Santa Monica-Malibu Unified
Public school district · Los Angeles County · California · NCES district ID 0635700
Santa Monica-Malibu Unified spent $24,954 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23, more than 97% of the other California districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022 (median $16,855). Its 15 schools enrolled 8,616 students in 2024-25; 14.8% of its revenue came from the state. Census Bureau figures for 2023-24 put it at $22,837 per student, down 8.5% on the year before (U.S. $17,619 that year). Its four-year graduation rate for the class of 2023 was 95% (California: 86.2%).
NCES F-33 finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23 · Census Bureau school finances 2023-24 · NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 · method
Spending per student among California districts of similar size
Current spending per student excludes construction and debt. The 9 districts closest to Santa Monica-Malibu Unified in enrollment (8,639 to 8,942 students) and Santa Monica-Malibu Unified itself.
Where the money came from
$314,200,000 in revenue: 14.8% state, 82.1% local and 3.2% federal. Total spending including $97,687,000 of capital outlay was $362,674,000, or $41,120 per student; the figure above leaves capital out.
- State$46,428,000 15%
- Local$257,874,000 82%
- Federal$9,898,000 3%
Source: NCES F-33 school district finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23: current expenditures for elementary and secondary education divided by fall membership; the state median covers 646 districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022. Revenue by source (TOTALREV, TFEDREV, TSTREV, TLOCREV).
Enrollment fell from 2022-23 to 2024-25
8,806 students in 2022-23, 8,630 students in 2023-24, 8,616 students in 2024-25, counted across the schools that reported each year.
Teachers and students per teacher
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Per teacher |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-23 | 8,806 | 476.6 | 18.5 |
| 2023-24 | 8,630 | 452.3 | 19.1 |
| 2024-25 | 8,616 | 463.7 | 18.6 |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data membership and staff files, 2022-23, 2023-24, 2024-25; sums over the schools reporting each year.
$61,134,000 in teacher salaries in fiscal year 2022-23, $6,931 per student
Santa Monica-Malibu Unified booked $61,134,000 of teacher salaries in its 2022-23 finance report and counted 477 full-time teachers in its Common Core of Data district staff file for 2022-23 (the school files behind the staffing figures on this page count teachers separately, so the two can differ), or $128,285 of salary spending per teacher. That is more than 90 in 100 California districts with a figure (state median $99,744, 1,149 districts). It is spending, not what a teacher is paid: the salary lines and the teacher count come from different files, so the result can differ widely from the average salary the district publishes (its salary schedule gives pay); benefits are left out, and states book salaries differently, so compare districts within one state. For pay, the National Education Association put the average California teacher salary at $87,275 in 2021-22 (NCES Digest table 211.60).
| Program | Teacher salaries | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Regular programs | $46,747,000 | 76.5% |
| Special education | $10,654,000 | 17.4% |
| Vocational | $1,280,000 | 2.1% |
| Other programs | $2,453,000 | 4.0% |
Teacher salaries per student, fiscal years 2018-19 to 2022-23
The district's teacher salary bill divided by its fall enrollment each year: $5,027 in 2018-19, $5,181 in 2019-20, $5,298 in 2020-21, $5,691 in 2021-22, $6,931 in 2022-23.
Source: NCES F-33 school district finance survey, fiscal years 2019 to 2023: teacher salaries in regular, special, vocational and other programs (Z35 to Z38) and fall membership (V33); NCES Common Core of Data LEA staff file 2022-23, teachers (full-time equivalent).
State test results, 2021-22
In 2021-22, the students tested in Santa Monica-Malibu Unified scored proficient or above: 73% in reading and 60% in math, against 45% in reading and 34% in math across California. Each state writes its own test and sets its own proficiency bar, so compare these within California, not across states. Where a state published results by grade only, the grades tested are combined, weighted by the students tested in each.
| Subject | This district | California | Students tested |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading and language arts | 73% | 45% | 3,896 |
| Math | 60% | 34% | 3,917 |
Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts state assessment results 2021-22, all students, from ED Data Express (the Data Rescue Project archive; ED has no 2022-23 result for this district): ED shows district results as ranges (for example 20-24%) to protect small groups.
