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California
Public School Ratings






California Public Schools

Source & Methodology

Analytics built by:   Location, Inc.

Raw data sources:
  • Test Scores: Edfacts (U.S. Department of Education), State departments of education.
  • Expenditures: National Center for Education Statistics.
  • Educational Environment: American Community Survey (U.S. Census Bureau).
Date(s) & Update Frequency:
  • Test data: Reflects 2023 – 2024 school year.
  • Expenditures: 2022
  • Educational Environment: 2023 (latest available). Updated annually.
  • All data updated June 2025

Methodology:   Only NeighborhoodScout gives you nationally comparable school ranks based on test scores, so you can directly compare the quality of schools in any location. Read more about Scout's School Data

Overview

Public Schools Overview California School Districts by City
Number Of Students 5,838,409
Number Of California Schools 10,402
Number Of California School Districts 2,170
Spending Per Student $20,319

State Test Scores

Reading/English Language Arts Tests

60 50 40 30 20 10 0
43%
44%
47%
46%
47%
46%
11%
55%
    3rd Grade
    4th Grade
    5th Grade
    6th Grade
    7th Grade
    8th Grade
    10th Grade
    11th Grade
Reading Proficiency

Math Test

50 40 30 20 10 0
46%
41%
35%
34%
34%
32%
2%
28%
    3rd Grade
    4th Grade
    5th Grade
    6th Grade
    7th Grade
    8th Grade
    10th Grade
    11th Grade
Math Proficiency

School enrollment by group

Ethnic/Racial Groups This State Nation
White (non-hispanic) 22.0% 46.7%
Black 5.2% 15.8%
Hispanic 58.8% 30.1%
Asian Or Pacific Islander 13.1% 6.0%
American Indian Or Native Of Alaska 0.9% 1.4%
Special Needs Groups This State Nation
Economically Disadvantaged 61.5% 51.9%
English Language Learners 20.4% 10.0%
Students With Disabilities 12.9% 14.9%

Class Size (number of students per classroom teacher)

25 20 15 10 5 0
22.0
15.9
    AVG FOR STATE
    AVG FOR NATION

California Education Environment

Population State Nation
Population 38,965,193 334,914,895
Population Density (per sq. mile) 247 93
Population distribution by age STATE NATION
4 Years Old And Below 5.6% 5.7%
5-19 Years Old 19.2% 19.1%
20-44 Years Old 35.1% 33.3%
45-64 Years Old 24.8% 25.1%
65 Or Older 15.3% 16.8%
HOUSEHOLD CHARACTERISTICS STATE NATION
Number Of Households 13,434,847 120,745,577
Single Parent Households With Children 8.2% 8.3%
Adults With At Least A High School Diploma 84.6% 89.4%
Adults With At Least A Bachelor's Degree 36.5% 34.9%
HOUSEHOLD INCOME DISTRIBUTION STATE NATION
$150,000 or more 30.6% 22.0%
$100,000 - $149,999 17.9% 17.4%
$75,000 - $99,999 11.8% 12.7%
$50,000 - $74,999 13.3% 15.7%
$30,000 - $49,999 11.1% 13.8%
$15,000 - $29,999 8.0% 10.0%
$15,000 or less 7.4% 8.4%

Education Expenditures

For the State Per Student Total % of Total
Instructional Expenditures $9,792 $57,171,955,000 48.2%
Support Expenditures
Student $1,305 $7,621,589,000 6.4%
Staff $1,038 $6,060,606,000 5.1%
General Administration $268 $1,564,258,000 1.3%
School Administration $1,087 $6,348,022,000 5.4%
Operation $1,559 $9,102,997,000 7.7%
Transportation $331 $1,933,983,000 1.6%
Other $886 $5,174,697,000 4.4%
Total Support $6,475 $37,806,152,000 31.9%
Non-instructional Expenditures $4,051 $23,650,179,000 19.9%
Total Expenditures $20,319 $118,628,286,000 100.0%
For the Nation Per Student Total % of Total
Instructional Expenditures $9,169 $453,314,948,000 49.6%
Support Expenditures
Student $1,031 $50,976,033,477 5.6%
Staff $799 $39,519,417,000 4.3%
General Administration $308 $15,224,255,000 1.7%
School Administration $850 $42,029,112,000 4.6%
Operation $1,430 $70,704,769,000 7.7%
Transportation $613 $30,295,759,523 3.3%
Other $623 $30,798,344,000 3.4%
Total Support $5,654 $279,547,690,000 30.6%
Non-instructional Expenditures $3,675 $181,697,172,000 19.9%
Total Expenditures $18,499 $914,559,810,000 100.0%

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