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South San Francisco, California - 15 schools
An equity score of 50/100 ranks South San Francisco Unified #752 of 1517 districts in California (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $17,183 per pupil, South San Francisco Unified ranks #506 of 1862 California districts by per-pupil spending (California districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
7,868
Total Enrollment
15
Schools
$17,183
Per-Pupil Spending
Elementary, High
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
South San Francisco Unified operates 15 public schools serving 7,868 students, placing it among the smaller districts in California. The school portfolio breaks down into 9 elementary, 3 high, 3 middle 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 Mateo County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $17,183 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 76.0% local, 16.7% state, and 7.3% federal, a local-revenue-heavy mix that leaves the district more exposed to property-tax swings and local ballot measures than state-funded peers. The district's equity score is 50/100, ranked #752 of 1517 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.
Academic infrastructure includes 2 of 15 schools offering Advanced Placement (29 AP courses district-wide), a 208.7:1 student-counselor ratio, that meets the ASCA-recommended benchmark, and 30.5% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 49.5% Hispanic or Latino, 33.4% Asian, 6.4% White across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Buri Buri Elementary, with a diversity index of 69.2/100.
Its largest campus is South San Francisco High, enrolling 1,239 students (16% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Baden High (Continuation), at 130 students, a 10x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
South San Francisco High accounts for 15.7% of all South San Francisco Unified student enrollment
That concentration means South San Francisco 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 San Francisco Unified school enrollment varies 9.5× across entities
South San Francisco Unified school enrollment ranges from 130 students (lowest) to 1,239 students (highest), a spread of 1,109 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 San Francisco Unified student-counselor ratio is 209:1 — 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.
South San Francisco Unified chronic absenteeism rate is 30.5% — 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 South San Francisco Unified?
South San Francisco Unified has 15 schools, including 3 high, 3 middle, 9 elementary. Total enrollment is 7,868 students.
How much does South San Francisco Unified spend per student?
South San Francisco Unified spends $17,183 per student. The district has an equity score of 50/100, ranking #752 in California.
What is the demographic composition of South San Francisco Unified?
South San Francisco Unified students are 49.5% Hispanic or Latino, 33.4% Asian, 6.4% White, 1.0% African American, averaged across 15 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for South San Francisco Unified?
South San Francisco Unified has an equity score of 50/100, ranking #752 out of 1517 districts in California.