Garden Grove Unified
Garden Grove Unified is a public school district based in Garden Grove, California, serving 37,009 students in 66 schools. By enrollment it ranks #16 of the 554 California districts with 1,000 or more students, larger than about 97% of them. Its schools average 561 students each, about the same as the California median of 533. Its superintendent is Gabriela Mafi. It spends about $14,737 per student on day-to-day operations, 7% more than the California median. It has roughly 22.9 students per teacher.
How Garden Grove compares
Spending and staffing
| Measure | Garden Grove | California median | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Current spending per student | $14,737 | $13,724 | FY2020-21 |
| Instruction spending per student | $9,242 | $8,321 | FY2020-21 |
| Total spending | $671.8 million | n/a | FY2020-21 |
| Total revenue | $712.9 million | n/a | FY2020-21 |
| Teachers (full-time equivalent) | 1,618 | n/a | 2024-25 |
| Total staff (full-time equivalent) | 4,056 | n/a | 2024-25 |
| Students per teacher | 22.9 | 21.7 | 2024-25 |
| Students per counselor | 726 | 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 →Gabriela Mafi
Source: California Department of Education, School Directory, checked 2026-10-19. Report a change
In the news
0 stories matchedWe haven't matched any stories to Garden Grove Unified yet. Recent California coverage is on the California page.
Peer districts in California
Compare side by side →| District | Students | Schools | Spending per student | Students per teacher | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Riverside UnifiedRiverside | 38,033 | 49 | $13,951 | 23.3 | #13 |
| Irvine UnifiedIrvine | 38,028 | 45 | $13,060 | 26.6 | #14 |
| Sacramento City UnifiedSacramento | 37,913 | 73 | $15,654 | 22.0 | #15 |
| Garden Grove UnifiedGarden Grove · this district | 37,009 | 66 | $14,737 | 22.9 | #16 |
| Santa Ana UnifiedSanta Ana | 36,036 | 52 | $15,998 | 20.0 | #17 |
Similar-size districts nationally
| District | Students | Spending per student | Students per teacher |
|---|---|---|---|
| Johnston County Public SchoolsSmithfield, NC | 37,320 | $9,681 | 17.0 |
| Richardson ISDRichardson, TX | 36,971 | $10,895 | 13.9 |
| Washington DistrictSt. George, UT | 36,961 | $7,733 | 23.1 |
| Escambia CountyPensacola, FL | 36,768 | $9,967 | 17.0 |
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-garden-grove-unified