State profile · CA

California Public Schools

Every public school, district, and the headline NCES measures for California — 1,986 districts, drawn straight from federal records.

10,006
Schools
5,787,663
Students
21.6:1
Avg ratio
55.5%
Free lunch

The state in one line

California runs 10,006 public schools across 1,986 districts, with a 21.6:1 average classroom and 55.5% of students on subsidized lunch.

10,006
public schools
1,986
school districts
21.6:1
avg student–teacher
55.5%
free/reduced lunch

What the NCES Data Says About California Schools

California operates 10,006 public K-12 schools organised into 1,986 independent school districts serving 5,787,663 students, per the National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data 2024-25. The largest district, Los Angeles Unified, enrolls 427,795 pupils across 785 schools at $21,940 per student, while smaller rural districts can run fewer than a dozen campuses. This fragmentation — inherited from century-old township governance patterns in many states — is why per-pupil spending, class sizes, and programme availability vary dramatically inside a single state boundary.

Statewide, the average student-teacher ratio is 21.6:1, a useful benchmark for comparing any individual district or school on PlainSchools. Free-lunch eligibility averages 55.5% across California public schools, a federal indicator of economic need that drives Title I funding allocations. The district table below is sortable by enrollment, school count, and per-pupil expenditure — the three fields that best predict a district's financial and demographic profile. For schools specifically, use the rankings links above to view per-category leaderboards covering spending, class size, best schools by composite quality score, chronic absenteeism, and funding-equity distribution within the state.

Every district figure here pulls from two distinct federal surveys: enrollment and demographic data come from the NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (school membership and directory), while per-pupil spending, teacher salaries, and federal/state/local revenue shares originate in the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey (typically FY 2021-22). Civil-rights indicators — gifted enrollment, AP course counts, counselor staffing, chronic absenteeism, in- and out-of-school suspensions — come from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Cross-referencing these three sources is what lets PlainSchools produce composite scores and equity rankings that single-source tools cannot.

California's average class size vs. every US state

Average students per teacher, state by state (lower means smaller classes)

22 smaller classes than 4% of 51 US states

11–12: 7 US states (14%). Below this entry. 12–13: 4 US states (8%). Below this entry. 13–14: 8 US states (16%). Below this entry. 14–15: 10 US states (20%). Below this entry. 15–16: 5 US states (10%). Below this entry. 16–17: 4 US states (8%). Below this entry. 17–18: 4 US states (8%). Below this entry. 18–19: 5 US states (10%). Below this entry. 20–21: 1 US states (2%). Below this entry. 21–22: 1 US states (2%). This entry sits in this band. 22–23: 1 US states (2%). Above this entry. 23–24: 1 US states (2%). Above this entry. This state 11 24 every US state, by average class size, bucketed by value

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US states. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source U.S. Department of Education — NCES Common Core of Data · 2024-25

Or browse all California schools

Federal data — no proprietary formula. PlainSchools publishes the actual federal survey data — enrollment, staffing, finance, and demographics from NCES — without a composite rating on top. The insights below are computed directly from those datasets; every number traces to a cited source.

California per-pupil spending varies 14.9× across districts

Per-pupil spending in California ranges from $6,648 (lowest district) to $98,890 (highest), a spread of $92,242. That ratio is among the widest in the country and predicts large gaps in class size, programme availability, and counselor:student ratios that compound across a 12-year K-12 career. High-spending districts typically draw on higher property tax bases, a structural feature of state education finance under the federal Title I framework that sets the floor but not the ceiling.

Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey Local Education Agency Finance Survey (F-33) · FY 2021-22

California has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 55.5% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch

Free-lunch eligibility is the federal threshold for Title I funding allocations under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA, 2015), which replaced No Child Left Behind in defining how the federal government distributes K-12 supplemental funding. Districts above 75% eligibility receive concentration grants on top of the basic Title I formula. States with majority eligibility typically draw a substantially larger federal funding share relative to their local property tax base, which can either offset spending gaps or reinforce them depending on state allocation policy.

