La Canada Unified
La Canada Unified is a public school district based in La Canada, California, serving 3,988 students in 4 schools. By enrollment it ranks #301 of the 554 California districts with 1,000 or more students, larger than about 46% of them. Its schools average 997 students each, more than the California median of 533. Its superintendent is Debra Cradduck. It spends about $12,648 per student on day-to-day operations, 8% less than the California median. It has roughly 23.7 students per teacher.
How La Canada compares
Spending and staffing
| Measure | La Canada | California median | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Current spending per student | $12,648 | $13,724 | FY2020-21 |
| Instruction spending per student | $7,643 | $8,321 | FY2020-21 |
| Total spending | $64.0 million | n/a | FY2020-21 |
| Total revenue | $59.5 million | n/a | FY2020-21 |
| Teachers (full-time equivalent) | 168 | n/a | 2024-25 |
| Total staff (full-time equivalent) | 409 | n/a | 2024-25 |
| Students per teacher | 23.7 | 21.7 | 2024-25 |
| Students per counselor | 399 | 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 →Debra Cradduck
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delano Joint Union HighDelano | 4,004 | 4 | $14,901 | 21.6 | #299 |
| Centralia ElementaryBuena Park | 3,995 | 8 | $13,164 | 25.1 | #300 |
| La Canada UnifiedLa Canada · this district | 3,988 | 4 | $12,648 | 23.7 | #301 |
| Konocti UnifiedLower Lake | 3,986 | 11 | $14,048 | 23.2 | #302 |
| Mendota UnifiedMendota | 3,977 | 7 | $13,345 | 22.7 | #303 |
Similar-size districts nationally
| District | Students | Spending per student | Students per teacher |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scott County School DistrictForest, MS | 3,989 | $9,315 | 17.2 |
| Pleasant Valley School DistrictBrodheadsville, PA | 3,989 | $22,995 | 15.1 |
| WellesleyWellesley, MA | 3,986 | $25,496 | 10.5 |
| Winton Woods CityCincinnati, OH | 3,985 | $14,339 | 17.6 |
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-la-canada-unified