Lucia Mar Unified
Lucia Mar Unified is a public school district based in Arroyo Grande, California, serving 9,591 students in 19 schools. By enrollment it ranks #153 of the 554 California districts with 1,000 or more students, larger than about 73% of them. Its schools average 505 students each, about the same as the California median of 533. Its superintendent is Paul Fawcett. It spends about $12,172 per student on day-to-day operations, 11% less than the California median. It has roughly 19.8 students per teacher.
How Lucia Mar compares
Spending and staffing
| Measure | Lucia Mar | California median | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Current spending per student | $12,172 | $13,724 | FY2020-21 |
| Instruction spending per student | $7,852 | $8,321 | FY2020-21 |
| Total spending | $146.1 million | n/a | FY2020-21 |
| Total revenue | $145.6 million | n/a | FY2020-21 |
| Teachers (full-time equivalent) | 485 | n/a | 2024-25 |
| Total staff (full-time equivalent) | 1,051 | n/a | 2024-25 |
| Students per teacher | 19.8 | 21.7 | 2024-25 |
| Students per counselor | 400 | 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 →Paul Fawcett
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vallejo City UnifiedVallejo | 9,653 | 20 | $13,178 | 22.8 | #151 |
| Bellflower UnifiedBellflower | 9,633 | 15 | $13,446 | 21.4 | #152 |
| Lucia Mar UnifiedArroyo Grande · this district | 9,591 | 19 | $12,172 | 19.8 | #153 |
| Castro Valley UnifiedCastro Valley | 9,570 | 16 | $11,911 | 23.1 | #154 |
| Upland UnifiedUpland | 9,496 | 14 | $12,618 | 22.7 | #155 |
Similar-size districts nationally
| District | Students | Spending per student | Students per teacher |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coeur D'Alene DistrictCoeur D'Alene, ID | 9,609 | $9,828 | 17.6 |
| Yukon Public SchoolsYukon, OK | 9,597 | $9,514 | 17.5 |
| ElkoElko, NV | 9,595 | $12,125 | 18.7 |
| Fairfield CityFairfield, OH | 9,591 | $10,386 | 19.5 |
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-lucia-mar-unified