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Costa Mesa, California - 32 schools
An equity score of 63/100 ranks Newport-Mesa Unified #422 of 1517 districts in California (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $20,621 per pupil, Newport-Mesa Unified ranks #205 of 1862 California districts by per-pupil spending (California districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
17,816
Total Enrollment
32
Schools
$20,621
Per-Pupil Spending
Elementary, High
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Newport-Mesa Unified operates 32 public schools serving 17,816 students, placing it in the mid-size range in California. The school portfolio breaks down into 23 elementary, 4 high, 3 combined, 2 middle 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 $20,621 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 74.9% local, 17.7% state, and 7.4% 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 63/100, ranked #422 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.
Academic infrastructure includes 5 of 32 schools offering Advanced Placement (90 AP courses district-wide), a 304.5:1 student-counselor ratio, somewhat above the 250:1 ASCA recommendation, and 25.7% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 49.4% Hispanic or Latino, 36.4% White, 5.5% Asian across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Maude B. Davis Elementary, with a diversity index of 68.8/100.
Its largest campus is Corona Del Mar High, enrolling 2,106 students (12% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Harper, at 1 students, a 2106x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
Newport-Mesa Unified school enrollment varies 2106× across entities
Newport-Mesa Unified school enrollment ranges from 1 students (lowest) to 2,106 students (highest), a spread of 2,105 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.
Newport-Mesa Unified student-counselor ratio is 305:1 — 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 Newport-Mesa Unified is typically wider than the Newport-Mesa Unified-aggregate figure suggests.
Newport-Mesa Unified chronic absenteeism rate is 25.7% — 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 Newport-Mesa Unified is typically wider than the Newport-Mesa Unified-aggregate figure suggests.