Laguna Beach Unified
Laguna Beach Unified is a public school district based in Laguna Beach, California, serving 2,291 students in 4 schools. By enrollment it ranks #405 of the 554 California districts with 1,000 or more students, larger than about 27% of them. Its schools average 573 students each, about the same as the California median of 533. Its superintendent is Don Austin. It spends about $24,293 per student on day-to-day operations, 77% more than the California median. It has roughly 18.5 students per teacher.
How Laguna Beach compares
Spending and staffing
| Measure | Laguna Beach | California median | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Current spending per student | $24,293 | $13,724 | FY2020-21 |
| Instruction spending per student | $14,952 | $8,321 | FY2020-21 |
| Total spending | $68.9 million | n/a | FY2020-21 |
| Total revenue | $76.2 million | n/a | FY2020-21 |
| Teachers (full-time equivalent) | 124 | n/a | 2024-25 |
| Total staff (full-time equivalent) | 300 | n/a | 2024-25 |
| Students per teacher | 18.5 | 21.7 | 2024-25 |
| Students per counselor | 229 | 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 →Don Austin
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Laguna Beach UnifiedLaguna Beach · this district | 2,291 | 4 | $24,293 | 18.5 | #405 |
| Orange County Department of EducationCosta Mesa | 2,290 | 5 | $70,768 | 14.5 | #406 |
| Hilmar UnifiedHilmar | 2,284 | 7 | $12,960 | 19.5 | #407 |
| Bonsall UnifiedBonsall | 2,281 | 5 | $12,907 | 21.5 | #408 |
| Delhi UnifiedDelhi | 2,276 | 5 | $13,877 | 17.8 | #409 |
Similar-size districts nationally
| District | Students | Spending per student | Students per teacher |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oglethorpe CountyLexington, GA | 2,293 | $12,328 | 12.9 |
| Pointe Coupee ParishNew Roads, LA | 2,293 | $13,259 | 14.0 |
| Fort Atkinson School DistrictFort Atkinson, WI | 2,291 | $15,015 | 12.2 |
| Carlisle Community School DistrictCarlisle, IA | 2,290 | $9,807 | 15.4 |
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-laguna-beach-unified