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.
Fresno, California - 24 schools
An equity score of 48/100 ranks Central Unified #809 of 1517 districts in California (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $14,150 per pupil, Central Unified ranks #1169 of 1862 California districts by per-pupil spending (California districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
Central Unified operates 24 public schools serving 15,742 students, placing it in the mid-size range in California. The school portfolio breaks down into 14 elementary, 4 high, 3 middle, 3 combined schools, giving families a clear picture of grade-band coverage 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 Fresno County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $14,150 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 22.2% local, 65.7% state, and 12.0% 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 48/100, ranked #809 of 1517 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 4 of 24 schools offering Advanced Placement (31 AP courses district-wide), a 476.3:1 student-counselor ratio, above both the ASCA benchmark and the roughly 408:1 national average, and 38.9% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 62.8% Hispanic or Latino, 15.8% Asian, 11.4% White across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Norman Liddell Elementary, with a diversity index of 68.7/100.
Its largest campus is Justin Garza High, enrolling 2,095 students (13% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Pathway Community Day, at 10 students, a 210x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
Central Unified school enrollment ranges from 10 students (lowest) to 2,095 students (highest), a spread of 2,085 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
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
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 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 Higher values may reflect larger urban scale or recent resource constraints that have widened the gap.
Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection 2021-22 NCES Civil Rights Data Collection 2021-22
This district has moderate funding equity. There may be room to improve funding diversity or resource allocation.
Average demographic composition across 24 schools in Central Unified.
Source: NCES CCD School Membership 2024-25.
Average Simpson diversity index across Central Unified's schools, above the California average of 46.0.
Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) 2021-22.
| School | Enrollment |
|---|---|
| Justin Garza High | 2,095 |
| Central East High | 1,741 |
| Harvest Elementary | 1,010 |
| Glacier Point Middle | 947 |
| Rio Vista Middle | 851 |
| Central Elementary | 762 |
| Herndon-Barstow Elementary | 754 |
| El Capitan Middle | 738 |
| William Saroyan Elementary | 697 |
| River Bluff Elementary | 694 |
| John Steinbeck Elementary | 689 |
| Mckinley Elementary | 671 |
| Norman Liddell Elementary | 628 |
| Central High | 625 |
| Hanh Phan Tilley Elementary | 622 |
| Teague Elementary | 551 |
| Roosevelt Elementary | 489 |
| Madison Elementary | 487 |
| Central Unified Alternative/Opportunity | 260 |
| Houghton-Kearney Elementary | 199 |
| Biola-Pershing Elementary | 198 |
| Central Online Home | 137 |
| Pershing Continuation High | 101 |
| Pathway Community Day | 10 |
The California districts closest to this one in total enrollment.
| District | Enrollment | Spending | Funding Mix |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oceanside Unified | Similar size | Similar spending | More locally funded |
| Simi Valley Unified | Similar size | Similar spending | More locally funded |
| Modesto City High | Similar size | No spending data | No revenue-mix data |
| Norwalk-La Mirada Unified | Similar size | Higher spending | Similar funding mix |
| Cajon Valley Union | Similar size | Higher spending | Similar funding mix |
Comparisons are relative to Central 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 →Central Unified has 24 schools, including 4 high, 14 elementary, 3 middle, 3 combined. Total enrollment is 15,742 students.
Central Unified spends $14,150 per student. The district has an equity score of 48/100, ranking #809 in California.
Central Unified students are 62.8% Hispanic or Latino, 15.8% Asian, 11.4% White, 6.2% African American, averaged across 24 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
Central Unified has an equity score of 48/100, ranking #809 out of 1517 districts in California.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.