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San Francisco, California - 106 schools
An equity score of 65/100 ranks San Francisco Unified #378 of 1517 districts in California (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $23,654 per pupil, San Francisco Unified ranks #134 of 1862 California districts by per-pupil spending (California districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
48,785
Total Enrollment
106
Schools
$23,654
Per-Pupil Spending
Elementary, High
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
San Francisco Unified operates 106 public schools serving 48,785 students, placing it among the largest districts in California. The school portfolio breaks down into 76 elementary, 16 high, 13 middle, 1 combined schools, giving families in a major system a clear picture of grade-band coverage across a large 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 Francisco County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $23,654 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, among the top 187 of 1862 California districts by per-pupil spending. See how California compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 56.8% local, 31.2% state, and 12.0% federal, a local-revenue-heavy mix that leaves the district more exposed to property-tax swings and local ballot measures than state-funded peers. The district's equity score is 65/100, ranked #378 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 12 of 106 schools offering Advanced Placement (126 AP courses district-wide), a 601.6:1 student-counselor ratio, above both the ASCA benchmark and the roughly 408:1 national average, and 36.3% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 35.9% Hispanic or Latino, 29.4% Asian, 13.5% White across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Parks (Rosa) Elementary, with a diversity index of 78.8/100.
Its largest campus is Lowell High, enrolling 2,571 students (5% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Mclaren (John) Children Centers, at 16 students, a 161x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
San Francisco Unified school enrollment varies 161× across entities
San Francisco Unified school enrollment ranges from 16 students (lowest) to 2,571 students (highest), a spread of 2,555 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 Francisco Unified has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 52.0% 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 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 Francisco Unified student-counselor ratio is 602:1 — 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.
San Francisco Unified chronic absenteeism rate is 36.3% — high (typically associated with higher-than-average disruption; recent CRDC data showed elevated rates persisting after pandemic-era schooling changes)
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.
San Francisco Unified has 106 schools, including 16 high, 13 middle, 76 elementary, 1 combined. Total enrollment is 48,785 students.
How much does San Francisco Unified spend per student?
San Francisco Unified spends $23,654 per student. The district has an equity score of 65/100, ranking #378 in California.
What is the demographic composition of San Francisco Unified?
San Francisco Unified students are 35.9% Hispanic or Latino, 29.4% Asian, 13.5% White, 8.0% African American, averaged across 106 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for San Francisco Unified?
San Francisco Unified has an equity score of 65/100, ranking #378 out of 1517 districts in California.