Graduation rate, class of 2023
95% of the 785 students in Santa Monica-Malibu Unified's class of 2023 graduated within four years, against 86.2% across California. The four-year rate follows the students who started ninth grade in fall 2019, adjusted for those who moved in or out, and counts those who earned a regular diploma by 2023. Every state computes it the same way under federal law, though each sets its own diploma requirements.
| This district | California | |
|---|---|---|
| Four-year graduation rate | 95% | 86.2% |
| Students in the class | 785 | 495,492 |
Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rates 2022-23, all students, from ED Data Express: ED shows district rates as ranges (for example 90-94%) and leaves out small classes.
9 elementary schools, 3,635 students
| School | Students | Per teacher | Free lunch | Title I, 2021‑22 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Franklin Elementary | 597 | 19.7 | 12.2% | Not reported |
| Grant Elementary | 562 | 20.3 | 22.2% | Not reported |
| Roosevelt Elementary | 552 | 18.2 | 19.4% | Not reported |
| Will Rogers Elementary | 522 | 19.4 | 40.8% | Not reported |
| Edison Elementary | 404 | 19.3 | 32.7% | Not reported |
| McKinley Elementary | 362 | 16.7 | 38.4% | Not reported |
| Malibu Elementary | 242 | 18.8 | 19.4% | Not reported |
| Santa Monica Alternative (K-8) | 216 | 18.5 | 13.9% | Not reported |
| Webster Elementary | 178 | 13.9 | 5.6% | Not reported |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25; Title I status CCD 2021-22, the last year NCES published it. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count; not reported: the school sent NCES no meal count.
3 middle schools, 1,976 students
| School | Students | Per teacher | Free lunch | Title I, 2021‑22 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lincoln Middle | 914 | 20.7 | 26.8% | Not reported |
| John Adams Middle | 806 | 18.2 | 40.0% | Not reported |
| Malibu Middle | 256 | 13.5 | 19.1% | Not reported |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25; Title I status CCD 2021-22, the last year NCES published it. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count; not reported: the school sent NCES no meal count.
3 high schools, 3,005 students
| School | Students | Per teacher | Free lunch | Title I, 2021‑22 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Monica High | 2,588 | 19.8 | 30.9% | Not reported |
| Malibu High | 387 | 14.5 | 19.6% | Not reported |
| Olympic High (Continuation) | 30 | 7.5 | 76.7% | Not reported |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25; Title I status CCD 2021-22, the last year NCES published it. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count; not reported: the school sent NCES no meal count.
Contact Santa Monica-Malibu Unified
- Website: smmusd.org
- Phone: (310) 450-8338
- Office: 1717 4th St., Santa Monica, CA 90401
Source: NCES Common Core of Data, local education agency directory 2024-25. Enrollment, boundaries and school assignment are the district's to confirm.
What to look at next about Santa Monica-Malibu Unified
- California districts by spending per studentSanta Monica-Malibu Unified ranks 20 of 646 California districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022 on current spending per student in fiscal year 2022-23 ($24,954).#20 of 646
- Every school district in CaliforniaSanta Monica-Malibu Unified is the number 178 by size of 1,991 California districts, with 8,820 students in fall 2022 (F-33).#178 of 1,991
- Lincoln UnifiedThe next larger California district: 8,826 students in fall 2022, $14,566 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$14,566
- Arcadia UnifiedThe next smaller California district: 8,818 students in fall 2022, $16,616 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$16,616
- Compare Santa Monica-Malibu Unified with Lincoln UnifiedEnrollment, spending, revenue sources and schools, side by side.
- Santa Monica High, its largest high school2,588 students in 2024-25, 19.8 per teacher.2,588
- Teacher salary spending across CaliforniaSanta Monica-Malibu Unified spent $128,285 in salaries per full-time teacher in fiscal year 2022-23 (state median $99,744); spending, not a salary.$128,285
- Find the school district for an addressA home's district decides which public schools it can enroll in.
