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Foster City, California - 21 schools
An equity score of 46/100 ranks San Mateo-Foster City #864 of 1517 districts in California (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $17,395 per pupil, San Mateo-Foster City ranks #477 of 1862 California districts by per-pupil spending (California districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
10,067
Total Enrollment
21
Schools
$17,395
Per-Pupil Spending
Elementary, Middle
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
San Mateo-Foster City operates 21 public schools serving 10,067 students, placing it in the mid-size range in California. The school portfolio breaks down into 18 elementary, 3 middle 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 San Mateo County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $17,395 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 79.9% local, 14.6% state, and 5.4% 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 46/100, ranked #864 of 1517 in California against a state average of 50, in line with the typical spread seen across the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.
a 473.2:1 student-counselor ratio, above both the ASCA benchmark and the roughly 408:1 national average, and 23.4% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 42.3% Hispanic or Latino, 26.8% Asian, 16.7% White across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Highlands Elementary, with a diversity index of 75.3/100.
Its largest campus is Bowditch Middle, enrolling 929 students (9% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Beresford Elementary, at 218 students, a 4x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
San Mateo-Foster City school enrollment varies 4.3× across entities
San Mateo-Foster City school enrollment ranges from 218 students (lowest) to 929 students (highest), a spread of 711 students. That relatively narrow ratio reflects an unusually homogeneous campus portfolio, most districts have a wider mix of school sizes. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.
San Mateo-Foster City student-counselor ratio is 473:1 — 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 Mateo-Foster City chronic absenteeism rate is 23.4% — near the typical range (US average ~28) — aligned with the national post-pandemic baseline of roughly 28% chronic absenteeism
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 Variation between sub-units within San Mateo-Foster City is typically wider than the San Mateo-Foster City-aggregate figure suggests.
San Mateo-Foster City has 21 schools, including 3 middle, 18 elementary. Total enrollment is 10,067 students.
How much does San Mateo-Foster City spend per student?
San Mateo-Foster City spends $17,395 per student. The district has an equity score of 46/100, ranking #864 in California.
What is the demographic composition of San Mateo-Foster City?
San Mateo-Foster City students are 42.3% Hispanic or Latino, 26.8% Asian, 16.7% White, 0.7% African American, averaged across 21 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for San Mateo-Foster City?
San Mateo-Foster City has an equity score of 46/100, ranking #864 out of 1517 districts in California.