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Orcutt, California - 10 schools
An equity score of 25/100 ranks Orcutt Union Elementary #1343 of 1517 districts in California (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $12,686 per pupil, Orcutt Union Elementary ranks #1478 of 1862 California districts by per-pupil spending (California districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
4,717
Total Enrollment
10
Schools
$12,686
Per-Pupil Spending
Elementary, Middle
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Orcutt Union Elementary operates 10 public schools serving 4,717 students, placing it among the smaller districts in California. The school portfolio breaks down into 7 elementary, 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 Santa Barbara County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $12,686 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 37.2% local, 55.5% state, and 7.4% 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 25/100, ranked #1343 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 1 of 10 schools offering Advanced Placement (10 AP courses district-wide), a 856.8:1 student-counselor ratio, above both the ASCA benchmark and the roughly 408:1 national average, and 28.7% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 60.5% Hispanic or Latino, 27.2% White, 2.4% Asian across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Orcutt Academy Charter, with a diversity index of 62.7/100.
Its largest campus is Orcutt Academy Charter, enrolling 812 students (17% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Orcutt School for Independent Study, at 44 students, a 18x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
Orcutt Academy Charter accounts for 16.5% of all Orcutt Union Elementary student enrollment
That concentration means Orcutt Union Elementary-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the dominant entity. Grade band: combined. 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.
Orcutt Union Elementary school enrollment varies 18× across entities
Orcutt Union Elementary school enrollment ranges from 44 students (lowest) to 812 students (highest), a spread of 768 students. That spread reflects typical mixed-portfolio variation between specialty programs and large neighbourhood schools. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.
Orcutt Union Elementary student-counselor ratio is 857:1 — 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.
Orcutt Union Elementary chronic absenteeism rate is 28.7% — 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 Orcutt Union Elementary is typically wider than the Orcutt Union Elementary-aggregate figure suggests.
Orcutt Union Elementary has 10 schools, including 1 combined, 7 elementary, 2 middle. Total enrollment is 4,717 students.
How much does Orcutt Union Elementary spend per student?
Orcutt Union Elementary spends $12,686 per student. The district has an equity score of 25/100, ranking #1343 in California.
What is the demographic composition of Orcutt Union Elementary?
Orcutt Union Elementary students are 60.5% Hispanic or Latino, 27.2% White, 2.4% Asian, 0.8% African American, averaged across 10 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Orcutt Union Elementary?
Orcutt Union Elementary has an equity score of 25/100, ranking #1343 out of 1517 districts in California.