Mountain Empire Unified
Mountain Empire Unified is a public school district based in Pine Valley, California, serving 1,743 students in 10 schools. By enrollment it ranks #456 of the 554 California districts with 1,000 or more students, larger than about 18% of them. Its schools average 174 students each, fewer than the California median of 533. Its superintendent is Patrick Keeley. It spends about $15,429 per student on day-to-day operations, 12% more than the California median. It has roughly 21.5 students per teacher.
How Mountain Empire compares
Spending and staffing
| Measure | Mountain Empire | California median | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Current spending per student | $15,429 | $13,724 | FY2020-21 |
| Instruction spending per student | $9,349 | $8,321 | FY2020-21 |
| Total spending | $26.9 million | n/a | FY2020-21 |
| Total revenue | $34.2 million | n/a | FY2020-21 |
| Teachers (full-time equivalent) | 81 | n/a | 2024-25 |
| Total staff (full-time equivalent) | 225 | n/a | 2024-25 |
| Students per teacher | 21.5 | 21.7 | 2024-25 |
| Students per counselor | 349 | 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 →Patrick Keeley
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Miller Creek ElementarySan Rafael | 1,755 | 4 | $14,040 | 21.9 | #454 |
| Pacific Grove UnifiedPacific Grove | 1,749 | 5 | $19,996 | 17.0 | #455 |
| Mountain Empire UnifiedPine Valley · this district | 1,743 | 10 | $15,429 | 21.5 | #456 |
| Old Adobe UnionPetaluma | 1,737 | 5 | $13,284 | 24.1 | #457 |
| Paradise UnifiedParadise | 1,733 | 11 | $19,718 | 19.3 | #458 |
Similar-size districts nationally
| District | Students | Spending per student | Students per teacher |
|---|---|---|---|
| Woodland Park School District No. Re-2Woodland Park, CO | 1,744 | $12,339 | 14.2 |
| Albany Public School DistrictAlbany, MN | 1,744 | $11,810 | 14.9 |
| Cresskill Public School DistrictCresskill, NJ | 1,743 | $20,445 | 11.9 |
| Evans CountyClaxton, GA | 1,742 | $12,370 | 13.2 |
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-mountain-empire-unified