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Santa Monica, California - 15 schools
An equity score of 57/100 ranks Santa Monica-Malibu Unified #567 of 1517 districts in California (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $19,713 per pupil, Santa Monica-Malibu Unified ranks #253 of 1862 California districts by per-pupil spending (California districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
8,820
Total Enrollment
15
Schools
$19,713
Per-Pupil Spending
Elementary, High
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Santa Monica-Malibu Unified operates 15 public schools serving 8,820 students, placing it among the smaller districts in California. The school portfolio breaks down into 9 elementary, 3 high, 3 middle schools, a compact enough portfolio that families can compare every campus directly 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 Los Angeles County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $19,713 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 85.5% local, 8.6% state, and 5.9% 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 57/100, ranked #567 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.
Academic infrastructure includes 2 of 15 schools offering Advanced Placement (24 AP courses district-wide), a 244.4:1 student-counselor ratio, that meets the ASCA-recommended benchmark, and 23.6% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 51.8% White, 29.3% Hispanic or Latino, 7.0% Asian across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Mckinley Elementary, with a diversity index of 74.4/100.
Its largest campus is Santa Monica High, enrolling 2,588 students (30% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Olympic High (Continuation), at 30 students, a 86x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
Santa Monica High accounts for 29.3% of all Santa Monica-Malibu Unified student enrollment
That dominant concentration means Santa Monica-Malibu Unified-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the dominant entity. Grade band: high. A single dominant campus often anchors a district's program offerings and staffing patterns; the share helps explain why district-wide averages may not reflect the typical neighbourhood-school experience. When one entity dominates a region's footprint, its programmatic and budget decisions effectively set policy for a majority of the affected population.
Santa Monica-Malibu Unified school enrollment varies 86× across entities
Santa Monica-Malibu Unified school enrollment ranges from 30 students (lowest) to 2,588 students (highest), a spread of 2,558 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.
Santa Monica-Malibu Unified student-counselor ratio is 244:1 — low (typically associated with meeting or exceeding the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) recommended 250:1 benchmark, which correlates with stronger college and career counseling capacity)
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 Lower values often correlate with smaller scale and population characteristics rather than higher resource budgets per se.
Santa Monica-Malibu Unified chronic absenteeism rate is 23.6% — 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 Santa Monica-Malibu Unified is typically wider than the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified-aggregate figure suggests.
How many schools are in Santa Monica-Malibu Unified?
Santa Monica-Malibu Unified has 15 schools, including 3 high, 3 middle, 9 elementary. Total enrollment is 8,820 students.
How much does Santa Monica-Malibu Unified spend per student?
Santa Monica-Malibu Unified spends $19,713 per student. The district has an equity score of 57/100, ranking #567 in California.
What is the demographic composition of Santa Monica-Malibu Unified?
Santa Monica-Malibu Unified students are 51.8% White, 29.3% Hispanic or Latino, 7.0% Asian, 5.5% African American, averaged across 15 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Santa Monica-Malibu Unified?
Santa Monica-Malibu Unified has an equity score of 57/100, ranking #567 out of 1517 districts in California.