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Imperial Beach, California - 12 schools
An equity score of 63/100 ranks South Bay Union #423 of 1517 districts in California (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $18,310 per pupil, South Bay Union ranks #369 of 1862 California districts by per-pupil spending (California districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
5,859
Total Enrollment
12
Schools
$18,310
Per-Pupil Spending
Elementary
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
South Bay Union operates 12 public schools serving 5,859 students, placing it among the smaller districts in California. The school portfolio breaks down into 12 elementary 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 San Diego County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $18,310 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 27.7% local, 55.4% state, and 16.9% 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 63/100, ranked #423 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.
and 52.3% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 86.4% Hispanic or Latino, 4.8% White, 3.1% Asian across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Imperial Beach Charter, with a diversity index of 46.0/100.
Its largest campus is Nestor Language Academy Charter, enrolling 1,079 students (19% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Sbusd Virtual Academy, at 131 students, a 8x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
Nestor Language Academy Charter accounts for 18.4% of all South Bay Union student enrollment
That concentration means South Bay Union-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the dominant entity. Grade band: elementary. 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.
South Bay Union school enrollment varies 8.2× across entities
South Bay Union school enrollment ranges from 131 students (lowest) to 1,079 students (highest), a spread of 948 students. That spread reflects typical mixed-portfolio variation between specialty programs and large neighbourhood schools. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.
South Bay Union has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 59.2% of the population qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch
free or reduced-price lunch eligibility is the federal threshold for Title I funding allocations, established under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA, 2015). Areas above 75% eligibility receive concentration grants on top of the basic Title I formula. Regions with eligibility this high typically draw a substantially larger federal funding share relative to their local tax base, which can either offset or reinforce existing gaps depending on allocation policy.
South Bay Union chronic absenteeism rate is 52.3% — well above typical (typically associated with unusually large scale or acute resource constraints)
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 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.
South Bay Union has 12 schools, including 12 elementary. Total enrollment is 5,859 students.
How much does South Bay Union spend per student?
South Bay Union spends $18,310 per student. The district has an equity score of 63/100, ranking #423 in California.
What is the demographic composition of South Bay Union?
South Bay Union students are 86.4% Hispanic or Latino, 4.8% White, 3.1% Asian, 2.1% African American, averaged across 12 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for South Bay Union?
South Bay Union has an equity score of 63/100, ranking #423 out of 1517 districts in California.