Carmel Unified

Public school district · Monterey County · California · NCES district ID 0607530

Carmel Unified spent $33,741 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23, more than 99% of the other California districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022 (median $16,855). Its 7 schools enrolled 2,179 students in 2024-25; 13.6% of its revenue came from the state. Census Bureau figures for 2023-24 put it at $37,134 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 98% (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 Carmel Unified in enrollment (2,252 to 2,313 students) and Carmel Unified itself.

Current spending per student, California districts closest in size to Carmel Unified, FY23Carmel Unified $33,741; Cucamonga $20,970; OCSA District $20,223; Dos Palos Oro Loma Joint Unified $18,599; The Palmdale Aerospace Academy $18,530; Linden Unified $17,141; Hilmar Unified $15,436; Orland Unified $14,982; Templeton Unified $14,378; South Sutter Charter District $13,073; State median, 1,000+ students $16,855.10k20k30k40kCarmel Unified$33,741Cucamonga$20,970OCSA District$20,223Dos Palos Oro Loma Joint Unifi…$18,599The Palmdale Aerospace Academy$18,530Linden Unified$17,141Hilmar Unified$15,436Orland Unified$14,982Templeton Unified$14,378South Sutter Charter District$13,073State median, 1,000+ students $16,855
Current spending per student, California districts closest in size to Carmel Unified, FY23Carmel Unified $33,741; Cucamonga $20,970; OCSA District $20,223; Dos Palos Oro Loma Joint Unified $18,599; The Palmdale Aerospace Academy $18,530; Linden Unified $17,141; Hilmar Unified $15,436; Orland Unified $14,982; Templeton Unified $14,378; South Sutter Charter District $13,073; State median, 1,000+ students $16,855.10k20k30k40kCarmel Unified$33,741Cucamonga$20,970OCSA District$20,223Dos Palos Oro Loma Joint Unified$18,599The Palmdale Aerospace Academy$18,530Linden Unified$17,141Hilmar Unified$15,436Orland Unified$14,982Templeton Unified$14,378South Sutter Charter District$13,073State median, 1,000+ students $16,855
Current spending per student, California districts closest in size to Carmel Unified, FY23Carmel Unified $33,741; Cucamonga $20,970; OCSA District $20,223; Dos Palos Oro Loma Joint Unified $18,599; The Palmdale Aerospace Academy $18,530; Linden Unified $17,141; Hilmar Unified $15,436; Orland Unified $14,982; Templeton Unified $14,378; South Sutter Charter District $13,073; State median, 1,000+ students $16,855.10k20k30k40kCarmel Unified$33,741Cucamonga$20,970OCSA District$20,223Dos Palos Oro Loma Joint Unified$18,599The Palmdale Aerospace Academy$18,530Linden Unified$17,141Hilmar Unified$15,436Orland Unified$14,982Templeton Unified$14,378South Sutter Charter District$13,073State median, 1,000+ students $16,855
Current spending per student, California districts closest in size to Carmel Unified, FY23Carmel Unified $33,741; Cucamonga $20,970; OCSA District $20,223; Dos Palos Oro Loma Joint Unified $18,599; The Palmdale Aerospace Academy $18,530; Linden Unified $17,141; Hilmar Unified $15,436; Orland Unified $14,982; Templeton Unified $14,378; South Sutter Charter District $13,073; State median, 1,000+ students $16,855.10k20k30k40kCarmel Unified$33,741Cucamonga$20,970OCSA District$20,223Dos Palos Oro Loma Joint Unified$18,599The Palmdale Aerospace Academy$18,530Linden Unified$17,141Hilmar Unified$15,436Orland Unified$14,982Templeton Unified$14,378South Sutter Charter District$13,073State median, 1,000+ students $16,855

Where the money came from

$85,725,000 in revenue: 13.6% state, 83.3% local and 3.1% federal. Total spending including $1,703,000 of capital outlay was $80,724,000, or $35,499 per student; the figure above leaves capital out.

