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Guadalupe, California - 2 schools
An equity score of 79/100 ranks Guadalupe Union Elementary #106 of 1517 districts in California (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $17,412 per pupil, Guadalupe Union Elementary ranks #475 of 1862 California districts by per-pupil spending (California districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
1,279
Total Enrollment
2
Schools
$17,412
Per-Pupil Spending
Elementary
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Guadalupe Union Elementary operates 2 public schools serving 1,279 students, placing it among the smallest districts in California. The school portfolio breaks down into 2 elementary 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 Santa Barbara County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $17,412 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 13.8% local, 78.4% state, and 7.9% 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 79/100, ranked #106 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.
a 585:1 student-counselor ratio, above both the ASCA benchmark and the roughly 408:1 national average, and 45.7% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 96.3% Hispanic or Latino, 2.2% White, 0.5% Asian across the district's schools.
Its largest campus is Mary Buren Elementary, enrolling 738 students (56% of the district's total enrollment).
Mary Buren Elementary accounts for 55.8% of all Guadalupe Union Elementary student enrollment
That is an overwhelming concentration, leaving the rest of Guadalupe Union Elementary a distant remainder — means Guadalupe Union Elementary-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the dominant entity. Grade band: elementary. 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.
Guadalupe Union Elementary has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 76.8% 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). Areas above 75% eligibility — including this one — receive concentration grants on top of the basic Title I formula. 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.
Guadalupe Union Elementary student-counselor ratio is 585:1 — well above typical (typically associated with unusually large scale or acute resource constraints)
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.
Guadalupe Union Elementary chronic absenteeism rate is 45.7% — 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.
How many schools are in Guadalupe Union Elementary?
Guadalupe Union Elementary has 2 schools, including 2 elementary. Total enrollment is 1,279 students.
How much does Guadalupe Union Elementary spend per student?
Guadalupe Union Elementary spends $17,412 per student. The district has an equity score of 79/100, ranking #106 in California.
What is the demographic composition of Guadalupe Union Elementary?
Guadalupe Union Elementary students are 96.3% Hispanic or Latino, 2.2% White, 0.5% Asian, 0.2% African American, averaged across 2 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Guadalupe Union Elementary?
Guadalupe Union Elementary has an equity score of 79/100, ranking #106 out of 1517 districts in California.