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 Clara, California - 30 schools
An equity score of 61/100 ranks Santa Clara Unified #464 of 1517 districts in California (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $24,038 per pupil, Santa Clara Unified ranks #129 of 1862 California districts by per-pupil spending (California districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
Santa Clara Unified operates 30 public schools serving 13,919 students, placing it in the mid-size range in California. The school portfolio breaks down into 19 elementary, 5 high, 4 middle, 2 combined 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 Santa Clara County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $24,038 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 81.9% local, 13.2% state, and 4.9% 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 61/100, ranked #464 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 2 of 30 schools offering Advanced Placement (12 AP courses district-wide), a 348.7:1 student-counselor ratio, well above the ASCA benchmark though still under the roughly 408:1 national average, and 21.9% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 42.1% Hispanic or Latino, 32.7% Asian, 15.2% White across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Mission Early College High, with a diversity index of 74.8/100.
Its largest campus is Santa Clara High, enrolling 1,663 students (12% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Santa Clara Community Day, at 10 students, a 166x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
Santa Clara Unified school enrollment ranges from 10 students (lowest) to 1,663 students (highest), a spread of 1,653 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
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 Clara Unified is typically wider than the Santa Clara 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 Variation between sub-units within Santa Clara Unified is typically wider than the Santa Clara Unified-aggregate figure suggests.
Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection 2021-22 NCES Civil Rights Data Collection 2021-22
This district has moderate funding equity. There may be room to improve funding diversity or resource allocation.
Average demographic composition across 30 schools in Santa Clara Unified.
Source: NCES CCD School Membership 2024-25.
Average Simpson diversity index across Santa Clara Unified's schools, above the California average of 46.0.
Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) 2021-22.
| School | Enrollment |
|---|---|
| Santa Clara High | 1,663 |
| Adrian Wilcox High | 1,614 |
| Juan Cabrillo Middle | 796 |
| Marian a. Peterson Middle | 759 |
| Buchser Middle | 711 |
| Kathleen Macdonald High | 683 |
| Laurelwood Elementary | 571 |
| Dolores Huerta Middle | 571 |
| Don Callejon | 568 |
| Ponderosa Elementary | 524 |
| Abram Agnew Elementary | 505 |
| Millikin Elementary | 504 |
| Central Park Elementary | 419 |
| Scott Lane Elementary | 406 |
| Braly Elementary | 381 |
| Westwood Elementary | 368 |
| Washington Open Elementary | 352 |
| C. W. Haman Elementary | 324 |
| Sutter Elementary | 314 |
| Pomeroy Elementary | 300 |
| Briarwood Elementary | 288 |
| Kathryn Hughes Elementary | 281 |
| George Mayne Elementary | 271 |
| Bracher Elementary | 269 |
| Montague Elementary | 254 |
| Bowers Elementary | 240 |
| Mission Early College High | 183 |
| New Valley Continuation High | 151 |
| Wilson Alternative | 131 |
| Santa Clara Community Day | 10 |
The California districts closest to this one in total enrollment.
| District | Enrollment | Spending | Funding Mix |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tracy Joint Unified | Similar size | Lower spending | Less locally funded |
| Ceres Unified | Similar size | Lower spending | Less locally funded |
| Pleasanton Unified | Similar size | Lower spending | Less locally funded |
| Lancaster Elementary | Similar size | Lower spending | Less locally funded |
| Modesto City Elementary | Similar size | No spending data | No revenue-mix data |
Comparisons are relative to Santa Clara 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 Clara Unified has 30 schools, including 5 high, 4 middle, 19 elementary, 2 combined. Total enrollment is 13,919 students.
Santa Clara Unified spends $24,038 per student. The district has an equity score of 61/100, ranking #464 in California.
Santa Clara Unified students are 42.1% Hispanic or Latino, 32.7% Asian, 15.2% White, 2.7% African American, averaged across 30 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
Santa Clara Unified has an equity score of 61/100, ranking #464 out of 1517 districts in California.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.