An equity score of 48/100 ranks Los Banos Unified #818 of 1526 districts in California (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $16,392 per pupil, Los Banos Unified ranks #1122 of 1880 California districts by per-pupil spending (California districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
11,020
Total Enrollment
16
Schools
$16,392
Per-Pupil Spending
Elementary, High
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Los Banos Unified operates 16 public schools serving 11,020 students, placing it among the smaller districts in California. The school portfolio breaks down into 10 elementary, 3 high, 2 middle, 1 combined 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 Merced County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $16,392 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 17.4% local, 67.9% state, and 14.7% 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 #818 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 2 of 16 schools offering Advanced Placement (24 AP courses district-wide), a 336.3:1 student-counselor ratio, well above the ASCA benchmark though still under the roughly 408:1 national average, and 48.6% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 86.8% Hispanic or Latino, 9.0% White, 1.4% Asian across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Charleston Elementary, with a diversity index of 44.7/100.
Its largest campus is Pacheco High, enrolling 1,725 students (16% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is San Luis High (Continuation), at 82 students, a 21x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
Pacheco High accounts for 15.7% of all Los Banos Unified student enrollment
That concentration means Los Banos Unified-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the largest entity. Grade band: high. The share measures enrollment concentration only; it does not establish how the district allocates programs, capital, or staff. Enrollment-weighted aggregates give this entity more weight than any smaller peer, while an unweighted entity average treats every record equally.
Los Banos Unified school enrollment varies 21× across entities
Los Banos Unified school enrollment ranges from 82 students (lowest) to 1,725 students (highest), a spread of 1,643 students. That spread is wider than typical and predicts noticeable gaps in service quality between the highest and lowest areas. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.
Los Banos Unified reports 62.2% 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.
Los Banos Unified student-counselor ratio is 336:1 — near the typical range (US average ~408) — within the typical range for U.S. public districts
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 Variation between sub-units within Los Banos Unified is typically wider than the Los Banos Unified-aggregate figure suggests.
Los Banos Unified chronic absenteeism rate is 48.6% — 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.
Los Banos Unified has 16 schools, including 3 high, 2 middle, 10 elementary, 1 combined. Total enrollment is 11,020 students.
How much does Los Banos Unified spend per student?
Los Banos Unified spends $16,392 per student. The district has an equity score of 48/100, ranking #818 in California.
What is the demographic composition of Los Banos Unified?
Los Banos Unified students are 86.8% Hispanic or Latino, 9.0% White, 1.4% Asian, 1.1% African American, averaged across 16 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Los Banos Unified?
Los Banos Unified has an equity score of 48/100, ranking #818 out of 1526 districts in California.