An equity score of 45/100 ranks Lake Elsinore Unified #881 of 1526 districts in California (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $16,068 per pupil, Lake Elsinore Unified ranks #1186 of 1880 California districts by per-pupil spending (California districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
20,815
Total Enrollment
24
Schools
$16,068
Per-Pupil Spending
Elementary, High
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Lake Elsinore Unified operates 24 public schools serving 20,815 students, placing it in the mid-size range in California. The school portfolio breaks down into 15 elementary, 4 high, 4 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 Riverside County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $16,068 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 25.9% local, 61.4% state, and 12.6% 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 45/100, ranked #881 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 3 of 24 schools offering Advanced Placement (44 AP courses district-wide), a 896.7:1 student-counselor ratio, above both the ASCA benchmark and the roughly 408:1 national average, and 41.4% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 68.0% Hispanic or Latino, 19.2% White, 4.4% African American across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Tuscany Hills Elementary, with a diversity index of 67.1/100.
Its largest campus is Temescal Canyon High, enrolling 2,373 students (12% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Keith Mccarthy Academy, at 332 students, a 7x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
Lake Elsinore Unified school enrollment varies 7.1× across entities
Lake Elsinore Unified school enrollment ranges from 332 students (lowest) to 2,373 students (highest), a spread of 2,041 students. That relatively narrow ratio reflects an unusually homogeneous campus portfolio, most districts have a wider mix of school sizes. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.
Lake Elsinore Unified reports 58.2% 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.
Lake Elsinore Unified student-counselor ratio is 897:1 — 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.
Lake Elsinore Unified chronic absenteeism rate is 41.4% — high (typically associated with higher-than-average disruption; recent CRDC data showed elevated rates persisting after pandemic-era schooling changes)
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.
Lake Elsinore Unified has 24 schools, including 4 high, 4 middle, 15 elementary, 1 combined. Total enrollment is 20,815 students.
How much does Lake Elsinore Unified spend per student?
Lake Elsinore Unified spends $16,068 per student. The district has an equity score of 45/100, ranking #881 in California.
What is the demographic composition of Lake Elsinore Unified?
Lake Elsinore Unified students are 68.0% Hispanic or Latino, 19.2% White, 4.4% African American, 3.2% Asian, averaged across 24 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Lake Elsinore Unified?
Lake Elsinore Unified has an equity score of 45/100, ranking #881 out of 1526 districts in California.