Monterey Peninsula Unified

Public school district · Monterey County · California · NCES district ID 0625530

Monterey Peninsula Unified spent $17,464 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23, more than 57% of the other California districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022 (median $16,855). Its 18 schools enrolled 9,308 students in 2024-25; 47.0% of its revenue came from the state. Census Bureau figures for 2023-24 put it at $20,712 per student, up 18.6% on the year before (U.S. $17,619 that year). Its four-year graduation rate for the class of 2023 was 94% (California: 86.2%).

Spending per student among California districts of similar size

Current spending per student excludes construction and debt. The 9 districts closest to Monterey Peninsula Unified in enrollment (9,061 to 9,531 students) and Monterey Peninsula Unified itself.

Current spending per student, California districts closest in size to Monterey Peninsula Unified, FY23Berkeley Public Schools $22,710; Monterey Peninsula Unified $17,464; Santa Maria Joint Union High $17,168; Greenfield Union $16,792; Woodland Unified $16,077; Lompoc Unified $16,048; Tulare City $15,574; Brentwood Union Elementary $14,714; Castro Valley Unified $14,601; Saugus Union $14,043; State median, 1,000+ students $16,855.10k15k20k25kBerkeley Public Schools$22,710Monterey Peninsula Unified$17,464Santa Maria Joint Union High$17,168Greenfield Union$16,792Woodland Unified$16,077Lompoc Unified$16,048Tulare City$15,574Brentwood Union Elementary$14,714Castro Valley Unified$14,601Saugus Union$14,043State median, 1,000+ students $16,855
Current spending per student, California districts closest in size to Monterey Peninsula Unified, FY23Berkeley Public Schools $22,710; Monterey Peninsula Unified $17,464; Santa Maria Joint Union High $17,168; Greenfield Union $16,792; Woodland Unified $16,077; Lompoc Unified $16,048; Tulare City $15,574; Brentwood Union Elementary $14,714; Castro Valley Unified $14,601; Saugus Union $14,043; State median, 1,000+ students $16,855.10k15k20k25kBerkeley Public Schools$22,710Monterey Peninsula Unified$17,464Santa Maria Joint Union High$17,168Greenfield Union$16,792Woodland Unified$16,077Lompoc Unified$16,048Tulare City$15,574Brentwood Union Elementary$14,714Castro Valley Unified$14,601Saugus Union$14,043State median, 1,000+ students $16,855
Current spending per student, California districts closest in size to Monterey Peninsula Unified, FY23Berkeley Public Schools $22,710; Monterey Peninsula Unified $17,464; Santa Maria Joint Union High $17,168; Greenfield Union $16,792; Woodland Unified $16,077; Lompoc Unified $16,048; Tulare City $15,574; Brentwood Union Elementary $14,714; Castro Valley Unified $14,601; Saugus Union $14,043; State median, 1,000+ students $16,855.10k15k20k25kBerkeley Public Schools$22,710Monterey Peninsula Unified$17,464Santa Maria Joint Union High$17,168Greenfield Union$16,792Woodland Unified$16,077Lompoc Unified$16,048Tulare City$15,574Brentwood Union Elementary$14,714Castro Valley Unified$14,601Saugus Union$14,043State median, 1,000+ students $16,855
Current spending per student, California districts closest in size to Monterey Peninsula Unified, FY23Berkeley Public Schools $22,710; Monterey Peninsula Unified $17,464; Santa Maria Joint Union High $17,168; Greenfield Union $16,792; Woodland Unified $16,077; Lompoc Unified $16,048; Tulare City $15,574; Brentwood Union Elementary $14,714; Castro Valley Unified $14,601; Saugus Union $14,043; State median, 1,000+ students $16,855.10k15k20k25kBerkeley Public Schools$22,710Monterey Peninsula Unified$17,464Santa Maria Joint Union High$17,168Greenfield Union$16,792Woodland Unified$16,077Lompoc Unified$16,048Tulare City$15,574Brentwood Union Elementary$14,714Castro Valley Unified$14,601Saugus Union$14,043State median, 1,000+ students $16,855

Where the money came from

$220,236,000 in revenue: 47.0% state, 42.6% local and 10.4% federal. Total spending including $33,228,000 of capital outlay was $206,418,000, or $22,299 per student; the figure above leaves capital out.

