Pacifica School District

Listed by NCES as Pacifica (district ID 0620460)

Public school district · San Mateo County · California · NCES district ID 0620460

Pacifica School District spent $15,380 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23, below the middle: 71% of the other California districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022 spent more (median $16,855). Its 7 schools enrolled 2,640 students in 2024-25; 75.4% of its revenue came from the state. Census Bureau figures for 2023-24 put it at $15,588 per student, up 1.4% on the year before (U.S. $17,619 that year).

Spending per student among California districts of similar size

Current spending per student excludes construction and debt. The 9 districts closest to Pacifica in enrollment (2,705 to 2,813 students) and Pacifica itself.

Current spending per student, California districts closest in size to Pacifica, FY23Menlo Park City $26,425; Solana Beach $22,324; Coronado Unified $19,058; Palo Verde Unified $17,741; Cabrillo Unified $17,654; Reef-Sunset Unified $17,468; San Marino Unified $16,945; South Monterey County Joint Union High $15,479; Pacifica $15,380; The Cottonwood School $12,667; State median, 1,000+ students $16,855.10k15k20k25k30kMenlo Park City$26,425Solana Beach$22,324Coronado Unified$19,058Palo Verde Unified$17,741Cabrillo Unified$17,654Reef-Sunset Unified$17,468San Marino Unified$16,945South Monterey County Joint Un…$15,479Pacifica$15,380The Cottonwood School$12,667State median, 1,000+ students $16,855
Current spending per student, California districts closest in size to Pacifica, FY23Menlo Park City $26,425; Solana Beach $22,324; Coronado Unified $19,058; Palo Verde Unified $17,741; Cabrillo Unified $17,654; Reef-Sunset Unified $17,468; San Marino Unified $16,945; South Monterey County Joint Union High $15,479; Pacifica $15,380; The Cottonwood School $12,667; State median, 1,000+ students $16,855.10k15k20k25k30kMenlo Park City$26,425Solana Beach$22,324Coronado Unified$19,058Palo Verde Unified$17,741Cabrillo Unified$17,654Reef-Sunset Unified$17,468San Marino Unified$16,945South Monterey County Joint Union H…$15,479Pacifica$15,380The Cottonwood School$12,667State median, 1,000+ students $16,855
Current spending per student, California districts closest in size to Pacifica, FY23Menlo Park City $26,425; Solana Beach $22,324; Coronado Unified $19,058; Palo Verde Unified $17,741; Cabrillo Unified $17,654; Reef-Sunset Unified $17,468; San Marino Unified $16,945; South Monterey County Joint Union High $15,479; Pacifica $15,380; The Cottonwood School $12,667; State median, 1,000+ students $16,855.10k20k30kMenlo Park City$26,425Solana Beach$22,324Coronado Unified$19,058Palo Verde Unified$17,741Cabrillo Unified$17,654Reef-Sunset Unified$17,468San Marino Unified$16,945South Monterey County Joint Union High$15,479Pacifica$15,380The Cottonwood School$12,667State median, 1,000+ students $16,855
Current spending per student, California districts closest in size to Pacifica, FY23Menlo Park City $26,425; Solana Beach $22,324; Coronado Unified $19,058; Palo Verde Unified $17,741; Cabrillo Unified $17,654; Reef-Sunset Unified $17,468; San Marino Unified $16,945; South Monterey County Joint Union High $15,479; Pacifica $15,380; The Cottonwood School $12,667; State median, 1,000+ students $16,855.10k20k30kMenlo Park City$26,425Solana Beach$22,324Coronado Unified$19,058Palo Verde Unified$17,741Cabrillo Unified$17,654Reef-Sunset Unified$17,468San Marino Unified$16,945South Monterey County Joint Union High$15,479Pacifica$15,380The Cottonwood School$12,667State median, 1,000+ students $16,855

Where the money came from

$50,809,000 in revenue: 75.4% state, 19.3% local and 5.3% federal. Total spending including $11,115,000 of capital outlay was $57,589,000, or $20,873 per student; the figure above leaves capital out.

Pacifica School District revenue by source, fiscal year 2022-23State $38,323,000; Local $9,804,000; Federal $2,682,000; total $50,809,000.
  • State$38,323,000 75%
  • Local$9,804,000 19%
  • Federal$2,682,000 5%

Source: NCES F-33 school district finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23: current expenditures for elementary and secondary education divided by fall membership; the state median covers 646 districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022. Revenue by source (TOTALREV, TFEDREV, TSTREV, TLOCREV).

Enrollment fell from 2022-23 to 2024-25

2,750 students in 2022-23, 2,724 students in 2023-24, 2,640 students in 2024-25, counted across the schools that reported each year.

