An equity score of 55/100 ranks Santa Rita Union Elementary #625 of 1526 districts in California (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $16,217 per pupil, Santa Rita Union Elementary ranks #1147 of 1880 California districts by per-pupil spending (California districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
3,231
Total Enrollment
6
Schools
$16,217
Per-Pupil Spending
Elementary, Middle
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Santa Rita Union Elementary operates 6 public schools serving 3,231 students, placing it among the smallest districts in California. The school portfolio breaks down into 4 elementary, 2 middle schools, a small enough portfolio that most families will interact with nearly every campus in the district at some point. These enrollment and school figures come from the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 release, and the district is based in Monterey County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $16,217 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, in the lower half of 1880 California districts by per-pupil spending. See how California compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 22.0% local, 65.6% state, and 12.5% 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 55/100, ranked #625 of 1526 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.
a 514.7:1 student-counselor ratio, above both the ASCA benchmark and the roughly 408:1 national average, and 34.8% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 91.5% Hispanic or Latino, 3.9% White, 2.7% Asian across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is New Republic Elementary, with a diversity index of 30.1/100.
Its largest campus is John Gutierrez Middle, enrolling 568 students (18% of the district's total enrollment).
Enrollment across the district's NCES-reporting campuses held roughly steady from 2022-23 to 2023-24 (3,231 to 3,186 students, -1.4%), per the NCES Common Core of Data annual universe files.
Of the district's $57,671,000 in reported FY2023 expenditures, 52.4% went to instruction, 34.8% to support services, and 4% to capital outlay, a fairly typical instruction/support/capital split for a public school district. Figures come from the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey's function-level breakdown, not the aggregate per-pupil figure above.
John Gutierrez Middle accounts for 17.6% of all Santa Rita Union Elementary student enrollment
That concentration means Santa Rita Union Elementary-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the largest entity. Grade band: middle. The share measures enrollment concentration only; it does not establish how the district allocates programs, capital, or staff. Enrollment-weighted aggregates give this entity more weight than any smaller peer, while an unweighted entity average treats every record equally.
Santa Rita Union Elementary reports 67.8% free-lunch eligibility
The reported share sits between 62.5% and 75%, above a simple majority but below the highest descriptive band used here. Title I operates under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA, 2015), but its statutory allocation uses additional LEA-level counts and rules not represented by this average. This percentage is an economic-need context measure; it does not establish a Title I award, show dollars received, or describe how funds are distributed among campuses.
Santa Rita Union Elementary student-counselor ratio is 515:1 — well above typical (typically associated with unusually large scale or acute resource constraints)
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 Values this far above typical often signal acute resource constraints or a structurally different scale than most peers — worth reading alongside the underlying counts, not the ratio alone.
Santa Rita Union Elementary chronic absenteeism rate is 34.8% — high (typically associated with higher-than-average disruption; recent CRDC data showed elevated rates persisting after pandemic-era schooling changes)
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.
How many schools are in Santa Rita Union Elementary?
Santa Rita Union Elementary has 6 schools, including 2 middle, 4 elementary. Total enrollment is 3,231 students.
How much does Santa Rita Union Elementary spend per student?
Santa Rita Union Elementary spends $16,217 per student. The district has an equity score of 55/100, ranking #625 in California.
What is the demographic composition of Santa Rita Union Elementary?
Santa Rita Union Elementary students are 91.5% Hispanic or Latino, 3.9% White, 2.7% Asian, 0.5% African American, averaged across 6 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Santa Rita Union Elementary?
Santa Rita Union Elementary has an equity score of 55/100, ranking #625 out of 1526 districts in California.