Monterey Peninsula Unified revenue by source, fiscal year 2022-23State $103,565,000; Local $93,774,000; Federal $22,897,000; total $220,236,000.
  • State$103,565,000 47%
  • Local$93,774,000 43%
  • Federal$22,897,000 10%

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 held steady from 2022-23 to 2024-25

9,227 students in 2022-23, 9,207 students in 2023-24, 9,308 students in 2024-25, counted across the schools that reported each year.

Monterey Peninsula Unified enrollment by school year2022-23: 9,227, 2023-24: 9,207, 2024-25: 9,30802.5k5k7.5k10k2022-239,2272023-249,2072024-259,308
Monterey Peninsula Unified enrollment by school year2022-23: 9,227, 2023-24: 9,207, 2024-25: 9,30802.5k5k7.5k10k2022-239,2272023-249,2072024-259,308
Monterey Peninsula Unified enrollment by school year2022-23: 9,227, 2023-24: 9,207, 2024-25: 9,30802.5k5k7.5k10k2022-239,2272023-249,2072024-259,308
Monterey Peninsula Unified enrollment by school year2022-23: 9,227, 2023-24: 9,207, 2024-25: 9,30802.5k5k7.5k10k2022-239,2272023-249,2072024-259,308

Teachers and students per teacher

School yearStudentsTeachers (FTE)Per teacher
2022-239,227466.419.8
2023-249,207467.819.7
2024-259,308446.620.8

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

$47,316,000 in teacher salaries in fiscal year 2022-23, $5,111 per student

Monterey Peninsula Unified booked $47,316,000 of teacher salaries in its 2022-23 finance report and counted 469 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 $100,898 of salary spending per teacher. That is more than 51 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$35,066,00074.1%
Special education$8,706,00018.4%
Vocational$1,389,0002.9%
Other programs$2,155,0004.6%

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

The district's teacher salary bill divided by its fall enrollment each year: $3,773 in 2018-19, $4,019 in 2019-20, $4,288 in 2020-21, $4,779 in 2021-22, $5,111 in 2022-23.

Monterey Peninsula Unified teacher salaries per student by fiscal year2018-19: $3,773, 2019-20: $4,019, 2020-21: $4,288, 2021-22: $4,779, 2022-23: $5,11102k4k6k2018-19$3,7732019-20$4,0192020-21$4,2882021-22$4,7792022-23$5,111
Monterey Peninsula Unified teacher salaries per student by fiscal year2018-19: $3,773, 2019-20: $4,019, 2020-21: $4,288, 2021-22: $4,779, 2022-23: $5,11102k4k6k2018-19$3,7732019-20$4,0192020-21$4,2882021-22$4,7792022-23$5,111
Monterey Peninsula Unified teacher salaries per student by fiscal year2018-19: $3,773, 2019-20: $4,019, 2020-21: $4,288, 2021-22: $4,779, 2022-23: $5,11102k4k6k2018-19$3,7732019-20$4,0192020-21$4,2882021-22$4,7792022-23$5,111
Monterey Peninsula Unified teacher salaries per student by fiscal year2018-19: $3,773, 2019-20: $4,019, 2020-21: $4,288, 2021-22: $4,779, 2022-23: $5,11102k4k6k2018-19$3,7732019-20$4,0192020-21$4,2882021-22$4,7792022-23$5,111

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 Monterey Peninsula Unified scored proficient or above: 35% in reading and 21% 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 arts35%45%3,809
Math21%34%3,822

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

94% of the 808 students in Monterey Peninsula 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 rate94%86.2%
Students in the class808495,492

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.