Pacifica School District enrollment by school year2022-23: 2,750, 2023-24: 2,724, 2024-25: 2,64001k2k3k2022-232,7502023-242,7242024-252,640
Pacifica School District enrollment by school year2022-23: 2,750, 2023-24: 2,724, 2024-25: 2,64001k2k3k2022-232,7502023-242,7242024-252,640
Pacifica School District enrollment by school year2022-23: 2,750, 2023-24: 2,724, 2024-25: 2,64001k2k3k2022-232,7502023-242,7242024-252,640
Pacifica School District enrollment by school year2022-23: 2,750, 2023-24: 2,724, 2024-25: 2,64001k2k3k2022-232,7502023-242,7242024-252,640

Teachers and students per teacher

School yearStudentsTeachers (FTE)Per teacher
2022-232,750127.821.5
2023-242,724126.221.6
2024-252,640123.421.4

Source: NCES Common Core of Data membership and staff files, 2022-23, 2023-24, 2024-25; sums over the schools reporting each year.

$9,656,000 in teacher salaries in fiscal year 2022-23, $3,500 per student

Pacifica School District booked $9,656,000 of teacher salaries in its 2022-23 finance report and counted 128 full-time teachers in its Common Core of Data district staff file for 2022-23 (the school files behind the staffing figures on this page count teachers separately, so the two can differ), or $75,573 of salary spending per teacher. That is more than 13 in 100 California districts with a figure (state median $99,744, 1,149 districts). It is spending, not what a teacher is paid: the salary lines and the teacher count come from different files, so the result can differ widely from the average salary the district publishes (its salary schedule gives pay); benefits are left out, and states book salaries differently, so compare districts within one state. For pay, the National Education Association put the average California teacher salary at $87,275 in 2021-22 (NCES Digest table 211.60).

ProgramTeacher salariesShare
Regular programs$9,168,00094.9%
Special education$488,0005.1%

Teacher salaries per student, fiscal years 2018-19 to 2022-23

The district's teacher salary bill divided by its fall enrollment each year: $3,297 in 2018-19, $3,166 in 2019-20, $3,235 in 2020-21, $3,329 in 2021-22, $3,500 in 2022-23.

Pacifica School District teacher salaries per student by fiscal year2018-19: $3,297, 2019-20: $3,166, 2020-21: $3,235, 2021-22: $3,329, 2022-23: $3,50001k2k3k4k2018-19$3,2972019-20$3,1662020-21$3,2352021-22$3,3292022-23$3,500
Pacifica School District teacher salaries per student by fiscal year2018-19: $3,297, 2019-20: $3,166, 2020-21: $3,235, 2021-22: $3,329, 2022-23: $3,50001k2k3k4k2018-19$3,2972019-20$3,1662020-21$3,2352021-22$3,3292022-23$3,500
Pacifica School District teacher salaries per student by fiscal year2018-19: $3,297, 2019-20: $3,166, 2020-21: $3,235, 2021-22: $3,329, 2022-23: $3,50001k2k3k4k2018-19$3,2972019-20$3,1662020-21$3,2352021-22$3,3292022-23$3,500
Pacifica School District teacher salaries per student by fiscal year2018-19: $3,297, 2019-20: $3,166, 2020-21: $3,235, 2021-22: $3,329, 2022-23: $3,50001k2k3k4k2018-19$3,2972019-20$3,1662020-21$3,2352021-22$3,3292022-23$3,500

Source: NCES F-33 school district finance survey, fiscal years 2019 to 2023: teacher salaries in regular, special, vocational and other programs (Z35 to Z38) and fall membership (V33); NCES Common Core of Data LEA staff file 2022-23, teachers (full-time equivalent).

State test results, 2021-22

In 2021-22, the students tested in Pacifica School District scored proficient or above: 51-54% in reading and 51-53% in math, against 45% in reading and 34% in math across California. Each state writes its own test and sets its own proficiency bar, so compare these within California, not across states. Where a state published results by grade only, the grades tested are combined, weighted by the students tested in each.

Students proficient or above, 2021-22
SubjectThis districtCaliforniaStudents tested
Reading and language arts51-54%45%1,705
Math51-53%34%1,694

Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts state assessment results 2021-22, all students, from ED Data Express (the Data Rescue Project archive; ED has no 2022-23 result for this district): ED shows district results as ranges (for example 20-24%) to protect small groups.

6 elementary schools, 2,156 students

SchoolStudentsPer teacherFree lunchTitle I, 2021‑22
Cabrillo Elementary52422.513.2%Not reported
Vallemar Elementary50024.013.0%Not reported
Ortega Elementary40421.311.4%Not reported
Ocean Shore Elementary36821.914.9%Not reported
Sunset Ridge Elementary34819.336.5%Not reported
Pacifica Independent Home Study1212.558.3%Not reported

Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25; Title I status CCD 2021-22, the last year NCES published it. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count; not reported: the school sent NCES no meal count.

1 middle school, 484 students

SchoolStudentsPer teacherFree lunchTitle I, 2021‑22
Ingrid B. Lacy Middle48419.816.9%Not reported

Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25; Title I status CCD 2021-22, the last year NCES published it. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count; not reported: the school sent NCES no meal count.

