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Lakeside, California - 9 schools
An equity score of 41/100 ranks Lakeside Union Elementary #987 of 1517 districts in California (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $15,593 per pupil, Lakeside Union Elementary ranks #834 of 1862 California districts by per-pupil spending (California districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
4,538
Total Enrollment
9
Schools
$15,593
Per-Pupil Spending
Elementary, Middle
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Lakeside Union Elementary operates 9 public schools serving 4,538 students, placing it among the smaller districts in California. The school portfolio breaks down into 7 elementary, 2 middle schools, a compact enough portfolio that families can compare every campus directly 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 San Diego County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $15,593 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 29.2% local, 59.5% state, and 11.3% 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 41/100, ranked #987 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.
a 649.3:1 student-counselor ratio, above both the ASCA benchmark and the roughly 408:1 national average, and 19.4% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 45.7% White, 39.7% Hispanic or Latino, 2.7% African American across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Lemon Crest Elementary, with a diversity index of 64.3/100.
Its largest campus is Lakeside Middle, enrolling 724 students (16% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Lakeside Union Alternative Education, at 138 students, a 5x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
Lakeside Middle accounts for 16.0% of all Lakeside Union Elementary student enrollment
That concentration means Lakeside Union Elementary-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the dominant entity. Grade band: middle. 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.
Lakeside Union Elementary school enrollment varies 5.2× across entities
Lakeside Union Elementary school enrollment ranges from 138 students (lowest) to 724 students (highest), a spread of 586 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.
Lakeside Union Elementary student-counselor ratio is 649:1 — 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.
Lakeside Union Elementary chronic absenteeism rate is 19.4% — near the typical range (US average ~28) — aligned with the national post-pandemic baseline of roughly 28% chronic absenteeism
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 Variation between sub-units within Lakeside Union Elementary is typically wider than the Lakeside Union Elementary-aggregate figure suggests.
How many schools are in Lakeside Union Elementary?
Lakeside Union Elementary has 9 schools, including 2 middle, 7 elementary. Total enrollment is 4,538 students.
How much does Lakeside Union Elementary spend per student?
Lakeside Union Elementary spends $15,593 per student. The district has an equity score of 41/100, ranking #987 in California.
What is the demographic composition of Lakeside Union Elementary?
Lakeside Union Elementary students are 45.7% White, 39.7% Hispanic or Latino, 2.7% African American, 2.5% Asian, averaged across 9 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Lakeside Union Elementary?
Lakeside Union Elementary has an equity score of 41/100, ranking #987 out of 1517 districts in California.