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, giving families a clear picture of grade-band coverage before they move, rent, or enrol. Aggregated across those campuses, enrollment totals 8,616 pupils using the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2022-23 release, and the district is geographically located in Los Angeles County County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $34,894 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, which aggregates every revenue and spending line reported under federal accounting standards. The funding mix is 85.5% local, 8.6% state, and 5.9% federal — a breakdown that matters because districts leaning heavily on local revenue are more exposed to property-tax swings, while higher federal shares typically track Title I concentration. Average teacher compensation clocks in at $101,476 per NCES F-33, a signal of the district's ability to recruit and retain staff against neighbouring districts. The district's equity score — 69/100, ranked #274 of 1547 in California against a state average of 50 — measures how evenly funding reaches schools within its boundaries.
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 28.7% 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.
Santa Monica High accounts for 30.0% of all Santa Monica-Malibu Unified student enrollment
That concentration — well above the 8.4% national median for largest-entity share — 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 among the widest observed and reflects extreme enrollment heterogeneity — the district operates both small specialty programs and large comprehensive campuses inside a single budgeting unit. 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 28.7% — 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 $34,894 per student. The district has an equity score of 69/100, ranking #274 in California.
What is the average teacher salary in Santa Monica-Malibu Unified?
The average teacher salary in Santa Monica-Malibu Unified is $101,476 per year, according to the NCES CCD F-33 Finance Survey.
What is the average rent near Santa Monica-Malibu Unified?
The HUD Fair Market Rent for a 2-bedroom in Los Angeles County County is $N/A/month (2026). This affects housing affordability for families in the district.
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 69/100, ranking #274 out of 1547 districts in California. This score measures resource distribution fairness across schools in the district.