Center Joint Unified

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.

Antelope, California - 7 schools

An equity score of 46/100 ranks Center Joint Unified #864 of 1526 districts in California (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.

At $16,517 per pupil, Center Joint Unified ranks #1098 of 1880 California districts by per-pupil spending (California districts). NCES F-33 finance data.

4,199
Total Enrollment
7
Schools
$16,517
Per-Pupil Spending
Elementary, High
School Types

District-Level NCES Analysis

Center Joint Unified operates 7 public schools serving 4,199 students, placing it among the smallest districts in California. The school portfolio breaks down into 4 elementary, 2 high, 1 middle schools, a small enough portfolio that most families will interact with nearly every campus in the district at some point. These enrollment and school figures come from the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 release, and the district is based in Sacramento County.

Per-pupil expenditure runs $16,517 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 32.2% local, 53.6% state, and 14.2% 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 46/100, ranked #864 of 1526 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.

Academic infrastructure includes 1 of 7 schools offering Advanced Placement (9 AP courses district-wide), a 396.8:1 student-counselor ratio, well above the ASCA benchmark though still under the roughly 408:1 national average, and 45.3% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 33.6% Hispanic or Latino, 31.9% White, 13.0% African American across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Wilson C. Riles Middle, with a diversity index of 76.6/100.

Its largest campus is Center High, enrolling 1,312 students (31% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Mcclellan High (Continuation), at 56 students, a 23x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.

Center High accounts for 31.2% of all Center Joint Unified student enrollment

That dominant concentration means Center Joint Unified-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the largest entity. Grade band: high. The share measures enrollment concentration only; it does not establish how the district allocates programs, capital, or staff. Enrollment-weighted aggregates give this entity more weight than any smaller peer, while an unweighted entity average treats every record equally.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data

Center Joint Unified school enrollment varies 23× across entities

Center Joint Unified school enrollment ranges from 56 students (lowest) to 1,312 students (highest), a spread of 1,256 students. That spread is wider than typical and predicts noticeable gaps in service quality between the highest and lowest areas. 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

Center Joint Unified reports 53.6% free-lunch eligibility

The reported share clears the 50% majority mark. Title I operates under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA, 2015), but its statutory allocation uses additional LEA-level counts and rules not represented by this average. This percentage is an economic-need context measure; it does not establish a Title I award, show dollars received, or describe how funds are distributed among campuses.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data

Center Joint Unified student-counselor ratio is 397:1 — high (typically associated with staffing constraints that limit per-student counselor time; CRDC data shows higher ratios cluster in larger urban systems)

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

Center Joint Unified chronic absenteeism rate is 45.3% — well above typical (typically associated with unusually large scale or acute resource constraints)

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 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 2021-22

Where does the funding come from?

14.2%
Federal
53.6%
State
32.2%
Local

Funding Equity

46
Equity Score
864 / 1526
State Rank
50
State Average

This district has moderate funding equity. There may be room to improve funding diversity or resource allocation.

Student Demographics

Average demographic composition across 7 schools in Center Joint Unified.

White 31.9%
Hispanic or Latino 33.6%
African American 13.0%
Asian 12.8%
Multiracial 6.9%
Other 1.7%

Source: NCES CCD School Membership 2024-25.

Student-body diversity

Average diversity index 73.8/100

Average Simpson diversity index across Center Joint Unified's schools, above the California average of 46.0.

Most mixed schools

  1. 1 Wilson C. Riles Middle 76.6
  2. 2 Arthur S. Dudley Elementary 75.6
  3. 3 Center High 75.1
  4. 4 Oak Hill Elementary 75.0
  5. 5 Cyril Spinelli Elementary 73.9

Programs & Resources

1 / 7
Schools with AP
9 AP courses total
396.8:1
Student-Counselor Ratio
45.3%
Chronically Absent

Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) 2021-22.

Schools in Center Joint Unified

School Enrollment
Center High
1,312
Oak Hill Elementary
700
Wilson C. Riles Middle
682
North Country Elementary
563
Arthur S. Dudley Elementary
521
Cyril Spinelli Elementary
347
Mcclellan High (Continuation)
56

How Center Joint Unified Compares to Similar-Size Districts

The California districts closest to this one in total enrollment.

District Enrollment Spending Funding Mix
Tehachapi Unified Similar size Similar spending Similar funding mix
Oak Park Unified Similar size Similar spending Similar funding mix
Hanford Joint Union High Similar size Similar spending Less locally funded
Delano Joint Union High Similar size Higher spending Less locally funded
San Ysidro Elementary Similar size Higher spending More locally funded

Comparisons are relative to Center Joint Unified's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data and the F-33 Finance Survey.

Nearby Districts in California

Top districts in the same state, compare side-by-side for enrollment, spending, and demographics.

Los Angeles Unified
427,795 students · 785 schools · $22,606/pupil
Compare vs Center Joint Unified →
San Diego Unified
93,893 students · 175 schools · $20,783/pupil
Compare vs Center Joint Unified →
Fresno Unified
69,668 students · 101 schools · $20,909/pupil
Compare vs Center Joint Unified →
Long Beach Unified
65,554 students · 84 schools · $18,419/pupil
Compare vs Center Joint Unified →
Elk Grove Unified
62,061 students · 67 schools · $15,921/pupil
Compare vs Center Joint Unified →

Nationwide districts with similar enrollment or spending

Out-of-state peers matched by enrollment and by per-pupil expenditure, not the same-state lists above.

Compare Center Joint Unified

See how this district compares to others in enrollment, spending, demographics, and academic resources.

Compare vs Los Angeles Unified →

Frequently Asked Questions

How many schools are in Center Joint Unified?

Center Joint Unified has 7 schools, including 2 high, 4 elementary, 1 middle. Total enrollment is 4,199 students.

How much does Center Joint Unified spend per student?

Center Joint Unified spends $16,517 per student. The district has an equity score of 46/100, ranking #864 in California.

What is the demographic composition of Center Joint Unified?

Center Joint Unified students are 33.6% Hispanic or Latino, 31.9% White, 13.0% African American, 12.8% Asian, averaged across 7 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.

What is the equity score for Center Joint Unified?

Center Joint Unified has an equity score of 46/100, ranking #864 out of 1526 districts in California.