts that reported them); NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (schools).

Questions about Carlsbad Unified

  1. How many schools and students are in Carlsbad Unified?
    16 schools were open in 2024-25 (9 elementary, 3 middle, 3 high, 1 other), enrolling 10,678 students, according to the NCES Common Core of Data.
  2. How much does Carlsbad Unified spend per student?
    $15,022 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23 (NCES F-33), which leaves out construction and debt; the California median for districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022 is $16,855 and the U.S. figure is $16,260. Census Bureau figures for 2023-24 put it at $15,702 per student, up 4.5% on the year before (U.S. $17,619 that year).
  3. Where does Carlsbad Unified's money come from?
    $214,041,000 in revenue in fiscal year 2022-23: 16.7% state, 76.7% local and 6.6% federal (NCES F-33).
  4. How many children in Carlsbad Unified live in poverty?
    The Census Bureau estimates that 664 of the 12,229 children aged 5 to 17 living within the district's boundaries in 2024, 5.4%, were in families in poverty (Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). It is a model-based estimate for everyone living in the district, not a count of its students; the free-meal shares in the school tables are counts of enrolled students.
  5. How much does Carlsbad Unified spend on teacher salaries?
    $52,031,000 in fiscal year 2022-23 (NCES F-33), or $4,738 per student. Divided by the 485 full-time teachers in the NCES Common Core of Data for 2022-23 that is $107,274 per teacher, more than 63 in 100 California districts (state median $99,744). That is spending, not what a teacher is paid: the salary lines and the teacher count come from different files, and the result can differ widely from the average salary a district publishes. The district's salary schedule gives pay. For pay, the National Education Association put the average California teacher salary at $87,275 in 2021-22 (NCES Digest table 211.60).
  6. How do students in Carlsbad Unified do on state tests?
    In 2021-22, the students tested in Carlsbad Unified scored proficient or above: 73% in reading and 63% in math, against 45% in reading and 34% in math across California. California's own test sets what proficient means, so results compare within the state, not across states. Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts state assessment results, 2021-22.
  7. What is the graduation rate in Carlsbad Unified?
    92% of the 955 students in Carlsbad Unified's class of 2023 graduated within four years, against 86.2% across California. The four-year rate follows the students who started ninth grade in fall 2019, adjusted for those who moved in or out. Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rates, 2022-23.
  8. What is Carlsbad Unified's NCES district ID?
    0607500. Each of its schools' 12-digit NCES IDs begins with these seven digits.

Reading these figures: how to choose a school district, what Title I means and what an absenteeism rate means. They are for information and are not a substitute for the school's or district's own records.

Sources

Every federal file behind this record
  • NCES Common Core of Data, 2024-25: directory, membership, staff and lunch files. nces.ed.gov
  • NCES Common Core of Data, 2021-22 school characteristics: Title I status. nces.ed.gov
  • Civil Rights Data Collection, 2021-22: AP courses, gifted programs, counselors, discipline. civilrightsdata.ed.gov
  • EDFacts, 2022-23: chronic absenteeism. ed.gov
  • EDFacts four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rates, 2022-23: the class of 2023 for the district and its state (ED Data Express). eddataexpress.ed.gov
  • EDFacts state assessment results, 2021-22: reading and math proficiency for the district and its state (ED Data Express). eddataexpress.ed.gov
  • NCES Digest of Education Statistics, table 211.60 (2021-22): the state's average teacher salary, from the National Education Association. nces.ed.gov
  • U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, 2024: children aged 5 to 17 and those in families in poverty, by school district. census.gov
  • U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of School System Finances, fiscal year 2023-24: per pupil current spending for 2023-24 and 2022-23. census.gov
  • NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, fiscal year 2022-23: district spending and revenue. nces.ed.gov
  • U.S. Census Bureau geocoder and TIGER school districts: the district boundary used by the district finder. census.gov

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of School System Finances Per pupil current spending by school system · FY 2023-24

Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey Revenue and expenditures by district · FY 2022-23

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School directory, membership, staff and lunch files · 2024-25

Compiled from official source data by .