10 elementary schools, 5,075 students

SchoolStudentsPer teacherFree lunchTitle I, 2021‑22
La Mesa68923.440.8%Not reported
Monte Vista68823.741.9%Not reported
J. C. Crumpton Elementary56221.455.5%Not reported
Martin Luther King54820.185.0%Not reported
George C. Marshall Elementary51622.247.1%Not reported
Marina Vista Elementary46621.778.5%Not reported
Dual Language Academy of the Monterey Peninsula41022.873.2%Not reported
Ione Olson Elementary40919.965.3%Not reported
Ord Terrace Elementary39719.887.4%Not reported
Del Rey Woods Elementary39019.284.4%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.

3 middle schools, 932 students

SchoolStudentsPer teacherFree lunchTitle I, 2021‑22
Seaside Middle52119.578.3%Not reported
Los Arboles Middle40817.969.1%Not reported
Monterey Peninsula UNF SCH DIST COM Day MID312.0not reportedNot 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.

5 high schools, 3,301 students

SchoolStudentsPer teacherFree lunchTitle I, 2021‑22
Monterey High1,40122.953.5%Not reported
Seaside High1,07320.379.8%Not reported
Marina High72120.973.9%Not reported
Central Coast High1038.886.4%Not reported
Monterey Peninsula Unified School District Community Day33.1not reportedNot 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.

3 more schools 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.

Walter Colton

Middle school in Monterey; 129 students; 14.1 students per teacher.

Monterey Peninsula UNF SCH DIST COM Day MID

Middle school in Seaside; open in 2024-25; 3 students; 12.0 students per teacher.

Monterey Peninsula Unified School District Community Day

High school in Seaside; open in 2024-25; 3 students; 3.1 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 Monterey Peninsula 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 Monterey Peninsula Unified

  1. California districts by spending per studentMonterey Peninsula Unified ranks 281 of 646 California districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022 on current spending per student in fiscal year 2022-23 ($17,464).#281 of 646
  2. Every school district in CaliforniaMonterey Peninsula Unified is the number 164 by size of 1,991 California districts, with 9,257 students in fall 2022 (F-33).#164 of 1,991
  3. Brentwood Union ElementaryThe next larger California district: 9,435 students in fall 2022, $14,714 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$14,714
  4. Santa Maria Joint Union HighThe next smaller California district: 9,251 students in fall 2022, $17,168 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$17,168
  5. Compare Monterey Peninsula Unified with Brentwood Union ElementaryEnrollment, spending, revenue sources and schools, side by side.
  6. Monterey High, its largest high school1,401 students in 2024-25, 22.9 per teacher.1,401
  7. Teacher salary spending across CaliforniaMonterey Peninsula Unified spent $100,898 in salaries per full-time teacher in fiscal year 2022-23 (state median $99,744); spending, not a salary.$100,898
  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 Monterey Peninsula Unified

  1. How many schools and students are in Monterey Peninsula Unified?
    18 schools were open in 2024-25 (10 elementary, 3 middle, 5 high), enrolling 9,308 students, according to the NCES Common Core of Data.
  2. How much does Monterey Peninsula Unified spend per student?
    $17,464 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 $20,712 per student, up 18.6% on the year before (U.S. $17,619 that year).
  3. Where does Monterey Peninsula Unified's money come from?
    $220,236,000 in revenue in fiscal year 2022-23: 47.0% state, 42.6% local and 10.4% federal (NCES F-33).
  4. How many children in Monterey Peninsula Unified live in poverty?
    The Census Bureau estimates that 1,363 of the 13,417 children aged 5 to 17 living within the district's boundaries in 2024, 10.2%, 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 Monterey Peninsula Unified spend on teacher salaries?
    $47,316,000 in fiscal year 2022-23 (NCES F-33), or $5,111 per student. Divided by the 469 full-time teachers in the NCES Common Core of Data for 2022-23 that is $100,898 per teacher, more than 51 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 Monterey Peninsula Unified do on state tests?
    In 2021-22, the students tested in Monterey Peninsula Unified scored proficient or above: 35% in reading and 21% 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 Monterey Peninsula Unified?
    94% of the 808 students in Monterey Peninsula 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 Monterey Peninsula Unified's NCES district ID?
    0625530. 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