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Salinas, California - 15 schools
An equity score of 61/100 ranks Salinas City Elementary #466 of 1517 districts in California (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $16,534 per pupil, Salinas City Elementary ranks #631 of 1862 California districts by per-pupil spending (California districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
8,273
Total Enrollment
15
Schools
$16,534
Per-Pupil Spending
Elementary
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Salinas City Elementary operates 15 public schools serving 8,273 students, placing it among the smaller districts in California. The school portfolio breaks down into 15 elementary 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 Monterey County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $16,534 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 24.1% local, 63.5% state, and 12.4% 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 61/100, ranked #466 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.
a 578.3:1 student-counselor ratio, above both the ASCA benchmark and the roughly 408:1 national average, and 42.7% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 90.4% Hispanic or Latino, 3.9% White, 1.4% Asian across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Mission Park Elementary, with a diversity index of 36.5/100.
Its largest campus is Sherwood Elementary, enrolling 859 students (10% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Salinas City Virtual Academy, at 99 students, a 9x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
Salinas City Elementary school enrollment varies 8.7× across entities
Salinas City Elementary school enrollment ranges from 99 students (lowest) to 859 students (highest), a spread of 760 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.
Salinas City Elementary has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 69.2% of the population qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch
free or reduced-price lunch eligibility is the federal threshold for Title I funding allocations, established under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA, 2015). Eligibility here is approaching the 75% concentration-grant threshold; it does not yet unlock the extra funding tier but sits meaningfully above the baseline 50% majority mark. 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.
Salinas City Elementary student-counselor ratio is 578:1 — 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.
Salinas City Elementary chronic absenteeism rate is 42.7% — 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.
Salinas City Elementary has 15 schools, including 15 elementary. Total enrollment is 8,273 students.
How much does Salinas City Elementary spend per student?
Salinas City Elementary spends $16,534 per student. The district has an equity score of 61/100, ranking #466 in California.
What is the demographic composition of Salinas City Elementary?
Salinas City Elementary students are 90.4% Hispanic or Latino, 3.9% White, 1.4% Asian, 0.5% African American, averaged across 15 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Salinas City Elementary?
Salinas City Elementary has an equity score of 61/100, ranking #466 out of 1517 districts in California.