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.
Santa Ana, California - 51 schools
An equity score of 77/100 ranks Santa Ana Unified #127 of 1517 districts in California (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $18,933 per pupil, Santa Ana Unified ranks #298 of 1862 California districts by per-pupil spending (California districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
Santa Ana Unified operates 51 public schools serving 39,935 students, placing it among the larger districts in California. The school portfolio breaks down into 34 elementary, 8 high, 6 middle, 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 Orange County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $18,933 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 26.0% local, 54.7% state, and 19.3% 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 77/100, ranked #127 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 9 of 51 schools offering Advanced Placement (92 AP courses district-wide), a 265.1:1 student-counselor ratio, somewhat above the 250:1 ASCA recommendation, and 40.8% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 96.2% Hispanic or Latino, 1.8% Asian, 0.9% White across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Greenville Fundamental Elementary, with a diversity index of 20.9/100.
Its largest campus is Santa Ana High, enrolling 2,505 students (7% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Reach Academy, at 36 students, a 70x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
Santa Ana Unified school enrollment ranges from 36 students (lowest) to 2,505 students (highest), a spread of 2,469 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). 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.
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 Variation between sub-units within Santa Ana Unified is typically wider than the Santa Ana Unified-aggregate figure suggests.
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 scores well on funding equity, with balanced funding sources and good resource allocation.
Average demographic composition across 51 schools in Santa Ana Unified.
Source: NCES CCD School Membership 2024-25.
Average Simpson diversity index across Santa Ana Unified's schools, below the California average of 46.0.
Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) 2021-22.
The California districts closest to this one in total enrollment.
| District | Enrollment | Spending | Funding Mix |
|---|---|---|---|
| Riverside Unified | Similar size | Lower spending | Similar funding mix |
| Sacramento City Unified | Similar size | Similar spending | Similar funding mix |
| Garden Grove Unified | Similar size | Similar spending | Similar funding mix |
| San Juan Unified | Similar size | Lower spending | Similar funding mix |
| Capistrano Unified | Similar size | Lower spending | More locally funded |
Comparisons are relative to Santa Ana 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 →Santa Ana Unified has 51 schools, including 8 high, 3 combined, 6 middle, 34 elementary. Total enrollment is 39,935 students.
Santa Ana Unified spends $18,933 per student. The district has an equity score of 77/100, ranking #127 in California.
Santa Ana Unified students are 96.2% Hispanic or Latino, 1.8% Asian, 0.9% White, 0.2% African American, averaged across 51 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
Santa Ana Unified has an equity score of 77/100, ranking #127 out of 1517 districts in California.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.