Public schools in California

The NCES directory lists 10,303 public schools operating in California in 2024-25; 9,918 of them reported 5,770,993 students, averaging 20.9 students per teacher, the 1st highest of the 50 jurisdictions (states and D.C.) that reported 2024-25 teacher counts (the mean of its schools' ratios); Tennessee did not. Its largest district is Los Angeles Unified School District, with 406,717 students in 2024-25.

NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 · NCES F-33 fiscal year 2022-23 · method

Schools9,9185,904 elementary, 1,363 middle, 2,112 high, 539 other
Students5,770,99311.9% of U.S. public-school students
Students per teacher20.9U.S. 15.3

California has more students per teacher than the U.S. average

California ranks 1st of the 50 jurisdictions (states and D.C.) that reported 2024-25 teacher counts, counting from the most students per teacher; below, it is shown with the states ranked just above and below it. The full ranking of all 51 is on the states page.

  1. California20.9
  2. Utah20.6
  3. Nevada19.2
  4. Florida17.9
  5. Washington17.8
  6. Arizona17.5
  7. Ohio17.4

Eight in ten larger California districts spent between $13,605 and $21,310 per student

Among the 646 California districts with at least 1,000 students, one in ten spent less than $13,605 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23 and one in ten spent more than $21,310; the median was $16,855. Each tick below is one district: the spread shows how far apart the state's districts are, which a statewide average hides.

Current spending per student, California districts with 1,000 or more students, fiscal year 2022-23646 values from $11,083 to $65,270; ; state median $16,855.$13,605$21,310the middle eight in ten2 more above $40,000 →← 1 below $10,000$10k$20k$30k$40kcurrent spending per studentstate median $16,855
Current spending per student, California districts with 1,000 or more students, fiscal year 2022-23646 values from $11,083 to $65,270; ; state median $16,855.$13,605$21,310the middle eight in ten2 more above $40,000 →← 1 below $10,000$10k$20k$30k$40kcurrent spending per studentstate median $16,855
Current spending per student, California districts with 1,000 or more students, fiscal year 2022-23646 values from $11,083 to $65,270; ; state median $16,855.$13,605$21,310the middle eight in ten2 more above $40,000 →← 1 below $10,000$10k$20k$30k$40kcurrent spending per studentstate median $16,855
Current spending per student, California districts with 1,000 or more students, fiscal year 2022-23646 values from $11,083 to $65,270; ; state median $16,855.$13,605$21,310the middle eight in ten2 more above $40,000 →← 1 below $10,000$10k$20k$30k$40kcurrent spending per studentstate median $16,855

Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25: mean of school ratios from 3 to 99, schools open that year; NCES F-33 fiscal year 2022-23: current expenditures over fall membership, districts with at least 1,000 students.

State test results, 2022-23

In 2022-23, 46.3% of the California students tested met the state's reading standard and 34.3% its math standard. California writes its own tests and sets its own standard, so these compare California's districts and schools with each other, not with other states; each district and school page gives its own results beside these. Its four-year graduation rate for the class of 2023 was 86.2% of 495,492 students.

Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts state assessment results 2022-23 and four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rates 2022-23, all students.

In the California almanac

  1. 01Every school district

    Directory, 2024-25

  2. 02Largest schools

    Largest: Highlands Community Charter, 11,713 students (By 2024-25 enrollment)

  3. 03Fewest students per teacher

    Fewest: Sage Oak Charter School- Keppel, 3.8 students per teacher (Schools, 2024-25)

  4. 04Highest-spending districts

    Highest: Desert Sands Charter District, $43,030 per student (F-33 fiscal year 2022-23)

  5. 05Teacher salary spending by district

    Highest: Las Lomitas Elementary, $176,980 of salary spending per teacher (F-33 fiscal year 2022-23)

  6. 06Chronic absenteeism

    Lowest: Heartland Charter, 0% chronically absent (EDFacts 2022-23)

  7. 07Schools by resource index

    Highest index: Tomales High, 65 of 100 (CCD and CRDC)

  8. 08Districts by resource index

    Highest index: Hillsborough City Elementary, 56.3 of 100 on average (CCD and CRDC)

Largest districts in California

  1. Los Angeles Unified School District406,717
  2. San Diego Unified94,971
  3. Fresno Unified67,873
  4. Elk Grove Unified63,232
  5. Long Beach Unified62,255
  6. Corona-Norco Unified49,464
  7. San Francisco Unified48,706
  8. San Bernardino City Unified44,088

Every California school district, with a find box →

Source: Largest districts: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25, students in the district's schools open that year.

Cities with the most public schools

  1. Los Angeles253,555 students564 schools
  2. San Diego163,135 students283 schools
  3. San Jose126,311 students232 schools
  4. Sacramento131,725 students197 schools
  5. Fresno119,247 students179 schools
  6. Bakersfield122,496 students146 schools
  7. San Francisco56,304 students123 schools
  8. Stockton74,245 students122 schools
  9. Oakland47,610 students116 schools
  10. Santa Ana53,211 students79 schools
  11. San Bernardino47,647 students79 schools
  12. Riverside56,725 students77 schools

All cities →

Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25: a school counts under the city in its mailing address, so a large city's count takes in suburbs that share its postal name.

Questions about California's public schools

  1. How many public schools are in California?
    The NCES directory lists 10,303 operating in 2024-25; 9,918 of them reported students: 5,904 elementary, 1,363 middle, 2,112 high and 539 other, enrolling 5,770,993 students (NCES Common Core of Data).
  2. What is the average student-teacher ratio in California?
    20.9 students per full-time teacher in 2024-25, against 15.3 for the U.S.; the mean of school ratios for schools open that year.
  3. What is the largest school district in California?
    Los Angeles Unified School District, with 406,717 students in its schools in 2024-25 (NCES Common Core of Data).
  4. How much does California spend per public-school student?
    $18,505 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23, summed over its districts (NCES F-33).

Sources

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School directory, membership and staff files · 2024-25

Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District membership and spending · FY 2022-23

Compiled from official source data by .