Contact Pacifica School District

Source: NCES Common Core of Data, local education agency directory 2024-25. Enrollment, boundaries and school assignment are the district's to confirm.

What to look at next about Pacifica School District

  1. California districts by spending per studentPacifica School District ranks 461 of 646 California districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022 on current spending per student in fiscal year 2022-23 ($15,380).#461 of 646
  2. Every school district in CaliforniaPacifica School District is the number 406 by size of 1,991 California districts, with 2,759 students in fall 2022 (F-33).#406 of 1,991
  3. South Monterey County Joint Union HighThe next larger California district: 2,762 students in fall 2022, $15,479 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$15,479
  4. San Marino UnifiedThe next smaller California district: 2,751 students in fall 2022, $16,945 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$16,945
  5. Compare Pacifica School District with South Monterey County Joint Union HighEnrollment, spending, revenue sources and schools, side by side.
  6. Teacher salary spending across CaliforniaPacifica School District spent $75,573 in salaries per full-time teacher in fiscal year 2022-23 (state median $99,744); spending, not a salary.$75,573
  7. Find the school district for an addressA home's district decides which public schools it can enroll in.

Source: NCES F-33 finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23 (spending per student and fall 2022 membership; ranks among the state's districts that reported them); NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (schools).

Questions about Pacifica School District

  1. How many schools and students are in Pacifica School District?
    7 schools were open in 2024-25 (6 elementary, 1 middle), enrolling 2,640 students, according to the NCES Common Core of Data.
  2. How much does Pacifica School District spend per student?
    $15,380 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23 (NCES F-33), which leaves out construction and debt; the California median for districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022 is $16,855 and the U.S. figure is $16,260. Census Bureau figures for 2023-24 put it at $15,588 per student, up 1.4% on the year before (U.S. $17,619 that year).
  3. Where does Pacifica School District's money come from?
    $50,809,000 in revenue in fiscal year 2022-23: 75.4% state, 19.3% local and 5.3% federal (NCES F-33).
  4. How many children in Pacifica School District live in poverty?
    The Census Bureau estimates that 137 of the 3,395 children aged 5 to 17 living within the district's boundaries in 2024, 4.0%, were in families in poverty (Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). It is a model-based estimate for everyone living in the district, not a count of its students; the free-meal shares in the school tables are counts of enrolled students.
  5. How much does Pacifica School District spend on teacher salaries?
    $9,656,000 in fiscal year 2022-23 (NCES F-33), or $3,500 per student. Divided by the 128 full-time teachers in the NCES Common Core of Data for 2022-23 that is $75,573 per teacher, more than 13 in 100 California districts (state median $99,744). That is spending, not what a teacher is paid: the salary lines and the teacher count come from different files, and the result can differ widely from the average salary a district publishes. The district's salary schedule gives pay. For pay, the National Education Association put the average California teacher salary at $87,275 in 2021-22 (NCES Digest table 211.60).
  6. How do students in Pacifica School District do on state tests?
    In 2021-22, the students tested in Pacifica School District scored proficient or above: 51-54% in reading and 51-53% in math, against 45% in reading and 34% in math across California. California's own test sets what proficient means, so results compare within the state, not across states. Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts state assessment results, 2021-22.
  7. What is Pacifica School District's NCES district ID?
    0620460. Each of its schools' 12-digit NCES IDs begins with these seven digits.

Reading these figures: how to choose a school district, what Title I means and what an absenteeism rate means. They are for information and are not a substitute for the school's or district's own records.

Sources

Every federal file behind this record
  • NCES Common Core of Data, 2024-25: directory, membership, staff and lunch files. nces.ed.gov
  • NCES Common Core of Data, 2021-22 school characteristics: Title I status. nces.ed.gov
  • Civil Rights Data Collection, 2021-22: AP courses, gifted programs, counselors, discipline. civilrightsdata.ed.gov
  • EDFacts, 2022-23: chronic absenteeism. ed.gov
  • EDFacts state assessment results, 2021-22: reading and math proficiency for the district and its state (ED Data Express). eddataexpress.ed.gov
  • NCES Digest of Education Statistics, table 211.60 (2021-22): the state's average teacher salary, from the National Education Association. nces.ed.gov
  • U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, 2024: children aged 5 to 17 and those in families in poverty, by school district. census.gov
  • U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of School System Finances, fiscal year 2023-24: per pupil current spending for 2023-24 and 2022-23. census.gov
  • NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, fiscal year 2022-23: district spending and revenue. nces.ed.gov
  • U.S. Census Bureau geocoder and TIGER school districts: the district boundary used by the district finder. census.gov

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of School System Finances Per pupil current spending by school system · FY 2023-24

Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey Revenue and expenditures by district · FY 2022-23

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School directory, membership, staff and lunch files · 2024-25