Hesperia Unified
Hesperia Unified is a public school district based in Hesperia, California, serving 23,209 students in 25 schools. By enrollment it ranks #40 of the 554 California districts with 1,000 or more students, larger than about 93% of them. Its schools average 928 students each, more than the California median of 533. Its superintendent is Michelle Smith. It spends about $12,592 per student on day-to-day operations, 8% less than the California median. It has roughly 23.4 students per teacher.
How Hesperia compares
Spending and staffing
| Measure | Hesperia | California median | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Current spending per student | $12,592 | $13,724 | FY2020-21 |
| Instruction spending per student | $7,946 | $8,321 | FY2020-21 |
| Total spending | $293.0 million | n/a | FY2020-21 |
| Total revenue | $341.8 million | n/a | FY2020-21 |
| Teachers (full-time equivalent) | 992 | n/a | 2024-25 |
| Total staff (full-time equivalent) | 2,187 | n/a | 2024-25 |
| Students per teacher | 23.4 | 21.7 | 2024-25 |
| Students per counselor | 474 | 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 →Michelle Smith
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 Hesperia 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hesperia UnifiedHesperia · this district | 23,209 | 25 | $12,592 | 23.4 | #40 |
| Rialto UnifiedRialto | 23,073 | 30 | $14,341 | 23.2 | #41 |
| Hemet UnifiedHemet | 22,891 | 27 | $15,161 | 21.9 | #42 |
| Placentia-Yorba Linda UnifiedPlacentia | 22,698 | 34 | $12,415 | 22.8 | #43 |
| Saddleback Valley UnifiedMission Viejo | 22,691 | 34 | $12,689 | 22.7 | #44 |
Similar-size districts nationally
| District | Students | Spending per student | Students per teacher |
|---|---|---|---|
| McKinney ISDMcKinney, TX | 23,296 | $10,512 | 14.1 |
| Hurst-Euless-Bedford ISDBedford, TX | 23,262 | $9,389 | 15.9 |
| Millard Public SchoolsOmaha, NE | 23,253 | $10,400 | 15.3 |
| Kanawha County SchoolsCharleston, WV | 23,085 | $12,713 | 13.6 |
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-hesperia-unified