Central Unified
Central Unified is a public school district based in Fresno, California, serving 15,962 students in 25 schools. By enrollment it ranks #81 of the 554 California districts with 1,000 or more students, larger than about 86% of them. Its schools average 638 students each, more than the California median of 533. Its superintendent is Mark Marshall. It spends about $12,844 per student on day-to-day operations, 6% less than the California median. It has roughly 23.2 students per teacher.
How Central Unified compares
Spending and staffing
| Measure | Central Unified | California median | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Current spending per student | $12,844 | $13,724 | FY2020-21 |
| Instruction spending per student | $7,524 | $8,321 | FY2020-21 |
| Total spending | $261.3 million | n/a | FY2020-21 |
| Total revenue | $250.6 million | n/a | FY2020-21 |
| Teachers (full-time equivalent) | 689 | n/a | 2024-25 |
| Total staff (full-time equivalent) | 1,729 | n/a | 2024-25 |
| Students per teacher | 23.2 | 21.7 | 2024-25 |
| Students per counselor | 515 | 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 →Mark Marshall
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Napa Valley UnifiedNapa | 16,103 | 26 | $12,008 | 23.4 | #78 |
| Oxnard Union HighOxnard | 16,039 | 12 | $13,649 | 22.8 | #79 |
| Cajon Valley UnionEl Cajon | 15,992 | 26 | $14,459 | 23.8 | #80 |
| Central UnifiedFresno · this district | 15,962 | 25 | $12,844 | 23.2 | #81 |
| Coachella Valley UnifiedThermal | 15,817 | 22 | $16,179 | 21.3 | #82 |
Similar-size districts nationally
| District | Students | Spending per student | Students per teacher |
|---|---|---|---|
| York 03Rock Hill, SC | 16,034 | $12,655 | 13.3 |
| Catawba County SchoolsNewton, NC | 16,003 | $9,604 | 17.4 |
| Trenton Public School DistrictTrenton, NJ | 15,964 | $16,859 | 16.1 |
| Eugene School District 4JEugene, OR | 15,943 | $12,802 | 17.2 |
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-central-unified