Gonzales Unified
Gonzales Unified is a public school district based in Gonzales, California, serving 1,962 students in 3 schools. By enrollment it ranks #439 of the 554 California districts with 1,000 or more students, larger than about 21% of them. Its schools average 654 students each, more than the California median of 533. Its superintendent is Keith Thorbahn. It spends about $13,473 per student on day-to-day operations, about the state median. It has roughly 20.4 students per teacher.
How Gonzales compares
Spending and staffing
| Measure | Gonzales | California median | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Current spending per student | $13,473 | $13,724 | FY2020-21 |
| Instruction spending per student | $7,331 | $8,321 | FY2020-21 |
| Total spending | $32.9 million | n/a | FY2020-21 |
| Total revenue | $40.3 million | n/a | FY2020-21 |
| Teachers (full-time equivalent) | 96 | n/a | 2024-25 |
| Total staff (full-time equivalent) | 271 | n/a | 2024-25 |
| Students per teacher | 20.4 | 21.7 | 2024-25 |
| Students per counselor | 280 | 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 →Keith Thorbahn
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Corning Union ElementaryCorning | 1,976 | 6 | $13,120 | 21.2 | #437 |
| San Joaquin County Office of EducationStockton | 1,972 | 3 | $94,301 | 11.7 | #438 |
| Gonzales UnifiedGonzales · this district | 1,962 | 3 | $13,473 | 20.4 | #439 |
| Oroville City ElementaryOroville | 1,950 | 7 | $14,777 | 18.2 | #440 |
| Galt Joint Union HighGalt | 1,943 | 3 | $12,857 | 22.6 | #441 |
Similar-size districts nationally
| District | Students | Spending per student | Students per teacher |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kewanee CUSD 229Kewanee, IL | 1,963 | $12,813 | 14.5 |
| Raymondville ISDRaymondville, TX | 1,963 | $13,283 | 13.7 |
| Teton County DistrictDriggs, ID | 1,962 | $10,477 | 16.1 |
| WinthropWinthrop, MA | 1,961 | $17,094 | 14.9 |
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-gonzales-unified