Carmel Unified revenue by source, fiscal year 2022-23State $11,620,000; Local $71,438,000; Federal $2,667,000; total $85,725,000.
  • State$11,620,000 14%
  • Local$71,438,000 83%
  • Federal$2,667,000 3%

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

2,273 students in 2022-23, 2,156 students in 2023-24, 2,152 students in 2024-25, counted across the schools that reported each year.

Carmel Unified enrollment by school year2022-23: 2,273, 2023-24: 2,156, 2024-25: 2,15201k2k3k2022-232,2732023-242,1562024-252,152
Carmel Unified enrollment by school year2022-23: 2,273, 2023-24: 2,156, 2024-25: 2,15201k2k3k2022-232,2732023-242,1562024-252,152
Carmel Unified enrollment by school year2022-23: 2,273, 2023-24: 2,156, 2024-25: 2,15201k2k3k2022-232,2732023-242,1562024-252,152
Carmel Unified enrollment by school year2022-23: 2,273, 2023-24: 2,156, 2024-25: 2,15201k2k3k2022-232,2732023-242,1562024-252,152

Teachers and students per teacher

School yearStudentsTeachers (FTE)Per teacher
2022-232,273138.416.4
2023-242,156137.215.7
2024-252,152137.615.6

Source: NCES Common Core of Data membership and staff files, 2022-23, 2023-24, 2024-25; sums over the schools reporting each year.

$23,749,000 in teacher salaries in fiscal year 2022-23, $10,444 per student

Carmel Unified booked $23,749,000 of teacher salaries in its 2022-23 finance report and counted 138 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 $171,535 of salary spending per teacher. That is more than 99 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).

ProgramTeacher salariesShare
Regular programs$19,770,00083.2%
Special education$2,808,00011.8%
Vocational$746,0003.1%
Other programs$425,0001.8%

Teacher salaries per student, fiscal years 2018-19 to 2022-23

The district's teacher salary bill divided by its fall enrollment each year: $7,641 in 2018-19, $7,765 in 2019-20, $8,961 in 2020-21, $10,027 in 2021-22, $10,444 in 2022-23.

Carmel Unified teacher salaries per student by fiscal year2018-19: $7,641, 2019-20: $7,765, 2020-21: $8,961, 2021-22: $10,027, 2022-23: $10,44405k10k15k2018-19$7,6412019-20$7,7652020-21$8,9612021-22$10,0272022-23$10,444
Carmel Unified teacher salaries per student by fiscal year2018-19: $7,641, 2019-20: $7,765, 2020-21: $8,961, 2021-22: $10,027, 2022-23: $10,44405k10k15k2018-19$7,6412019-20$7,7652020-21$8,9612021-22$10,0272022-23$10,444
Carmel Unified teacher salaries per student by fiscal year2018-19: $7,641, 2019-20: $7,765, 2020-21: $8,961, 2021-22: $10,027, 2022-23: $10,44405k10k15k2018-19$7,6412019-20$7,7652020-21$8,9612021-22$10,0272022-23$10,444
Carmel Unified teacher salaries per student by fiscal year2018-19: $7,641, 2019-20: $7,765, 2020-21: $8,961, 2021-22: $10,027, 2022-23: $10,44405k10k15k2018-19$7,6412019-20$7,7652020-21$8,9612021-22$10,0272022-23$10,444

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).

State test results, 2021-22

In 2021-22, the students tested in Carmel Unified scored proficient or above: 75-79% in reading and 65-69% in math, against 45% in reading and 34% in math across California. Each state writes its own test and sets its own proficiency bar, so compare these within California, not across states. Where a state published results by grade only, the grades tested are combined, weighted by the students tested in each.

Students proficient or above, 2021-22
SubjectThis districtCaliforniaStudents tested
Reading and language arts75-79%45%954
Math65-69%34%947

Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts state assessment results 2021-22, all students, from ED Data Express (the Data Rescue Project archive; ED has no 2022-23 result for this district): ED shows district results as ranges (for example 20-24%) to protect small groups.

