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San Bernardino, California - 73 schools
An equity score of 81/100 ranks San Bernardino City Unified #76 of 1517 districts in California (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $18,063 per pupil, San Bernardino City Unified ranks #391 of 1862 California districts by per-pupil spending (California districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
45,971
Total Enrollment
73
Schools
$18,063
Per-Pupil Spending
Elementary, Middle
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
San Bernardino City Unified operates 73 public schools serving 45,971 students, placing it among the larger districts in California. The school portfolio breaks down into 51 elementary, 10 middle, 9 high, 3 combined schools, giving families a clear picture of grade-band coverage across a sizeable portfolio 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 San Bernardino County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $18,063 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 11.5% local, 72.3% state, and 16.3% 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 81/100, ranked #76 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 73 schools offering Advanced Placement (13 AP courses district-wide), a 410.9:1 student-counselor ratio, above both the ASCA benchmark and the roughly 408:1 national average, and 49.2% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 83.2% Hispanic or Latino, 8.5% African American, 3.8% White across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Paakuma K-8, with a diversity index of 53.2/100.
Its largest campus is Cajon High, enrolling 2,748 students (6% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Yvonne Harmon, at 8 students, a 344x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
San Bernardino City Unified school enrollment varies 344× across entities
San Bernardino City Unified school enrollment ranges from 8 students (lowest) to 2,748 students (highest), a spread of 2,740 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.
San Bernardino City Unified has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 80.5% 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). 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.
San Bernardino City Unified student-counselor ratio is 411:1 — high (typically associated with staffing constraints that limit per-student counselor time; CRDC data shows higher ratios cluster in larger urban systems)
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.
San Bernardino City Unified chronic absenteeism rate is 49.2% — 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.
How many schools are in San Bernardino City Unified?
San Bernardino City Unified has 73 schools, including 9 high, 10 middle, 51 elementary, 3 combined. Total enrollment is 45,971 students.
How much does San Bernardino City Unified spend per student?
San Bernardino City Unified spends $18,063 per student. The district has an equity score of 81/100, ranking #76 in California.
What is the demographic composition of San Bernardino City Unified?
San Bernardino City Unified students are 83.2% Hispanic or Latino, 8.5% African American, 3.8% White, 1.8% Asian, averaged across 73 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for San Bernardino City Unified?
San Bernardino City Unified has an equity score of 81/100, ranking #76 out of 1517 districts in California.