Source: NCES F-33 finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23 (spending per student and fall 2022 membership; ranks among the state's districts that reported them); NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (schools).
Questions about Santa Monica-Malibu Unified
How many schools and students are in Santa Monica-Malibu Unified?
15 schools were open in 2024-25 (9 elementary, 3 middle, 3 high), enrolling 8,616 students, according to the NCES Common Core of Data.How much does Santa Monica-Malibu Unified spend per student?
$24,954 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23 (NCES F-33), which leaves out construction and debt; the California median for districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022 is $16,855 and the U.S. figure is $16,260. Census Bureau figures for 2023-24 put it at $22,837 per student, down 8.5% on the year before (U.S. $17,619 that year).Where does Santa Monica-Malibu Unified's money come from?
$314,200,000 in revenue in fiscal year 2022-23: 14.8% state, 82.1% local and 3.2% federal (NCES F-33).How many children in Santa Monica-Malibu Unified live in poverty?
The Census Bureau estimates that 897 of the 10,676 children aged 5 to 17 living within the district's boundaries in 2024, 8.4%, were in families in poverty (Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). It is a model-based estimate for everyone living in the district, not a count of its students; the free-meal shares in the school tables are counts of enrolled students.How much does Santa Monica-Malibu Unified spend on teacher salaries?
$61,134,000 in fiscal year 2022-23 (NCES F-33), or $6,931 per student. Divided by the 477 full-time teachers in the NCES Common Core of Data for 2022-23 that is $128,285 per teacher, more than 90 in 100 California districts (state median $99,744). That is spending, not what a teacher is paid: the salary lines and the teacher count come from different files, and the result can differ widely from the average salary a district publishes. The district's salary schedule gives pay. For pay, the National Education Association put the average California teacher salary at $87,275 in 2021-22 (NCES Digest table 211.60).How do students in Santa Monica-Malibu Unified do on state tests?
In 2021-22, the students tested in Santa Monica-Malibu Unified scored proficient or above: 73% in reading and 60% in math, against 45% in reading and 34% in math across California. California's own test sets what proficient means, so results compare within the state, not across states. Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts state assessment results, 2021-22.What is the graduation rate in Santa Monica-Malibu Unified?
95% of the 785 students in Santa Monica-Malibu Unified's class of 2023 graduated within four years, against 86.2% across California. The four-year rate follows the students who started ninth grade in fall 2019, adjusted for those who moved in or out. Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rates, 2022-23.What is Santa Monica-Malibu Unified's NCES district ID?
0635700. Each of its schools' 12-digit NCES IDs begins with these seven digits.
Reading these figures: how to choose a school district, what Title I means and what an absenteeism rate means. They are for information and are not a substitute for the school's or district's own records.
Sources
Every federal file behind this record
- NCES Common Core of Data, 2024-25: directory, membership, staff and lunch files. nces.ed.gov
- NCES Common Core of Data, 2021-22 school characteristics: Title I status. nces.ed.gov
- Civil Rights Data Collection, 2021-22: AP courses, gifted programs, counselors, discipline. civilrightsdata.ed.gov
- EDFacts, 2022-23: chronic absenteeism. ed.gov
- EDFacts four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rates, 2022-23: the class of 2023 for the district and its state (ED Data Express). eddataexpress.ed.gov
- EDFacts state assessment results, 2021-22: reading and math proficiency for the district and its state (ED Data Express). eddataexpress.ed.gov
- NCES Digest of Education Statistics, table 211.60 (2021-22): the state's average teacher salary, from the National Education Association. nces.ed.gov
- U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, 2024: children aged 5 to 17 and those in families in poverty, by school district. census.gov
- U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of School System Finances, fiscal year 2023-24: per pupil current spending for 2023-24 and 2022-23. census.gov
- NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, fiscal year 2022-23: district spending and revenue. nces.ed.gov
- U.S. Census Bureau geocoder and TIGER school districts: the district boundary used by the district finder. census.gov
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of School System Finances Per pupil current spending by school system · FY 2023-24
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey Revenue and expenditures by district · FY 2022-23
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School directory, membership, staff and lunch files · 2024-25