Whittier Union High
Public school district · Los Angeles County · California · NCES district ID 0642480
Whittier Union High spent $21,281 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23, more than 90% of the other California districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022 (median $16,855). Its 7 schools enrolled 9,798 students in 2024-25; 63.7% of its revenue came from the state. Census Bureau figures for 2023-24 put it at $23,421 per student, up 10.0% on the year before (U.S. $17,619 that year). Its four-year graduation rate for the class of 2023 was 91% (California: 86.2%).
NCES F-33 finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23 · Census Bureau school finances 2023-24 · NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 · method
Spending per student among California districts of similar size
Current spending per student excludes construction and debt. The 9 districts closest to Whittier Union High in enrollment (10,276 to 10,745 students) and Whittier Union High itself.
Where the money came from
$308,332,000 in revenue: 63.7% state, 28.0% local and 8.2% federal. Total spending including $8,187,000 of capital outlay was $275,078,000, or $25,917 per student; the figure above leaves capital out.
- State$196,520,000 64%
- Local$86,465,000 28%
- Federal$25,347,000 8%
Source: NCES F-33 school district finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23: current expenditures for elementary and secondary education divided by fall membership; the state median covers 646 districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022. Revenue by source (TOTALREV, TFEDREV, TSTREV, TLOCREV).
Enrollment fell from 2022-23 to 2024-25
10,568 students in 2022-23, 10,179 students in 2023-24, 9,798 students in 2024-25, counted across the schools that reported each year.
Teachers and students per teacher
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Per teacher |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-23 | 10,568 | 464.6 | 22.7 |
| 2023-24 | 10,179 | 457.5 | 22.3 |
| 2024-25 | 9,798 | 442.0 | 22.2 |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data membership and staff files, 2022-23, 2023-24, 2024-25; sums over the schools reporting each year.
$62,064,000 in teacher salaries in fiscal year 2022-23, $5,847 per student
Whittier Union High booked $62,064,000 of teacher salaries in its 2022-23 finance report and counted 465 full-time teachers in its Common Core of Data district staff file for 2022-23 (the school files behind the staffing figures on this page count teachers separately, so the two can differ), or $133,589 of salary spending per teacher. That is more than 93 in 100 California districts with a figure (state median $99,744, 1,149 districts). It is spending, not what a teacher is paid: the salary lines and the teacher count come from different files, so the result can differ widely from the average salary the district publishes (its salary schedule gives pay); benefits are left out, and states book salaries differently, so compare districts within one state. For pay, the National Education Association put the average California teacher salary at $87,275 in 2021-22 (NCES Digest table 211.60).
| Program | Teacher salaries | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Regular programs | $45,160,000 | 72.8% |
| Special education | $11,791,000 | 19.0% |
| Vocational | $2,108,000 | 3.4% |
| Other programs | $3,005,000 | 4.8% |
Teacher salaries per student, fiscal years 2018-19 to 2022-23
The district's teacher salary bill divided by its fall enrollment each year: $4,661 in 2018-19, $4,752 in 2019-20, $4,643 in 2020-21, $5,542 in 2021-22, $5,847 in 2022-23.
Source: NCES F-33 school district finance survey, fiscal years 2019 to 2023: teacher salaries in regular, special, vocational and other programs (Z35 to Z38) and fall membership (V33); NCES Common Core of Data LEA staff file 2022-23, teachers (full-time equivalent).
Graduation rate, class of 2023
91% of the 2,679 students in Whittier Union High's class of 2023 graduated within four years, against 86.2% across California. The four-year rate follows the students who started ninth grade in fall 2019, adjusted for those who moved in or out, and counts those who earned a regular diploma by 2023. Every state computes it the same way under federal law, though each sets its own diploma requirements.
| This district | California | |
|---|---|---|
| Four-year graduation rate | 91% | 86.2% |
| Students in the class | 2,679 | 495,492 |
Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rates 2022-23, all students, from ED Data Express: ED shows district rates as ranges (for example 90-94%) and leaves out small classes.
7 high schools, 9,798 students
| School | Students | Per teacher | Free lunch | Title I, 2021‑22 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| La Serna High | 2,372 | 25.9 | 39.5% | Not reported |
| California High | 2,261 | 22.1 | 62.2% | Not reported |
| Santa Fe High | 1,865 | 24.2 | 57.2% | Not reported |
| Whittier High | 1,652 | 21.4 | 70.0% | Not reported |
| Pioneer High | 1,000 | 18.8 | 71.0% | Not reported |
| Frontier High (Continuation) | 364 | 13.2 | 63.5% | Not reported |
| Sierra Vista High (Alternative) | 284 | 22.0 | 73.9% | Not reported |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25; Title I status CCD 2021-22, the last year NCES published it. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count; not reported: the school sent NCES no meal count.
