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.
Irvine, California - 45 schools
An equity score of 16/100 ranks Irvine Unified #1473 of 1517 districts in California (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $13,289 per pupil, Irvine Unified ranks #1373 of 1862 California districts by per-pupil spending (California districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
Irvine Unified operates 45 public schools serving 36,542 students, placing it in the mid-size range in California. The school portfolio breaks down into 31 elementary, 7 high, 6 middle, 1 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 Orange County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $13,289 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 62.4% local, 31.0% state, and 6.6% federal, a local-revenue-heavy mix that leaves the district more exposed to property-tax swings and local ballot measures than state-funded peers. The district's equity score is 16/100, ranked #1473 of 1517 in California against a state average of 50, notably less even than the typical district in the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.
Academic infrastructure includes 6 of 45 schools offering Advanced Placement (133 AP courses district-wide), a 481.3:1 student-counselor ratio, above both the ASCA benchmark and the roughly 408:1 national average, and 14.6% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 49.6% Asian, 23.8% White, 14.1% Hispanic or Latino across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Irvine Unified School District Virtual Academy, with a diversity index of 75.3/100.
Its largest campus is Portola High, enrolling 2,693 students (7% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Early Childhood Learning Center, at 32 students, a 84x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
Irvine Unified school enrollment ranges from 32 students (lowest) to 2,693 students (highest), a spread of 2,661 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
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 Lower values often correlate with smaller scale and population characteristics rather than higher resource budgets per se.
Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection 2021-22 NCES Civil Rights Data Collection 2021-22
This district scores below average on funding equity. High reliance on local revenue or lower spending may contribute.
Average demographic composition across 45 schools in Irvine Unified.
Source: NCES CCD School Membership 2024-25.
Average Simpson diversity index across Irvine Unified's schools, above the California average of 46.0.
Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) 2021-22.
The California districts closest to this one in total enrollment.
| District | Enrollment | Spending | Funding Mix |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sweetwater Union High | Similar size | Similar spending | Less locally funded |
| Stockton Unified | Similar size | Higher spending | Less locally funded |
| San Juan Unified | Similar size | Higher spending | Less locally funded |
| Garden Grove Unified | Similar size | Higher spending | Less locally funded |
| Poway Unified | Similar size | Similar spending | Similar funding mix |
Comparisons are relative to Irvine 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 →Irvine Unified has 45 schools, including 7 high, 6 middle, 31 elementary, 1 combined. Total enrollment is 36,542 students.
Irvine Unified spends $13,289 per student. The district has an equity score of 16/100, ranking #1473 in California.
Irvine Unified students are 49.6% Asian, 23.8% White, 14.1% Hispanic or Latino, 2.2% African American, averaged across 45 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
Irvine Unified has an equity score of 16/100, ranking #1473 out of 1517 districts in California.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.