Carlsbad Unified
Carlsbad Unified is a public school district based in Carlsbad, California, serving 10,708 students in 16 schools. By enrollment it ranks #135 of the 554 California districts with 1,000 or more students, larger than about 76% of them. Its schools average 669 students each, more than the California median of 533. Its superintendent is Andrea Norman. It spends about $12,544 per student on day-to-day operations, 9% less than the California median. It has roughly 22.8 students per teacher.
How Carlsbad compares
Spending and staffing
| Measure | Carlsbad | California median | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Current spending per student | $12,544 | $13,724 | FY2020-21 |
| Instruction spending per student | $8,198 | $8,321 | FY2020-21 |
| Total spending | $203.9 million | n/a | FY2020-21 |
| Total revenue | $176.9 million | n/a | FY2020-21 |
| Teachers (full-time equivalent) | 470 | n/a | 2024-25 |
| Total staff (full-time equivalent) | 965 | n/a | 2024-25 |
| Students per teacher | 22.8 | 21.7 | 2024-25 |
| Students per counselor | 564 | 474 | 2024-25 |
Spending: NCES school district finance survey (F-33), FY2020-21. Staffing and enrollment: NCES Common Core of Data, 2024-25. Via the Urban Institute Education Data Portal. The California median compares districts with 1,000 or more students.
Leadership
Moves tracker →Andrea Norman
Source: California Department of Education, School Directory, checked 2026-10-19. Report a change
In the news
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Peer districts in California
Compare side by side →| District | Students | Schools | Spending per student | Students per teacher | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lynwood UnifiedLynwood | 10,900 | 17 | $16,041 | 22.9 | #134 |
| Carlsbad UnifiedCarlsbad · this district | 10,708 | 16 | $12,544 | 22.8 | #135 |
| Pittsburg UnifiedPittsburg | 10,666 | 13 | $13,724 | 21.3 | #136 |
| La Mesa-Spring ValleyLa Mesa | 10,460 | 21 | $13,669 | 22.6 | #137 |
| Marysville Joint UnifiedMarysville | 10,446 | 23 | $13,060 | 21.8 | #138 |
Similar-size districts nationally
| District | Students | Spending per student | Students per teacher |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elkhart Community SchoolsElkhart, IN | 10,714 | $10,814 | 14.0 |
| Hutto ISDHutto, TX | 10,688 | $10,271 | 15.2 |
| Eau Claire Area School DistrictEau Claire, WI | 10,687 | $13,145 | 13.5 |
| Bryan CountyPembroke, GA | 10,677 | $10,204 | 14.1 |
Peers are the districts closest in enrollment, so they can still differ in many other ways. Enrollment, school counts and phone numbers are from the NCES Common Core of Data, 2024-25.
Printed from Superintendent's Corner: https://superintendentscorner.com/district-ca-carlsbad-unified