Centinela Valley Union High

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.

Lawndale, California - 5 schools

An equity score of 80/100 ranks Centinela Valley Union High #91 of 1517 districts in California (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.

At $19,507 per pupil, Centinela Valley Union High ranks #261 of 1862 California districts by per-pupil spending (California districts). NCES F-33 finance data.

5,898
Total Enrollment
5
Schools
$19,507
Per-Pupil Spending
High
School Types

District-Level NCES Analysis

Centinela Valley Union High operates 5 public schools serving 5,898 students, placing it among the smallest districts in California. The school portfolio breaks down into 5 high 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 Los Angeles County.

Per-pupil expenditure runs $19,507 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 29.5% local, 62.0% state, and 8.5% 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 80/100, ranked #91 of 1517 in California against a state average of 50, notably more even than the typical district in the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.

Academic infrastructure includes 3 of 5 schools offering Advanced Placement (46 AP courses district-wide), a 211.2:1 student-counselor ratio, that meets the ASCA-recommended benchmark, and 49.5% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 74.8% Hispanic or Latino, 15.7% African American, 3.4% Asian across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Lawndale High, with a diversity index of 47.6/100.

Its largest campus is Leuzinger High, enrolling 1,981 students (37% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Centinela Valley Independent Study, at 62 students, a 32x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.

Leuzinger High accounts for 33.6% of all Centinela Valley Union High student enrollment

That dominant concentration means Centinela Valley Union High-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the dominant entity. Grade band: high. A single dominant campus often anchors a district's program offerings and staffing patterns; the share helps explain why district-wide averages may not reflect the typical neighbourhood-school experience. When one entity dominates a region's footprint, its programmatic and budget decisions effectively set policy for a majority of the affected population.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data NCES Common Core of Data

Centinela Valley Union High school enrollment varies 32× across entities

Centinela Valley Union High school enrollment ranges from 62 students (lowest) to 1,981 students (highest), a spread of 1,919 students. That ratio is among the widest observed and reflects extreme enrollment heterogeneity, the district operates both small specialty programs and large comprehensive campuses inside a single budgeting unit. 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

Centinela Valley Union High has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 71.6% of the population qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch

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

Centinela Valley Union High student-counselor ratio is 211:1 — low (typically associated with meeting or exceeding the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) recommended 250:1 benchmark, which correlates with stronger college and career counseling capacity)

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 Lower values often correlate with smaller scale and population characteristics rather than higher resource budgets per se.

Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection NCES Civil Rights Data Collection

Centinela Valley Union High chronic absenteeism rate is 49.5% — 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 NCES Civil Rights Data Collection 2021-22

Where does the funding come from?

8.5%
Federal
62.0%
State
29.5%
Local

Funding Equity

80
Equity Score
91 / 1517
State Rank
50
State Average

This district scores well on funding equity, with balanced funding sources and good resource allocation.

Student Demographics

Average demographic composition across 5 schools in Centinela Valley Union High.

White 1.8%
Hispanic or Latino 74.8%
African American 15.7%
Asian 3.4%
Multiracial 3.2%
Other 1.1%

Source: NCES CCD School Membership 2024-25.

Student-body diversity

Average diversity index 40.6/100

Average Simpson diversity index across Centinela Valley Union High's schools, below the California average of 46.0.

Most mixed schools

  1. 1 Lawndale High 47.6
  2. 2 R. K. Lloyde High 47.3
  3. 3 Leuzinger High 44.8
  4. 4 Centinela Valley Independent Study 36.4
  5. 5 Hawthorne High 26.8

Programs & Resources

3 / 5
Schools with AP
46 AP courses total
211.2:1
Student-Counselor Ratio
49.5%
Chronically Absent

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

Schools in Centinela Valley Union High

School Enrollment
Leuzinger High
1,981
Hawthorne High
1,675
Lawndale High
1,403
R. K. Lloyde High
230
Centinela Valley Independent Study
62

How Centinela Valley Union High Compares to Similar-Size Districts

The California districts closest to this one in total enrollment.

District Enrollment Spending Funding Mix
Manhattan Beach Unified Similar size Lower spending More locally funded
Granada Hills Charter District Similar size Lower spending Similar funding mix
Newhall Similar size Lower spending Similar funding mix
South Bay Union Similar size Similar spending Similar funding mix
Selma Unified Similar size Lower spending Less locally funded

Comparisons are relative to Centinela Valley Union High'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 · $21,940/pupil
Compare vs Centinela Valley Union High →
San Diego Unified
93,893 students · 175 schools · $18,665/pupil
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Fresno Unified
69,668 students · 101 schools · $18,783/pupil
Compare vs Centinela Valley Union High →
Long Beach Unified
65,554 students · 84 schools · $16,028/pupil
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Elk Grove Unified
62,061 students · 67 schools · $14,134/pupil
Compare vs Centinela Valley Union High →

Compare Centinela Valley Union High

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 Centinela Valley Union High?

Centinela Valley Union High has 5 schools, including 5 high. Total enrollment is 5,898 students.

How much does Centinela Valley Union High spend per student?

Centinela Valley Union High spends $19,507 per student. The district has an equity score of 80/100, ranking #91 in California.

What is the demographic composition of Centinela Valley Union High?

Centinela Valley Union High students are 74.8% Hispanic or Latino, 15.7% African American, 3.4% Asian, 1.8% White, averaged across 5 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.

What is the equity score for Centinela Valley Union High?

Centinela Valley Union High has an equity score of 80/100, ranking #91 out of 1517 districts in California.