Source: ESSA Title I Part A; ED EDFacts file system Free and Reduced-Price Lunch Eligibility · 2024-25

California operates 1,986 school districts — among the most fragmented K-12 governance structures in the country

Each district has independent budgeting, hiring, and curriculum authority. The fragmentation predates modern county-level consolidation efforts and reflects 19th-century township governance patterns — a feature of states that organised public schooling around small civic units rather than centralised state systems. Per-pupil spending and accountability variations are largest in fragmented states because each district sets its own tax rate, contracts, and programme mix without state-level coordination above the regulatory floor.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data Local Education Agency Universe · 2024-25

Average California student-teacher ratio is 21.6:1 — high (typically associated with larger urban systems or staffing constraints)

Student-teacher ratio is the simplest staffing metric reported on NCES Common Core of Data, but it does not capture push-in specialists, intervention staff, English Language Learner aides, special education co-teachers, or counseling and support staff. Higher ratios in this state may reflect urban district scale where one school enrolls thousands of students, or recent staffing shortages that have widened the headcount gap. Class-load comparisons are most meaningful at the district or school level, not the state aggregate.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data — Public School Universe School-level enrollment and staffing · 2024-25

School Spending

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Schools ranked by per-pupil expenditure

District Spending

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Districts ranked by per-pupil expenditure

Largest Schools

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Schools ranked by student enrollment

Funding Equity

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Districts ranked by funding equity score

Best Student-Teacher Ratios

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Schools with the smallest class sizes

Best Schools

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Top-rated schools by quality score

Best Districts

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Top-ranked districts by quality score

Chronic Absenteeism

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Schools ranked by absenteeism rates

Affordable Districts

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Quality schools in affordable areas

Largest districts in California

By total K-12 enrollment — NCES Common Core 2024-25

Top district = 7% of enrollment
Los Angeles Unified427,795San Diego Unified93,893Fresno Unified69,668Long Beach Unified65,554Elk Grove Unified62,061Corona-Norco Unified50,790San Francisco Unified48,785San Bernardino City Unified45,971Kern High43,020Clovis Unified42,802
# District Enrollment
1 Los Angeles Unified Los Angeles 427,795
2 San Diego Unified San Diego 93,893
3 Fresno Unified Fresno 69,668
4 Long Beach Unified Long Beach 65,554
5 Elk Grove Unified Elk Grove 62,061
6 Corona-Norco Unified Norco 50,790
7 San Francisco Unified San Francisco 48,785
8 San Bernardino City Unified San Bernardino 45,971
9 Kern High Bakersfield 43,020
10 Clovis Unified Clovis 42,802
11 Capistrano Unified San Juan Capistrano 41,855
12 Santa Ana Unified Santa Ana 39,935
13 Riverside Unified Riverside 39,425
14 Sacramento City Unified Sacramento 38,821
15 Garden Grove Unified Garden Grove 38,164
16 San Juan Unified Carmichael 38,119
17 Irvine Unified Irvine 36,542
18 Sweetwater Union High Chula Vista 36,109
19 Stockton Unified Stockton 35,424
20 Poway Unified San Diego 34,900
21 Oakland Unified Oakland 34,149
22 Fontana Unified Fontana 33,910
23 Fremont Unified Fremont 33,107
24 Moreno Valley Unified Moreno Valley 31,653
25 San Ramon Valley Unified Danville 29,680
26 Mt. Diablo Unified Concord 29,201
27 Visalia Unified Visalia 28,893
28 Bakersfield City Bakersfield 28,835
29 Anaheim Union High Anaheim 27,748
30 Lodi Unified Lodi 27,323
31 Temecula Valley Unified Temecula 26,538
32 Desert Sands Unified La Quinta 26,379
33 West Contra Costa Unified Richmond 25,737
34 Chino Valley Unified Chino 25,645
35 San Jose Unified San Jose 25,451
36 Orange Unified Orange 24,764
37 Manteca Unified Manteca 24,667
38 Glendale Unified Glendale 24,456
39 Rialto Unified Rialto 24,132
40 Twin Rivers Unified Mcclellan 24,106
41 Saddleback Valley Unified Mission Viejo 23,711
42 Chaffey Joint Union High Ontario 23,145
43 Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified Placentia 23,138
44 Hesperia Unified Hesperia 22,962
45 Hemet Unified Hemet 22,372
46 Murrieta Valley Unified Murrieta 22,365
47 Downey Unified Downey 22,359
48 Chula Vista Elementary Chula Vista 22,226
49 Antelope Valley Union High Lancaster 22,035
50 Tustin Unified Tustin 21,830
51 Torrance Unified Torrance 21,776
52 Pomona Unified Pomona 21,391
53 East Side Union High San Jose 21,148
54 Palm Springs Unified Palm Springs 21,032
55 William S. Hart Union High Santa Clarita 21,011
56 Lake Elsinore Unified Lake Elsinore 20,815
57 Fairfield-Suisun Unified Fairfield 20,559
58 Folsom-Cordova Unified Rancho Cordova 20,550
59 Montebello Unified Montebello 20,446
60 Madera Unified Madera 20,151
61 Redlands Unified Redlands 19,773
62 San Marcos Unified San Marcos 19,532
63 Val Verde Unified Perris 19,379
64 Colton Joint Unified Colton 19,297
65 Panama-Buena Vista Union Bakersfield 19,107
66 Vista Unified Vista 18,818
67 Ontario-Montclair Ontario 18,471
68 Jurupa Unified Jurupa Valley 18,370
69 Abc Unified Cerritos 18,354
70 Hayward Unified Hayward 17,993
71 Newport-Mesa Unified Costa Mesa 17,816
72 Palmdale Elementary Palmdale 17,788
73 Pajaro Valley Unified Watsonville 17,452
74 Compton Unified Compton 17,437
75 Alvord Unified Corona 17,106
76 Oxnard Union High Oxnard 16,938
77 Grossmont Union High El Cajon 16,738
78 Santa Maria-Bonita Santa Maria 16,703
79 Coachella Valley Unified Thermal 16,455
80 Conejo Valley Unified Thousand Oaks 16,347
81 Salinas Union High Salinas 16,337
82 Hacienda La Puente Unified City of Industry 16,206
83 Napa Valley Unified Napa 16,174
84 Simi Valley Unified Simi Valley 15,899
85 Oceanside Unified Oceanside 15,855
86 Central Unified Fresno 15,742
87 Modesto City High Modesto 15,579
88 Norwalk-La Mirada Unified Norwalk 15,406
89 Cajon Valley Union El Cajon 15,337
90 Antioch Unified Antioch 15,192
91 Ventura Unified Ventura 14,980
92 Alhambra Unified Alhambra 14,922
93 Anaheim Elementary Anaheim 14,618
94 Natomas Unified Sacramento 14,552
95 Huntington Beach Union High Huntington Beach 14,522
96 Burbank Unified Burbank 14,432
97 Escondido Union Escondido 14,322
98 Porterville Unified Porterville 14,208
99 Oxnard Oxnard 14,171
100 Pasadena Unified Pasadena 14,152

