Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. District totals are aggregated directly from the schools reporting under this district in the source records. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, the data changelog, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.
Tustin, California - 28 schools
An equity score of 23/100 ranks Tustin Unified #1382 of 1526 districts in California (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $15,381 per pupil, Tustin Unified ranks #1302 of 1880 California districts by per-pupil spending (California districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
Tustin Unified operates 28 public schools serving 21,830 students, placing it in the mid-size range in California. The school portfolio breaks down into 18 elementary, 4 high, 4 middle, 2 combined schools, giving families a clear picture of grade-band coverage 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 Orange County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $15,381 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 53.9% local, 38.0% state, and 8.1% 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 23/100, ranked #1382 of 1526 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 3 of 28 schools offering Advanced Placement (59 AP courses district-wide), a 603.9:1 student-counselor ratio, above both the ASCA benchmark and the roughly 408:1 national average, and 20.6% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 50.3% Hispanic or Latino, 21.6% Asian, 18.8% White across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Ladera Elementary, with a diversity index of 72.6/100.
Its largest campus is Arnold O. Beckman High, enrolling 2,776 students (13% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Hillview High (Continuation), at 142 students, a 20x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
Tustin Unified school enrollment ranges from 142 students (lowest) to 2,776 students (highest), a spread of 2,634 students. That spread is wider than typical and predicts noticeable gaps in service quality between the highest and lowest areas. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
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.
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 Tustin Unified is typically wider than the Tustin Unified-aggregate figure suggests.
This district scores below average on funding equity. High reliance on local revenue or lower spending may contribute.
Average demographic composition across 28 schools in Tustin Unified.
Source: NCES CCD School Membership 2024-25.
Average Simpson diversity index across Tustin Unified's schools, above the California average of 46.0.
Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) 2021-22.
| School | Enrollment |
|---|---|
| Arnold O. Beckman High | 2,776 |
| Foothill High | 2,126 |
| Tustin High | 1,627 |
| Orchard Hills | 1,373 |
| Sycamore Magnet Academy | 1,085 |
| Pioneer Middle | 971 |
| Legacy Magnet Academy | 964 |
| Hewes Middle | 929 |
| Hicks Canyon Elementary | 830 |
| Tustin Memorial Elementary | 613 |
| Arroyo Elementary | 585 |
| Columbus Tustin Middle | 583 |
| Heritage Elementary | 567 |
| C. E. Utt Middle | 554 |
| Myford Elementary | 542 |
| Tustin Ranch Elementary | 520 |
| Robert Heideman Elementary | 502 |
| W. R. Nelson Elementary | 460 |
| Helen Estock Elementary | 456 |
| Red Hill Elementary | 436 |
| Loma Vista Elementary | 433 |
| Benjamin F. Beswick Elementary | 426 |
| Peters Canyon Elementary | 399 |
| Guin Foss Elementary | 395 |
| Ladera Elementary | 345 |
| Barbara Benson Elementary | 313 |
| Tustin Connect | 268 |
| Hillview High (Continuation) | 142 |
The California districts closest to this one in total enrollment.
| District | Enrollment | Spending | Funding Mix |
|---|---|---|---|
| Torrance Unified | Similar size | Similar spending | Less locally funded |
| Antelope Valley Union High | Similar size | Similar spending | Less locally funded |
| Chula Vista Elementary | Similar size | Similar spending | Less locally funded |
| Pomona Unified | Similar size | Higher spending | Less locally funded |
| Downey Unified | Similar size | Higher spending | Less locally funded |
Comparisons are relative to Tustin Unified's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data and the F-33 Finance Survey.
Top districts in the same state, compare side-by-side for enrollment, spending, and demographics.
Out-of-state peers matched by enrollment and by per-pupil expenditure, not the same-state lists above.
See how this district compares to others in enrollment, spending, demographics, and academic resources.
Compare vs Los Angeles Unified →Tustin Unified has 28 schools, including 4 high, 18 elementary, 4 middle, 2 combined. Total enrollment is 21,830 students.
Tustin Unified spends $15,381 per student. The district has an equity score of 23/100, ranking #1382 in California.
Tustin Unified students are 50.3% Hispanic or Latino, 21.6% Asian, 18.8% White, 1.3% African American, averaged across 28 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
Tustin Unified has an equity score of 23/100, ranking #1382 out of 1526 districts in California.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.