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South Pasadena, California - 5 schools
An equity score of 23/100 ranks South Pasadena Unified #1379 of 1517 districts in California (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $13,435 per pupil, South Pasadena Unified ranks #1340 of 1862 California districts by per-pupil spending (California districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
4,651
Total Enrollment
5
Schools
$13,435
Per-Pupil Spending
Elementary, High
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
South Pasadena Unified operates 5 public schools serving 4,651 students, placing it among the smallest districts in California. The school portfolio breaks down into 3 elementary, 1 high, 1 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 Los Angeles County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $13,435 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, in the lower half of 1862 California districts by per-pupil spending. See how California compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 40.9% local, 51.3% state, and 7.8% 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 23/100, ranked #1379 of 1517 in California against a state average of 50, notably less even than the typical district in the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.
Academic infrastructure includes 1 of 5 schools offering Advanced Placement (18 AP courses district-wide), a 942.5:1 student-counselor ratio, above both the ASCA benchmark and the roughly 408:1 national average, and 7.3% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 35.9% Asian, 23.1% Hispanic or Latino, 22.1% White across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Arroyo Vista Elementary, with a diversity index of 74.1/100.
Its largest campus is South Pasadena Senior High, enrolling 1,536 students (33% of the district's total enrollment).
South Pasadena Senior High accounts for 33.0% of all South Pasadena Unified student enrollment
That dominant concentration means South Pasadena 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.
South Pasadena Unified school enrollment varies 2.7× across entities
South Pasadena Unified school enrollment ranges from 570 students (lowest) to 1,536 students (highest), a spread of 966 students. That relatively narrow ratio reflects an unusually homogeneous campus portfolio, most districts have a wider mix of school sizes. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.
South Pasadena Unified student-counselor ratio is 943:1 — 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.
South Pasadena Unified chronic absenteeism rate is 7.3% — well below typical (typically associated with unusually small scale or exceptionally high per-unit investment)
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 below typical often correlate with unusually small scale or population characteristics rather than higher resource budgets per se — worth checking whether the underlying denominator is itself an outlier.
South Pasadena Unified has 5 schools, including 1 high, 1 middle, 3 elementary. Total enrollment is 4,651 students.
How much does South Pasadena Unified spend per student?
South Pasadena Unified spends $13,435 per student. The district has an equity score of 23/100, ranking #1379 in California.
What is the demographic composition of South Pasadena Unified?
South Pasadena Unified students are 35.9% Asian, 23.1% Hispanic or Latino, 22.1% White, 1.0% African American, averaged across 5 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for South Pasadena Unified?
South Pasadena Unified has an equity score of 23/100, ranking #1379 out of 1517 districts in California.