Graduation rate, class of 2023

98% of the 235 students in Carmel Unified'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.

Four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rate, class of 2023
This districtCalifornia
Four-year graduation rate98%86.2%
Students in the class235495,492

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.

4 elementary schools, 921 students

SchoolStudentsPer teacherFree lunchTitle I, 2021‑22
Tularcitos Elementary44721.321.5%Not reported
Carmel River Elementary40021.113.0%Not reported
Captain Cooper Elementary479.427.7%Not reported
Carmel Child Development Center2727.018.5%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.

1 middle school, 468 students

SchoolStudentsPer teacherFree lunchTitle I, 2021‑22
Carmel Middle46813.113.9%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.

2 high schools, 790 students

SchoolStudentsPer teacherFree lunchTitle I, 2021‑22
Carmel High78014.413.6%Not reported
Carmel Valley High103.640.0%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.

One more school on file: small, closed or in an earlier directory

These records carry fewer federal fields than a full school page needs, so each is summarized here with what NCES reports.

Carmel Child Development Center

Elementary school in Carmel; open in 2024-25; 27 students; 27.0 students per teacher.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 and earlier directories: the last year each school was listed, its students and its teachers.

Contact Carmel Unified

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 Carmel Unified

  1. California districts by spending per studentCarmel Unified ranks 5 of 646 California districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022 on current spending per student in fiscal year 2022-23 ($33,741).#5 of 646
  2. Every school district in CaliforniaCarmel Unified is the number 455 by size of 1,991 California districts, with 2,274 students in fall 2022 (F-33).#455 of 1,991
  3. Linden UnifiedThe next larger California district: 2,277 students in fall 2022, $17,141 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$17,141
  4. Orland Unified School DistrictThe next smaller California district: 2,262 students in fall 2022, $14,982 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$14,982
  5. Compare Carmel Unified with Linden UnifiedEnrollment, spending, revenue sources and schools, side by side.
  6. Carmel High, its largest high school780 students in 2024-25, 14.4 per teacher.780
  7. Teacher salary spending across CaliforniaCarmel Unified spent $171,535 in salaries per full-time teacher in fiscal year 2022-23 (state median $99,744); spending, not a salary.$171,535
  8. 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 Carmel Unified

  1. How many schools and students are in Carmel Unified?
    7 schools were open in 2024-25 (4 elementary, 1 middle, 2 high), enrolling 2,179 students, according to the NCES Common Core of Data.
  2. How much does Carmel Unified spend per student?
    $33,741 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 $37,134 per student, up 10.0% on the year before (U.S. $17,619 that year).
  3. Where does Carmel Unified's money come from?
    $85,725,000 in revenue in fiscal year 2022-23: 13.6% state, 83.3% local and 3.1% federal (NCES F-33).
  4. How many children in Carmel Unified live in poverty?
    The Census Bureau estimates that 146 of the 2,928 children aged 5 to 17 living within the district's boundaries in 2024, 5.0%, 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.
  5. How much does Carmel Unified spend on teacher salaries?
    $23,749,000 in fiscal year 2022-23 (NCES F-33), or $10,444 per student. Divided by the 138 full-time teachers in the NCES Common Core of Data for 2022-23 that is $171,535 per teacher, more than 99 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).
  6. How do students in Carmel Unified do on state tests?
    In 2021-22, the students tested in Carmel Unified scored proficient or above: 75-79% in reading and 65-69% in math, against 45% in reading and 34% in math across California. California's own test sets what proficient means, so results compare within the state, not across states. Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts state assessment results, 2021-22.
  7. What is the graduation rate in Carmel Unified?
    98% of the 235 students in Carmel Unified'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.
  8. What is Carmel Unified's NCES district ID?
    0607530. 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
  • EDFacts state assessment results, 2021-22: reading and math proficiency 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

Compiled from official source data by .