Showing top 100 of 1986 districts by enrollment.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data As of 2024-25 Local Education Agency Universe Federal universe survey of all U.S. school districts

Largest Schools in California

Highlands Community Charter
Sacramento — other
11,713
students
River Springs Charter
Temecula — other
7,703
students
Blue Ridge Academy
Maricopa — other
7,657
students
Visions in Education
Carmichael — other
7,460
students
Pacific Coast Academy
Poway — other
6,760
students
Mission Vista Academy
Beaumont — other
6,724
students
Heartland Charter
Maricopa — other
5,970
students
Granada Hills Charter
Granada Hills — other
5,927
students
Cabrillo Point Academy
Poway — other
5,706
students
California Virtual Academy @ Los Angeles
Simi Valley — other
5,705
students

Other States

Alaska
AK public schools
Arizona
AZ public schools
Arkansas
AR public schools
Colorado
CO public schools
Connecticut
CT public schools
Delaware
DE public schools

Side-by-side: Compare Los Angeles Unified vs San Diego Unified → · Compare any two districts

Data sourced from NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25, NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, and Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) 2021-22.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many public schools are in California?

California has 10,006 public schools across 1986 school districts, serving 5,787,663 students.

What is the average student-teacher ratio in California?

The average student-teacher ratio in California public schools is 21.6:1. This varies by district — use the district table below to compare.

What percentage of California students qualify for free lunch?

55.5% of students in California qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, an indicator of economic need used for Title I funding.

What is the largest school district in California?

The largest school district in California is Los Angeles Unified with 427,795 students across 785 schools.

Why does per-pupil spending vary so much across California districts?

California districts spend between $6,648 and $98,890 per pupil — a 14.9× range. Most U.S. states fund schools through a mix of state aid (typically 40-60%), local property tax (30-50%), and federal Title I (5-15%). Districts in higher property-value areas raise more per pupil from local taxes, while state aid is intended to partially equalise but rarely closes the full gap. The federal F-33 finance survey reports actual current expenditures including instructional and support services.

Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Top schools in California by enrollment

Largest K-12 public schools by total students enrolled

students

What this shows The largest public schools in California by enrollment — often statewide virtual academies or large consolidated campuses, so size here reflects reach, not quality.

Source NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) As of 2024-25

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Common Core of Data (CCD) — Public school universe · 2023-2024 Public K-12 school enrollment, demographics, and operational data; collected annually by NCES from state education agencies.