Contact Whittier Union High
- Website: wuhsd.k12.ca.us
- Phone: (562) 698-8121
- Office: 9401 South Painter Ave., Whittier, CA 90605
Source: NCES Common Core of Data, local education agency directory 2024-25. Enrollment, boundaries and school assignment are the district's to confirm.
What to look at next about Whittier Union High
- California districts by spending per studentWhittier Union High ranks 67 of 646 California districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022 on current spending per student in fiscal year 2022-23 ($21,281).#67 of 646
- Every school district in CaliforniaWhittier Union High is the number 141 by size of 1,991 California districts, with 10,614 students in fall 2022 (F-33).#141 of 1,991
- Pittsburg UnifiedThe next larger California district: 10,665 students in fall 2022, $18,011 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$18,011
- Roseville Joint Union High School DistrictThe next smaller California district: 10,570 students in fall 2022, $16,067 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$16,067
- Compare Whittier Union High with Pittsburg UnifiedEnrollment, spending, revenue sources and schools, side by side.
- La Serna High, its largest high school2,372 students in 2024-25, 25.9 per teacher.2,372
- Teacher salary spending across CaliforniaWhittier Union High spent $133,589 in salaries per full-time teacher in fiscal year 2022-23 (state median $99,744); spending, not a salary.$133,589
- Find the school district for an addressA home's district decides which public schools it can enroll in.
Source: NCES F-33 finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23 (spending per student and fall 2022 membership; ranks among the state's districts that reported them); NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (schools).
Questions about Whittier Union High
How many schools and students are in Whittier Union High?
7 schools were open in 2024-25 (7 high), enrolling 9,798 students, according to the NCES Common Core of Data.How much does Whittier Union High spend per student?
$21,281 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23 (NCES F-33), which leaves out construction and debt; the California median for districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022 is $16,855 and the U.S. figure is $16,260. Census Bureau figures for 2023-24 put it at $23,421 per student, up 10.0% on the year before (U.S. $17,619 that year).Where does Whittier Union High's money come from?
$308,332,000 in revenue in fiscal year 2022-23: 63.7% state, 28.0% local and 8.2% federal (NCES F-33).How many children in Whittier Union High live in poverty?
The Census Bureau estimates that 1,252 of the 12,191 children aged 5 to 17 living within the district's boundaries in 2024, 10.3%, were in families in poverty (Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). It is a model-based estimate for everyone living in the district, not a count of its students; the free-meal shares in the school tables are counts of enrolled students.How much does Whittier Union High spend on teacher salaries?
$62,064,000 in fiscal year 2022-23 (NCES F-33), or $5,847 per student. Divided by the 465 full-time teachers in the NCES Common Core of Data for 2022-23 that is $133,589 per teacher, more than 93 in 100 California districts (state median $99,744). That is spending, not what a teacher is paid: the salary lines and the teacher count come from different files, and the result can differ widely from the average salary a district publishes. The district's salary schedule gives pay. For pay, the National Education Association put the average California teacher salary at $87,275 in 2021-22 (NCES Digest table 211.60).What is the graduation rate in Whittier Union High?
91% of the 2,679 students in Whittier Union High's class of 2023 graduated within four years, against 86.2% across California. The four-year rate follows the students who started ninth grade in fall 2019, adjusted for those who moved in or out. Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rates, 2022-23.What is Whittier Union High's NCES district ID?
0642480. Each of its schools' 12-digit NCES IDs begins with these seven digits.
Reading these figures: how to choose a school district, what Title I means and what an absenteeism rate means. They are for information and are not a substitute for the school's or district's own records.
Sources
Every federal file behind this record
- NCES Common Core of Data, 2024-25: directory, membership, staff and lunch files. nces.ed.gov
- NCES Common Core of Data, 2021-22 school characteristics: Title I status. nces.ed.gov
- Civil Rights Data Collection, 2021-22: AP courses, gifted programs, counselors, discipline. civilrightsdata.ed.gov
- EDFacts, 2022-23: chronic absenteeism. ed.gov
- EDFacts four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rates, 2022-23: the class of 2023 for the district and its state (ED Data Express). eddataexpress.ed.gov
- NCES Digest of Education Statistics, table 211.60 (2021-22): the state's average teacher salary, from the National Education Association. nces.ed.gov
- U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, 2024: children aged 5 to 17 and those in families in poverty, by school district. census.gov
- U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of School System Finances, fiscal year 2023-24: per pupil current spending for 2023-24 and 2022-23. census.gov
- NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, fiscal year 2022-23: district spending and revenue. nces.ed.gov
- U.S. Census Bureau geocoder and TIGER school districts: the district boundary used by the district finder. census.gov
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of School System Finances Per pupil current spending by school system · FY 2023-24
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey Revenue and expenditures by district · FY 2022-23
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School directory, membership, staff and lunch files · 2024-25