Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. District totals are aggregated directly from the schools reporting under this district in the source records. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.
Porterville, California - 22 schools
An equity score of 69/100 ranks Porterville Unified #285 of 1517 districts in California (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $16,026 per pupil, Porterville Unified ranks #722 of 1862 California districts by per-pupil spending (California districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
Porterville Unified operates 22 public schools serving 14,208 students, placing it in the mid-size range in California. The school portfolio breaks down into 10 elementary, 6 high, 3 middle, 3 combined 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 Tulare County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $16,026 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 12.4% local, 66.8% state, and 20.8% 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 69/100, ranked #285 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 22 schools offering Advanced Placement (26 AP courses district-wide), a 407.4:1 student-counselor ratio, well above the ASCA benchmark though still under the roughly 408:1 national average, and 40.5% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 86.0% Hispanic or Latino, 8.6% White, 1.5% Asian across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Vandalia Elementary, with a diversity index of 43.8/100.
Its largest campus is Porterville High, enrolling 2,125 students (15% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Vine Street Community Day, at 14 students, a 152x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
Porterville Unified school enrollment ranges from 14 students (lowest) to 2,125 students (highest), a spread of 2,111 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.
Source: NCES Common Core of Data NCES Common Core of Data
free or reduced-price lunch eligibility is the federal threshold for Title I funding allocations, established under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA, 2015). Areas above 75% eligibility — including this one — receive concentration grants on top of the basic Title I formula. Regions with eligibility this high typically draw a substantially larger federal funding share relative to their local tax base, which can either offset or reinforce existing gaps depending on allocation policy.
Source: ESSA Title I Part A; ED EDFacts file system ESSA Title I Part A; ED EDFacts file system
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 Higher values may reflect larger urban scale or recent resource constraints that have widened the gap.
Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection NCES Civil Rights Data Collection
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 Higher values may reflect larger urban scale or recent resource constraints that have widened the gap.
Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection 2021-22 NCES Civil Rights Data Collection 2021-22
This district has moderate funding equity. There may be room to improve funding diversity or resource allocation.
Average demographic composition across 22 schools in Porterville Unified.
Source: NCES CCD School Membership 2024-25.
Average Simpson diversity index across Porterville Unified's schools, below the California average of 46.0.
Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) 2021-22.
| School | Enrollment |
|---|---|
| Porterville High | 2,125 |
| Monache High | 1,855 |
| Granite Hills High | 1,206 |
| Santa Fe Elementary | 809 |
| Pioneer Middle | 754 |
| Westfield Elementary | 661 |
| Olive Street Elementary | 624 |
| Vandalia Elementary | 556 |
| John J. Doyle Elementary | 552 |
| Sequoia Middle | 532 |
| Harmony Magnet Academy Charter | 509 |
| Butterfield Charter Charter | 504 |
| West Putnam Elementary | 478 |
| Bartlett Middle | 443 |
| Monte Vista Elementary | 440 |
| Los Robles Elementary | 424 |
| Belleview Elementary | 377 |
| Roche Elementary | 334 |
| Strathmore High | 286 |
| Porterville Military Academy Charter | 255 |
| Citrus High | 155 |
| Vine Street Community Day | 14 |
The California districts closest to this one in total enrollment.
| District | Enrollment | Spending | Funding Mix |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oxnard | Similar size | Similar spending | Similar funding mix |
| Pasadena Unified | Similar size | Similar spending | More locally funded |
| Escondido Union | Similar size | Similar spending | More locally funded |
| Modesto City Elementary | Similar size | No spending data | No revenue-mix data |
| Lancaster Elementary | Similar size | Similar spending | Similar funding mix |
Comparisons are relative to Porterville Unified's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data and the F-33 Finance Survey.
Top districts in the same state, compare side-by-side for enrollment, spending, and demographics.
See how this district compares to others in enrollment, spending, demographics, and academic resources.
Compare vs Los Angeles Unified →Porterville Unified has 22 schools, including 6 high, 10 elementary, 3 middle, 3 combined. Total enrollment is 14,208 students.
Porterville Unified spends $16,026 per student. The district has an equity score of 69/100, ranking #285 in California.
Porterville Unified students are 86.0% Hispanic or Latino, 8.6% White, 1.5% Asian, 0.3% African American, averaged across 22 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
Porterville Unified has an equity score of 69/100, ranking #285 out of 1517 districts in California.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.